Jayne's Books

WWW Wednesdays (Feb.1)

2012-02-01T15:33:00.000-08:00

2. What did you recently finish reading?
Since its been a few weeks since I last made a post, I have finished & reviewed a number of books.
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (reviewing later this year)
• A Midsummer Night's Dream
• Mini-Shopaholic (the first e-book I read and finished)
• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
• The Scarlet Letter

3. What do you think you'll be reading next?
Probably something that I have been trying to finish off my currently reading list

The Scarlet Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne

2012-01-31T14:25:00.000-08:00

Title: The Scarlet Letter
Author: Nathaniel Hawthorne
Pages: 288
Published: 2009 (Originally published 1850)
Challenges: 2012 Library Challenge, 2012 Support Your Library Challenge, Back to the Classics 2012, 2012 Where You Are Reading, 2012 A Classics Challenge
Genre: Classics
Edition: Paperback
Source: Library
Rating: 3.5/5

A passionate young woman, her cowardly lover, and her aging, vengeful husband are the central characters in this stark drama of the conflict between passion and convention in the harsh world of seventeenth-century Boston.

Tremendously moving and rich in psychological insight, this tragic novel of sin and redemption addresses our Puritan past. Depicting the struggle between mind and heart, Hawthorne fashioned a masterpiece of American fiction. (via Goodreads)

Thoughts: This was a book I had been wanting to read for quite sometime due to just the fact of the nature of what it dealt with and because its a book that is referred to in many ways. I think expected something more than what I actually encountered. While it was well-written, I did find it a bit mundane and sometimes a little dull and slow moving. While I understand the point of the book, it just felt like there was something missing and I suppose it was because there was this hype that surrounded the book that it was something that I was expecting. In otherwords, what I expected isn't what I got out of the book. It is very well written and from that standpoint it was very good and I can clearly see why its considered to be classic, especially in terms of the American canon of American literature. Hawthorne clearly makes his point that we as humans struggle between what we know is right and what we feel is right and how the two are constantly in conflict with one another. I recommend the book, but only with the pretext that it isn't the salicous book that its sometimes made out to be.

Now if I take out my expectations of the book, the book as a whole rates higher than what I gave it, probably closer to a four than a three. Hawthorne's language does draw one into the story and when you find out what happens in the end (I am not going to spill the beans for those that still wish to read the book), you can see why Hawthorne paced the book the way he did. What I am bit surprised about the book was that it was Hawthorne's first major piece that was written and was really his only well-known work, unlike Dickens who seemed to turn out well-known pieces on a regular basis (did some research on Hawthorne and he wrote other pieces of fiction, but nothing that I recognized).

Bottom line: If you are looking for something that is rich in detail, both the psychologist and physical environment, it is worth the read. He gets into a place that very few writers have been able to get into and presents something that is rich and poses to us the fact that we are constantly struggling between what we know is right in our heads and what we feel is right at the moment and the turmoil that it gives us. An really good read, but don't go in with preconceived expectations of what the book is about.

Pages for 2012: 1920

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - J.K. Rowling

2012-01-30T19:24:00.000-08:00

Title: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Author: J.K. Rowling
Pages: 366
Published: 2004 (originally published in 1998)
Challenges: 2012 Harry Potter Reading Challenge
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Edition: Paperback and audiobook
Source: Purchased and library
Rating: 5/5

Ever since Harry Potter had come home for the summer, the Dursleys were so mean and hideous that all Harry wanted was to get back to the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. But just as he's packing his bags, Harry receives a warning from a strange, impish creature named Dobby who says that if Harry Potter returns to Hogwarts, disaster will strike.

And strike it does. For in Harry's second year at Hogwarts, fresh torments and horrors arise, including an outrageously stuck-up new professor and a spirit who haunts the girls' bathroom. But then the real trouble begins--someone is turning Hogwarts students to stone. Could it be Draco Malfoy, a more poisonous rival than ever? Could it possibly be Hagrid, whose mysterious past is finally told? Or could it be the one everyone at Hogwarts most suspects...Harry Potter himself! (via Goodreads)

Thoughts: Felt that this story was a little more developed than the previous story, especially since there are allusions to the story of Tom Riddle In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (I suppose reading it basically a month ago doesn't hurt and therefore allows one to understand how each of the first six books aid in the final book and its final plot). I felt that the story did have its element of light-heartedness in the form of Gilderoy Lockhart and the fact that he really wasn't what he said he was.

Bottom line: An excellent continuation of the first book and one gets to understand why Hagrid is the gameskeeper at Hogwarts. I also liked the developing relationship between Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and some of the other students at the school. Its still on the light-hearted stuff and isn't as scary as the latter books and is good for those who are probably in grades 4 and above. Language is still on the simplistic, but you can see that darker themes are being introduced.

Pages for 2012: 1632

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? (Jan. 30)

2012-01-29T22:22:00.000-08:00

It's Monday, What Are You Reading is a fun weekly meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey where we share what we've read and reviewed over the past week and what we plan to read next.

This is what I am planning on reading this week:

Here is what I reviewed this week:
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling

Musing Mondays (Jan. 30)

2012-01-29T22:17:00.000-08:00

Should be Reading asks this week:

How far along are you in your current read before you start thinking about what you’ll read next?

I don't think about my next read until I am finished my current read. There are times that I do think ahead, but that is usually because I am on vacation.

Sunday Salon - Crazy, crazy, crazy

2012-01-29T10:50:00.000-08:00

It has been one of those weeks that has been fraught with a bit of drama and one of those weeks that I would like to forget and I am not going to mention it, as it the issue seems to be getting resolved.

Funnily enough, the day before all my high drama on Thursday, was my best day in a number of weeks; this past Wednesday was pretty good and I had a very good day.

The snow has all but disappeared from the big snowfall that we had 2 weeks ago, except for the piles of snow that litter the parking lots and wherever there was snow piled up and now the rain is coming down and am looking forward to the days with sun that will likely be far and few between for the rest of the remaining winter.

In terms of reading, it wasn't very good for some reason; guess I got a little too focused on my personal issues and therefore got sidetracked with the reading aspect, that and I was busy most evenings this past week, except for Sunday and Thursday. But I did have Friday off and managed to get a book done. I also picked up 11/22/63 (along with some others) and started yesterday and after reading the first part, I am really looking forward to reading it this coming week. And yesterday I managed to make some strides on my reading and am hoping that I can get a lot of reading done in the next few weeks.

Hope you all have a relaxing Sunday.

Reviews:
1. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling

Saturday Snapshot (Jan. 28)

2012-01-28T10:23:00.000-08:00

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce @ AT Home With Books.

Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don't post random photos that you find online.

Took this photo with my iPhone as I was on my way to work a couple of weeks ago. Thought it was interesting.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - J.K. Rowling

2012-01-27T17:16:00.000-08:00

Title: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Author: J.K. Rowling
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Pages: 332
Published: 2004 (originally published in 1997)
Challenges: 2012 Harry Potter Reading Challenge
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Edition: Paperback and audiobook
Source: Purchased and library
Rating: 5/5

When a letter arrives for unhappy but ordinary Harry Potter, a decade-old secret is revealed to him. His parents were wizards, killed by a Dark Lord's curse when Harry was just a baby, and which he somehow survived. Escaping from his unbearable Muggle guardians to Hogwarts, a wizarding school brimming with ghosts and enchantments, Harry stumbles into a sinister adventure when he finds a three-headed dog guarding a room on the third floor. Then he hears of a missing stone with astonishing powers which could be valuable, dangerous, or both. (via blurb on book)

Thoughts: I read this book while listening to the audio at the same time and I while I had thought I had read the book, I really hadn't, as I found passages in the book that I had basically glanced over the first four or five times that I have read this book. I can't exactly recall what I missed, but there were quite a few portions of the book that I clearly had missed as I listened to the book. As to the book, what can't I say? I really enjoyed it and thought the book there was a sense of the magical and the fantastical throughout the book. I read this book as a part of the 2012 Harry Potter Reading Challenge.

Bottom line: Very enjoyable and definitely something that I think that most people will enjoy reading; its definitely something that can quickly be read by most readers.

Page total for 2012: 1266

TGIF: Buy or Burrow?

2012-01-27T12:17:00.000-08:00

TGIF is a weekly feature created and hosted by GReads! that re-caps the week’s posts and has different question each week.

This week's question: Buy or Borrow: Where do your books that you read come from? The bookstore? The library? Do you prefer to own a book, or have it on loan?

I mainly get my books from the library, mainly because I can't afford to buy all the books that I read over the course of the year. I would prefer to own my books because I am a fairly slow reader and I like to take my time reading. When I do buy, I go through ChaptersIndigo mainly because its really the only bookstore chain in the area (there aren't really any independent stores in the area) and also because they also allow me to purchase books through my debit card online, which I do more often when I purchase a book due to the fact that I get a better deal online and also because my local store doesn't really have the book that I want to read (sometimes I can get a really good deal in store, like when I purchased The Passage for about $13, but that is very rare).

Library Loot: January 25 to February 1

2012-01-26T20:30:00.000-08:00

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries!

Here is what I picked up from the library this week:

Videos:
Upstairs Downstairs
Fourth season of The Big Bang Theory
Jane Eyre (the one that came out a few months ago)
Crazy Stupid Love
Maid in Manhattan

Books:
The Marriage Plot (ereader)
Catherine the Great : portrait of a woman
11/22/63 : a novel
Death comes to Pemberley
A thousand lives : the untold story of hope, deception, and survival at Jonestown

I don't know which of the 4 books that came in paper form I will read, but probably will read at least 11/22/63 and possibly Death comes to Pemberley.

Booking Through Thursday - Writing or Riveting?

2012-01-25T23:23:00.000-08:00

This week Booking Through Thursday asks:

What’s more important: Good writing? Or a good story?
(Of course, a book should have BOTH, but…)

For me it would be writing because that what makes the story riveting and can draw the reader in. Of course the writing can be beautiful, but the story can be utter crap and that would then defeat the purpose. But honestly, good writing can draw me in more into the story than a good story because its what I feel like makes it a good story. How an author weaves their words and make you feel as though you are intruding on somebody's life for a moment is probably slightly more important than the story because its the words that make a good story, not the other way around.

What's on Your Nightstand - January 24

2012-01-23T23:49:00.000-08:00

I got the last three Harry Potter books, but I have started the series all over again. I haven't had a lot of time to read, but somehow I have managed to fit in quite a bit this month. I also completed my first ebook and really liked the experience (got an e-reader for Christmas from my parents) and have started my second ebook from the library. I will still do most of my reading with paper books, as I don't have the resources to get more e-books.

I have also started a bunch of my bigger books and quite honestly I am finding them to be quite readable and found myself reading out of them more often than not. I got a Shakespeare play completed in an afternoon and while it wasn't my favourite one, I really enjoyed it, even though I have seen it performed on stage and on the screen.

Reviews:
1. Little House on the Prairie
2. A Midsummer Night's Dream
3. Mini-Shopaholic

On my nightstand:
The Gift
What Alice Knew
The Great Gatsby
The Help
The Scarlet Letter
Anna Karenina *
Les Miserables *
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
The Cat's Table
Steve Jobs
The Marriage Plot

* = month/year long reads

A Winter's Respite Readathon (Jan 23 - 29) #WintersRespite

2012-01-22T23:28:00.000-08:00

It's time for another Read-a-thon! A Winter's Respite Read-a-thon is being hosted by The True Book Addict and is starting tomorrow, Jan 23. It will run through next Sunday, Jan 29. I am really busy tomorrow, but depending on what happens throughout the week, I should be able to get quite a bit done, especially since I have quite the pile that I plan on tackling.

Here is what I plan on reading:
The Gift
What Alice Knew
The Great Gatsby
The Help
The Scarlet Letter
Anna Karenina
Les Miserables
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
The Cat's Table
Steve Jobs
The Marriage Plot

I realize that its quite a bit, but some of them should be fairly quick, like The Cat's Table and Harry Potter and Scarlet, if I spend the time reading them. I do have most of Friday available to me to read and about 3 evenings are free of obligations and with shows basically going dark for about a week or two, I should have time to read quite a bit.

If you wish to join the discussion, you can find us on twitter at #wintersrespite.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? (Jan. 23)

2012-01-22T23:11:00.000-08:00

It's Monday, What Are You Reading is a fun weekly meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey where we share what we've read and reviewed over the past week and what we plan to read next.

What I am reading:
The Gift
What Alice Knew
The Great Gatsby
The Help
The Scarlet Letter
Anna Karenina
Les Miserables
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
The Cat's Table
Steve Jobs
The Marriage Plot

What I finished:
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (review will be up in late summer or early fall)
Mini-Shopaholic

I am hoping to cut down my reading pile and am not thinking of what to read next at this point.

Musing Mondays (Jan. 23)

2012-01-22T23:02:00.000-08:00

Should be Reading asks this week:

Why do you think that the Young Adult genre is so popular with even the adult readers? Do you read YA books, yourself?

I think that YA is popular, even with adult readers because the writing is much better than it was when we were young adults and the genre is so varied. I think it started with the Harry Potter books that made the YA genre popular with adults and its just grown from there.

Yes, I do read YA and I quite enjoy them and enjoy them more than I did when I was in the target market.

Sunday Salon - It's amazing

2012-01-22T11:08:00.000-08:00

It's amazing when one's life basically is going to the dogs that one can find time to read, but when one's mind is distracted its a different story. This week has been a little crazy due to the fact that I have had some health issues crop up (its not anything huge, but am trying to figure out what it is at the moment) and how that can make things go off kilter. But somehow I was able to manage to get two books done over the week. Its also amazing how the mind can be distracted by such a little thing, when there is a bit of uncertainty.

I was able to start and complete the latest Shopaholic book, which was nice to get the mind off of things, finish HP and the Deathly Hallows, and start a couple of more books that I have been wanting to read. I didn't get a lot of reading done due to the fact that my mind was elsewhere for most of the week, but I am hoping that next week is a bit more productive.

Books completed:
1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (review will be up in late summer, early fall) by J.K. Rowling
2. Mini-Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

Mini-Shopaholic - Sophie Kinsella

2012-01-21T22:30:00.000-08:00

Title: Mini-Shopaholic (Shopaholic #6)
Author: Sophie Kinsella
Size: 2173 KB
Published: 2010
Challenges: Support Your Library
Genre: Chick-lit, Contemporary
Edition: ebook
Source: Library download
Rating: 2.5/5

Sophie Kinsella has dazzled readers with her irresistible Shopaholic novels—sensational international bestsellers that have garnered millions of devoted fans and catapulted her into the first rank of contemporary storytellers. Now her beloved heroine Becky Brandon (née Bloomwood) returns in a hilarious tale of married life, toddlerhood, and the perils of trying to give a fabulous surprise party—on a budget!

Becky Brandon thought motherhood would be a breeze and that having a daughter was a dream come true: a shopping friend for life! But it’s trickier than she thought. Two-year-old Minnie has a quite different approach to shopping.

Minnie creates havoc everywhere she goes, from Harrods to her own christening. Her favorite word is “Mine!” and she’s even trying to get into eBay! On top of everything else, Becky and Luke are still living with her parents (the deal on house #4 has fallen through), when suddenly there’s a huge financial crisis.

With people having to “cut back,” Becky decides to throw a surprise party for Luke to cheer everyone up. But when costs start to spiral out of control, she must decide whether to accept help from an unexpected source—and therefore run the risk of hurting the person she loves.

Will Becky be able to pull off the celebration of the year? Will she and Luke ever find a home of their own? Will Minnie ever learn to behave? And . . . most important . . . will Becky’s secret wishes ever come true? (via Goodreads)

Thoughts: It was one of the better Shopaholic books that I have read and kinda knew what to expect when I started this book, in a way. It seemed to follow the formula that is basically tried and true with the series and that didn't disappoint me at all. I wasn't expecting the best novel in the world, but maybe I have come to expect that Kinsella will involve Becky in something that is a bit embarrassing that I have to flip forward. It was a nice light read.

Bottom Line: Its a good book if you just want something to read on the beach or going on a plane trip; doesn't require a lot of thought and if you enjoy chick-lit, you'll enjoy this one as well.

Page total for 2012: 934

Saturday Snapshot (Jan. 21)

2012-01-21T10:10:00.000-08:00

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce @ AT Home With Books.

Took this photo from my deck after I got up on Monday morning. And yes I did go to work that morning.

Blog Blackout

2012-01-17T22:32:00.001-08:00

I am going on a blog blackout from 8 am to 8 pm Eastern tomorrow (Wednesday) to support those on Wordpress and other sites that are going to be supporting the blog/internet blackout tomorrow. That means no memes, no book reviews, etc. And yes, I know that I have periods in which I don't blog, but this is because I don't like the fact that there is even a chance that I might be affected by putting up something that might infringe on my ability to put up an effective blog, that I know lots of people have come read. I realize that its just a drop in the bucket, but sometimes a drop in the bucket is all that is needed for change.

Hope to see you in about 16 hours or so.

First Chapter - First Paragaph(s) - Tuesday Intros (Jan.17)

2012-01-17T13:41:00.000-08:00

This weeks choice:

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Mae Mobley was born on a early Sunday morning in August 1960. A church baby we like to call it. Taking care a white babies, that's what I do, along with all the cooking and the cleaning. I done raised seventeen kids in my lifetime. I know how to get them babies to sleep, stop crying, and go in the toilet bowl before they mamas even get out a bed in the morning.

Would you continue reading?

Teaser Tuesdays (Jan. 17)

2012-01-17T13:23:00.000-08:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

By the next Monday, the leaves on that mimosa tree have turned black like it burned instead of froze. I come in the kitchen ready to tell her how many days we have left, but Miss Celia's staring at that tree, hating it with her eyes the same way she hates the stove. She's pale, won't eat anything I put in front of her.

~ p.157, The Help by Kathryn Stockett

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? (Jan.16)

2012-01-15T21:43:00.000-08:00

It's Monday, What Are You Reading is a fun weekly meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey where we share what we've read and reviewed over the past week and what we plan to read next.

What I am reading:
The Gift
What Alice Knew
The Great Gatsby
The Help
The Scarlet Letter
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Anna Karenina
Les Miserables

What I recently finished:
A Midsummer Night's Dream

What is up next:
East of Eden
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

I am hoping that I am going to get a few more of the books on the what I am reading list done this coming week.

Musing Mondays (Jan.16)

2012-01-15T21:33:00.000-08:00

This week Should be Reading asks:

What devices --if any-- do you read books on? Do you find it enjoyable, or still somewhat bothersome? Or: If you only read the print books, why haven't you chosen to read on any devices?

I got a Kobo Vox for Christmas and have just started to read off of that, but the primarily mode for reading for me is definitely is my print books. One reason is that I am worried that I am going to leave my Vox somewhere. Another reason is that the paper versions of books are almost exactly the same price as that as the price for the e-book, at least that is the case for Chapters. Thirdly, I can borrow more paper copies of a book through my library than I can e-books, which is limited to five vs. the 60 paper copies that I could borrow. There is the small issue that I don't have a credit card in order to purchase an e-book and I need to ask Chapters or Coles what to do if I don't have a credit card.

Hope everybody has a good Monday!

Sunday Salon - A bit of an update

2012-01-15T14:28:00.000-08:00

I realize that I haven't done this in a couple of weeks, but I didn't really think I had anything worth publishing, but in any case here we go.

I have been quite busy reading books, especially this weekend in which I have gotten quite a bit of reading done, especially on the readalong challenges, in which I had fallen behind on, slightly. Also I have had times in which I haven't read or felt like reading these past two weeks, but for some strange reason I got the bug this weekend and just have mainly sat and read a number of books. While I haven't finished anything of note, other than A Midsummer Night's Dream, I have managed to get a number of books closer to completion and have managed to get certain sections of books done. But I am hoping to have some more books completed in the coming days.

Reviews:
1. Little House on the Prairie
2. A Midsummer Night's Dream

Library Loot: January 11 – 17

2012-01-14T15:07:00.000-08:00

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries!

Haven't done this in a while, but here I go. Since I am restricting myself to picking up books on the weekends, even though I don't have a heavy week day schedule, I am going to be posting this on Saturday afternoon or evening, depending on when I have gone to the library.

Here is what I picked up:

From Surrey Public Library (SPL):
• Steve Jobs by Walter Issacson

From Fraser Valley Regional Library (FVRL):
• Season 3 of Castle
• When Harry Met Sally
• The Cat's Table by Michael Ondaatje
• House of Secrets by Tracie Peterson

A Midsummer Night's Dream - William Shakespeare

2012-01-13T22:39:00.000-08:00

Title: A Midsummer Night's Dream
Author: William Shakespeare
Size: 66 KB (copy used on Goodreads had 256 pages)
Published: 2009 (First published 1595)
Challenges: Reading Shakespeare: a play a month in 2012
Genre: Drama, Classics, Shakespeare
Edition: ebook
Source: Free download
Rating: 3/5

Shakespeare's intertwined love polygons begin to get complicated from the start--Demetrius and Lysander both want Hermia but she only has eyes for Lysander. Bad news is, Hermia's father wants Demetrius for a son-in-law. On the outside is Helena, whose unreturned love burns hot for Demetrius. Hermia and Lysander plan to flee from the city under cover of darkness but are pursued by an enraged Demetrius (who is himself pursued by an enraptured Helena). In the forest, unbeknownst to the mortals, Oberon and Titania (King and Queen of the faeries) are having a spat over a servant boy. The plot twists up when Oberon's head mischief-maker, Puck, runs loose with a flower which causes people to fall in love with the first thing they see upon waking. Throw in a group of labourers preparing a play for the Duke's wedding (one of whom is given a donkey's head and Titania for a lover by Puck) and the complications become fantastically funny. (via Goodreads)

Thoughts: Its been a couple of days since I last read the play, as I read it in one sitting, but overall I felt that the book flew me by pretty quick to form a complete opinion. Certainly not one of my favourite plays by Shakespeare, but even then the play is pretty good. Reading a play by Shakespeare does not do it justice and one really has to see the play in order to get a better sense of the play and quite honestly I can see why. The language, especially in regards to this particular play, is action oriented. What I basically mean is that the language indicates the action and is predicated on somebody on seeing what is going on, not somebody just hearing the action or reading it on a page.

Bottom line: Not one of my favourites, but definitely worth the read. I will have more to say on the play in the next couple of weeks.

Page total for 2012: 608

Saturday Snapshot (Jan. 14)

2012-01-13T21:04:00.000-08:00

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce @ AT Home With Books.

Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don't post random photos that you find online.

Took this photo this past week as the sun was lowering in the sky. I hadn't seen the sun do this for quite a few months, as it has been grey for a large portion of that time. The photo was taken about 3:30 pm and the sun left the wall within the half-hour.

Bout of books 3.0

2012-01-12T21:33:00.000-08:00

This is a sticky post and if you want updates, please scroll down. Thank you.

My Goals

~~to get Les Miserables started and read at least the first 25 pages~~
to get most of The Scarlet Letter completed
~~to read A Midsummer's Night's Dream~~
to complete at least two of the books that I have been reading since 2011
to complete HP and the Deathly Hallows
to start Anna Karenina and complete the first section
to get half of The Help completed by Sunday
complete The Great Gatsby ~~and post my answers to the questions posted here.~~

Books To Read

The Scarlet Letter

A Midsummer's Night's Dream

Les Miserables

The Great Gatsby

The Help

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Anna Karenina

Monday: Didn't read much; read maybe about 40 pages. I read a couple of chapters out of Harry Potter and read a chapter out of The Scarlet Letter and that was it. I was just a little too jumpy. Hopefully I can get some more of the of the other books read as well.

Tuesday: Read a lot more today, as I read a bunch out of HP and The Great Gatsby. I also managed to read a little out of The Gift, which I realize I don't have on the list, but whatever. I was away for the evening and therefore didn't read as much as I would have liked, but I am hoping that I can read more tomorrow evening and get a few more books read during the evening hours.

Thursday: Sorry for no update yesterday; I spent the evening reading and by the time I remembered, I was ready for bed. Anyways, over the past twenty-four hours I have read quite a bit off the list of books to be read and have actually completed the first of the goals that I stated above and I was also able to read Midsummer Night's Dream. I also posted the answers to the questions that were posted for the Gatsby readalong from last week, but have only completed a third of the book. While I feel a little bit behind, I know that I have until Sunday to get them completed and its quite possible I will be reading for most of the weekend anyways, so I still think the To Do list is quite manageable. Hope you have a good Friday and I hope to update you in about 24 hours.

Booking Through Thrusday - Interview, Part 2

2012-01-11T23:10:00.000-08:00

Booking Through Thursday asks this week:

1. What’s your favorite time of day to read? My favourite time of the day to read is during the afternoon, due to the fact that I am not focused on making dinner or watching a movie or a TV show or don't have an evening activity. If I don't have anything up, I sometimes do read during the evening, usually during hockey game.

2. Do you read during breakfast? (Assuming you eat breakfast.) No, unless you count reading the newspaper online before going to work. But typically I will watch a news show before heading off to work.

3. What’s your favorite breakfast food? (Noting that breakfast foods can be eaten any time of day.) My favourite breakfast food is scrambled eggs, toast, hashbrowns, sausages.

4. How many hours a day would you say you read? I probably read typically about 3 hours a day, but there are days I don't open anything.

5. Do you read more or less now than you did, say, 10 years ago?Its really hard to say, but since I was in university at the time 10 years ago, I probably read more. Being a history major isn't great for reading a ton of non-school stuff.

6. Do you consider yourself a speed reader? I do not consider myself a speed reader, but that depends on the book that I am reading, but I tend to be a fairly slow reader and try to take in everything that I am reading.

7. If you could have any superpower, what would it be? If I could have a superpower, it would be to be more patient and not to get irritated as often as I get.

8. Do you carry a book with you everywhere you go? Yes, I do; I even bring a book to read during church service, although there are some instances in which I would never bring a book, but I bring a book with me as often as I can. At one point, I always had a book on me, even when we went out to dinner.

9. What KIND of book? The type of book that I bring with me is something that is on my reading list, but usually its something that can fit in my bag or my purse.

10. How old were you when you got your first library card? I probably got my first library card when I was 8 or 9. I think before then I usually got books on my mom's card, but I do remember getting one when I was at that age.

11. What’s the oldest book you have in your collection? (Oldest physical copy? Longest in the collection? Oldest copyright?) The oldest physical copy is a copy of a 1915 math text book, the longest in my collection is Ramona the Pest (dad bought it for me when I was in Grade 2), which I have had since the late 1980s. As for the oldest copyright, I would probably say either The Orestia or The Illiad.

12. Do you read in bed? Yes.

13. Do you write in your books? Depends on the book. If something catches my eye, I will underline it, but for the most part, I don't; just want to enjoy the book for the sake of the writing.

14. If you had one piece of advice to a new reader, what would it be? Start by reading anything you can get your hands on; you never know what you are going to enjoy. Even if you have to read books that appear in series form (ie. The Babysitters Club, etc.), as long as you are reading and also challenging yourself with what you read, you will probably read for most of your life.

15. What question have I NOT asked at BTT that you’d love me to ask? (Actually, leave the answer to this one in the comments on this post, huh? So I can find them when I need inspiration!)

WWW Wednesdays (Jan. 11)

2012-01-10T22:59:00.000-08:00

This is a weekly book meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you'll be reading next?

My answers:
1. What are you currently reading?
The Gift
What Alice Knew
The Great Gatsby
The Help
The Scarlet Letter
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

2. What did you recently finish reading?
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (re-reading and reviewing later this year)

3. What do you think you'll be reading next?
Anna Karenina
Les Miserables
East of Eden
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
A Midsummer's Night's Dream

2011 Christmas Spirit Wrap-up Post

2012-01-09T20:22:00.000-08:00

Based on the goals that I had posted, I fell short, but only by one on each one. I consider that not to be a total failure, but I was a little disappointed. But when I take into consideration that I got really engrossed with Order of the Phoenix for the last few weeks of December, then its a success. Next year, I probably will plan a little better and try to get as many books read by December, so as to enjoy a little Christmas reading before the holidays. Here are the reviews for the movies and books that I did manage to complete (you can click on the titles for a review):

Movies:
1. A Charlie Brown Christmas
2. Disney's A Christmas Carol
3. A Christmas Story
4. Love Actually

Books:
1. The Christmas Scrapbook: A Harmony Story
2. Lost December: a novel
3. The Quiet Little Woman : a Christmas story
4. The Christmas Wedding

Yes, I will participate next year and am already looking forward to it already.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? (Jan.9)

2012-01-09T00:19:00.000-08:00

It's Monday, What Are You Reading is a fun weekly meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey where we share what we've read and reviewed over the past week and what we plan to read next.

I apologize for not doing it last week; I was tired and still recovering from being up really late the night before. Didn't get anything reviewed this past week, but I am including the latest review that I had between this posting and my last one on Dec. 26

What I am reading:
The Gift
What Alice Knew
The Great Gatsby
The Help
The Scarlet Letter
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

What I recently finished:
Little House on the Prairie
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (no review; one will be up later this spring)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (no review; one will be up later this summer)

What is up next:
Anna Karenina
Les Miserables
East of Eden
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
A Midsummer's Night's Dream

Musing Mondays (Jan.9)

2012-01-09T00:00:00.000-08:00

This weeks posting asks:

Are there any “raved reads” –books that everyone seems to be talking about– that you’re hoping to get read this year, yourself? What books are they, and why are you hoping to read them? Is it because you want to say you’ve read it? Or, would you have chosen to read it, even if you’d discovered it yourself, and no one was raving about it?

I am hoping to read The Hunger Games and The Help. The reason that I wanting to read The Hunger Games is not only a lot of people have said amazing things about, but also because the movie is going to be released in March. And the reason for The Help is basically the same, at least from what I have heard and have been wanting to read it for at least a few months. I am also hoping to read 11/22/63 this coming year; I have heard nothing but good things about the book.

January Classic Challenge: Nathaniel Hawthorne

2012-01-07T20:43:00.000-08:00

For the January Classics Challenge: Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter

As part of the Classics Challenge, I have started to read The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

This is a photo taken in 1848, about 3 years before The Scarlet Letter was published and probably would have looked somewhat like this at the time of the writing of his most famous work.

He was born on July 4, 1804, a year after the Louisiana Purchase was announced in 1803, in Salem, Mass. His father, who was a sea captain, died when Nathaniel was about 4 years old. He mainly lived in the Salem area while growing, but lived in Maine from 1816 until he was sent away for school in 1819. After he finished college in 1825, it is uncertain where he lived until 1839, when he moved to Boston to work at the Boston Custom House for about three years. After marrying, he and his wife eventually settled in Concord. After the publication of The Scarlet Letter, he moved his family to Lennox, Mass., returning a couple years later to Concord. In 1853, he was awarded the position of United States consul in Liverpool. Four years later, his appointment ended and the family toured France and Italy, eventually returning to the States in 1860. He died in May, 1864.

Some of the other novels he wrote where The House of the Seven Gables, The Blithedale Romance, and The Marble Faun: Or, The Romance of Monte Beni.

Some interesting facts:
• was a neighbour of both Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau
• was a friend of Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., Franklin Pierce and Herman Melville
• the home they bought in Concord in 1852 was previously own by Amos Bronson Alcott
• went to college with the future poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, future congressman Jonathan Cilley, and future naval reformer Horatio Bridge.

Information taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathaniel_Hawthorne

Saturday Snapshot (Jan. 7)

2012-01-07T11:09:00.000-08:00

Watching a little Canucks/Bruins action this morning (10 am pacific is a little too early for a NHL game!). Go Canucks and squish the big bad Bruins.

Literary Blog Hop: January 7-10

2012-01-06T21:27:00.000-08:00

This week The Blue Bookcase asks:

Do you like to supplement your reading with outside sources, like Sparknotes, academic articles, or other bloggers' reviews? Why or why not?

It really depends on what the material is that I am reading, but honestly I am really trying to not supplement my reading with outside sources due to the fact that (a) I just want to read a book for the enjoyment of reading rather than gaining more information and (b) I am not in university any more.

While I do enjoy reading extra things about a particular book, I find that it sometimes takes too much time out of my regular reading. Oh, I will have Sparknotes up while I read a book, if I am at home, but for the most part I just want to read a book for enjoyment of learning something different and being exposed to different ideas, etc.

As for reviews, I do read them, but I have found that they have hindered my enjoyment of the book rather complementing it, at least what I have found with some books. In fact, it sometimes has raises my expectations of a particular book. For example, I had heard so much positive feedback to The Night Circus this past fall that when I finally got myself to reading it, I had much higher expectations through the reviews and buzz I had heard about the book and when I read it, I was disappointed in the book and thought it was mediocre at best and just didn't like it and basically made it out to be something more than I expected it to be.

I suppose what I am trying to say is that it really depends on the situation that I am in and it really depends on the book.

Booking Through Thursday - Interview, Part 1

2012-01-04T23:07:00.000-08:00

Booking Through Thursday asks this week:

If you could sit down and interview anyone, who would it be?
And, what would you ask them?

If I could sit down and interview anyone, I would probably want to interview Winston Churchill. I would probably ask him about what sort of books (or authors) influenced his politics and why? Was there something in particular that he read that made him think the way he did and understand the way people think? I would also like ask what he liked to read for pure enjoyment, when he had the time to do so.

WWW Wednesdays (Jan. 4)

2012-01-03T21:41:00.000-08:00

his is a weekly book meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you'll be reading next?

My answers:
1. What are you currently reading?
I am reading The Gift, Madam Tussaud, The Scarlet Letter, and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

2. What did you recently finish reading?
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (re-reading and reviewing it later in the year) and Little House on the Prairie

3. What do you think you'll be reading next?
The Great Gatsby, Warm Bodies, Les Miserables, and East of Eden.

Teaser Tuesdays (Jan. 3)

2012-01-02T22:12:00.000-08:00

Without further expostulation or delay, Hester Prynne drained the cup, and at the motion of the man of skill, seated herself on the bed where the child was sleeping; while he drew the only chair with the room afforded, and took his own seat beside her. She could not but tremble at these preparations, for she felt that-having now done all that humanity, or principle, or, if so it were, a refined cruelty, impelled him to do, for the relief of physical suffering-he was next to treat with her as the man whom she had most deeply and irreparably injured.

~p. 70, The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Musing Mondays (Jan.2)

2012-01-01T20:50:00.000-08:00

This weeks posting asks:

What is/are the first book(s) you're reading for the new year?

Actually the list is quite extensive, but in any case here they are:

• The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
• Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
• Warm Bodies by Issac Marion
• A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare
• East of Eden by John Steinbeck
• Les Miserables by Victor Hugo (year-long readalong)
• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (yeah, I know I read the book back last January)

At least four of the books will be completed by the end of the month and fortunately most of the books are broken into easy chunks are pretty much doable. But that doesn't leave much in the way for any sort of fun reading, but somehow I will make space.

Little House on the Prairie - Laura Ingalls Wilder

2012-01-01T13:29:00.000-08:00

Title: Little House on the Prairie
Author: Laura Ingalls Wilder
Pages: 352
Published: 2004 (First published 1935)
Challenge(s): Historical Fiction Challenge 2012, 2012 Where Are You Reading
Genre: Classics, Historical fiction, Children's literature
Edition: Paperback
Source: Purchased
Rating: 4/5

The adventures continue for Laura Ingalls and her family as they leave their little house in the Big Woods of Wisconsin and set out for Kansas. They travel for many days in their covered wagon until they find the best spot to build their little house on the prairie. Soon they are planting and plowing, hunting wild ducks and turkeys, and gathering grass for their cows. Sometimes pioneer life is hard, but Laura and her folks are always busy and happy in their new little house. (via Goodreads)

Thoughts: Read this book over the course of a month and quite honestly, I should have finished this book sooner, but due to the fact that I focusing on basically one book for the past month, I basically ignored this one. While this was probably the second book that Wilder wrote, it felt like it was her first that she wrote, due to some minor grammatical issues that I had in the early part of the book; some of it didn't seem to flow properly, but overall it is a nice introduction to the travels that the Ingalls family would take over the next 10 years or so.

Interestingly enough, the family actually went to Kansas before returning to Wisconsin again (during which time the events of Little House in the Big Woods take place, or most of them) and then left from Wisconsin to Minnesota, etc.

Bottom line: This book is good for young readers, probably ages 8-12, especially since they are developing a more broad language and also they are looking for books that don't emphasize pictures as much and probably need a challenge.

Page total for 2012: 352

The Great Gatsby Readalong - Sign up post

2011-12-31T23:50:00.000-08:00

I wasn't going to do this, but when trying to set up my various heavier books for the year so that I can get them out of the way as soon as possible, I thought maybe I would get this one out of the way asap, especially since the book is on a number of my reading challenges for the year.

Here are the details for the readalong:

From Unputdownables:

The following is the reading and posting schedule for this read-a-long. Please note, we will be reading roughly 45 pages per week (about 6 pages a day). Unfortunately, there are not very clean breaks (i.e. ending at chapter breaks) this time, so we’ll always be ending in the middle of chapters… feel free to read ahead if you are on a roll, or at least read to the next natural breaking point. That said, please note that not everyone will be doing so, and I ask that you do not comment on things that happen outside of the scheduled reading (i.e. no spoilers, please). Thanks!
Schedule:
Beginning Thursday, December 29th and ending Friday, January 27th.
READING SCHEDULE:

Week #/ dates :: Place in which to STOP
Week One/ December 29- January 5 :: page 45
Week Two/ January 6- 12 :: page 90
Week Three/ January 13- 19 :: page 135
Week Four/ January 20- 27 :: page 180 (The End)
POSTING SCHEDULE:
Post #/ date post should be up on blog:
Start up Post/ Today!
Week One/ January 6th
Week Two/ January 13th
Week Three/ January 20th
Week Four/ January 27th (Final Review)

How it Works:
Each week, on Friday, share your thoughts about the previous week’s reading. If you are stuck on what to comment about, you can respond to my post or others’ comments. Regardless, you MUST check in each week, even if to say you are behind in the reading
Feel free to post reviews of the each week’s reading on your own blog (if you are a blogger), and to visit each other’s links. If I, or other readers, have extra time we will gladly try to visit your blog if you also leave a link to your post about this book. However, please make sure to share your thoughts here on this blog, as this is where the main conversation will be happening.

This will be my first time reading the book.

Sunday Salon - Looking back

2011-12-31T22:51:00.000-08:00

As I write this, its about an hour and a half till 2012 and I am listening/reading to Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and am starting to reflect on 2011.

This year I started to seriously use my blog on a more regular basis and have gained quite a few followers along the way. I managed to read 44 books, which 6 more than I read in 2010, also read about 16, 400 pages, which was about 4, 000 more than I read the year.

This was also the year that manage to not finish a book that apparently everybody has seemed to love (A Visit to the Goon Squad), but I am hoping that at some point I will go back and read it.

I have a bunch of plans for the coming year and I hope to hear your particular thoughts about what I have read during the course of the year. I will be making a change in regards to my reviews, in that I will be indicating the source of where I have read book, whether it has come from my personal library or it is a library copy or an audiobook or an e-book, etc.

Hope you all have a pleasant New Years and am wishing you all the best for the coming year.

Saturday Snapshot (Dec. 31)

2011-12-30T23:24:00.000-08:00

I took this photo with my iPhone while I was watching a Canucks game this past Wednesday. That slip of paper is one of the many slips that I get in my library materials and end up using as bookmarks; think that one was from an item that I had just returned. As you can see I was multi-tasking: reading Harry Potter, watching the hockey game, drinking a can of Coke, perusing (aka stalking) Facebook and also listening to the Harry Potter book I am currently reading. And all I wanted was a photo of my fireplace.

Chunkster Readalong - Les Miserables, 2012

2011-12-30T22:45:00.000-08:00

As some of you are aware, I am a sucker for challenges, especially reading challenges and this one appealed to me on a number of levels, but mostly because Les Miserables is on my TBR list (and has been for a number of years, basically almost 2 decades) and I have planned to read it during the year and quite honestly, I really do need to get it out of the way and crossed off the list. So this is the perfect way to get it off the list.

If you wish to join (I have seen the reading schedule and quite honestly its doable), you can click Cosette and sign up over at Kate's Library.

Every week I will be updating my thoughts about the 20 pages that I have read. Hope you join up.

1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die Challenge Sign Up: 2012 Edition

2011-12-30T22:34:00.000-08:00

Here is yet another challenge I am joining. Here are the details:

The challenge is simple – read some books from the list! If you don’t own the actual book, you can find a simple list online. For the most basic, check out the Listology list. There are spreadsheets outs there that you can look at too that are more complex.

Since this year is an Olympics year, I thought the structure would change…so here are the levels this year!

Levels:
Got to trials: 5 books from the list
Made the Olympic team: 6-10 books from the list
Bronze medal: 11-15 books from the list
Silver Medal: 16-20 books from the list:
Gold Medal: 21+ books from the list

Rules:
Challenge runs January 1 2012 – December 31 2012.
You don’t have to make a list beforehand.
You DO need to choose your level at the beginning so you have a chance to win the prize!
You can use any version of the list, not just the current, since they update it every couple years. I figure, once a book is on the list, it is always on the list!
Books that cover other challenges are not only permitted, but encouraged!
**ADDED*** Non bloggers are welcome to participate! Just sign up and leave a comment on this post letting me know what you are going for. At the end, provide a list of what you read this year via shelfari, LibraryThing, goodreads, or just a list of books! But if you review anything on those sites, link to the review post so we can see what you thought!
You do NOT have to review every book you read for this challenge – it is an etra so that the rest of us can see what you thought!

I am going to aim for Made the Olympic team, with the potential of going to the Bronze medal level. You can sign up for the challenge on the photo at the top.

Booking Through Thursday - Best of 2011

2011-12-28T23:15:00.000-08:00

Booking Through Thursday asks this week:

What were your favorite books of 2011?

My favourite reads of 2011 were:
• Unbroken: a World War II story of a survival, resilience, and redemption by Laura Hillenbrand
• The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
• The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill
• Room by Emma Donoghue
• Juliet : a novel by Anne Fortier
• The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
• A Great and Terrible Beauty and Rebel Angels by Libba Bray
• The Tea Rose, The Winter Rose, and The Wild Rose by Jennifer Donnelly
• True Grit by Charles Portis
• Blood, Bones and Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef by Gabrielle Hamilton
• Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
• Persuasion by Jane Austen
• The Revenge of the Radioactive Lady: a novel by Elizabeth Stuckey-French

2012 Historical Fiction Challenge

2011-12-28T02:18:00.000-08:00

I saw this on somebody's blog yesterday and I couldn't help myself. I realize that I have signed up for a lot of challenges lately and I apologize, but this is one of the last ones that I will be joining, trust me!

Anyways here is some information about the challenge, if you are interested in joining (you can click on the photo to access the sign up) :

Each month, a new post dedicated to the HF Challenge will be created. To participate, you only have to follow the rules:

everyone can participate, even those who don't have a blog (you can add your book title and thoughts in the comment section if you wish)

add the link(s) of your review(s) including your name and book title to the Mister Linky we’ll be adding to our monthly post (please, do not add your blog link, but the correct address that will guide us directly to your review)

any kind of historical fiction is accepted (HF fantasy, HF young adult,...)

During these following 12 months you can choose one of the different reading levels:

Severe Bookaholism: 20 books
Undoubtedly Obsessed: 15 books
Struggling the Addiction: 10 books
Daring & Curious: 5 books
Out of My Comfort Zone: 2 books

To join the challenge you only need to make a post about it, grab the button below if you like and leave your link in Mr Linky below. If you don't have a blog you can just leave a comment for this post saying that you are joining.

I am going to aim for Struggling the Addiction and read 10 books.

1. Little House on the Prairie

10.

WWW Wednesdays (Dec. 28)

2011-12-27T23:31:00.000-08:00

This is a weekly book meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you'll be reading next?

My Answers:
1. What are you currently reading?
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and The Gift

2. What did you recently finish reading?
Nothing

3. What do you think you'll be reading next?
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

First Chapter - First Paragaph(s) - Tuesday Intros (Dec. 27)

2011-12-27T11:58:00.000-08:00

This weeks choice:

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

Originally Published June 2003

The hottest day of the summer so far was drawing to a close and a drowsy silence lay over the large, square houses of Privet Drive. Cars that were usually gleaming stood dusty in their drives and lawns that were once emerald green lay parched and yellowing - for the use of hosepipes had been banned due to drought. Deprived of their usual car-washing and lawn-mowing pursuits, the inhabitants of Privet Drive had retreated into the shade of their cool houses, windows thrown wide in the hope of tempting in a non-existent breeze. The only person left outdoors was a teenage boy who was lying flat on his back in a flowerbed outside number four.

Would you continue reading?

Teaser Tuesdays (Dec. 27)

2011-12-26T23:48:00.000-08:00

What's on Your Nightstand - December 27

2011-12-26T23:37:00.000-08:00

Didn't get a lot done this past month; seemed that I just couldn't get myself to calm down enough to get a number of books completed and it seems that only in the last few days that I have gotten to the point that I can just sit down and read, who knows what will happen in the next few days. I suppose it didn't help that I had some fairly easy books that I was able to complete during November and December I just seemed to be caught up with getting the Steve Jobs book, which I didn't, but I plan on reading and completing it in the New Year.

Reviews:
1. Lost December
2. The Quiet Little Woman
3. The Christmas Wedding

What I am currently reading:
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - I am still on my Harry Potter kick and am hoping to finishing this book in the next few days

• The Gift - I am going to spend more time reading this book over the next few days in hopes that I can get it done and comment on it; seem to be just not reading it.

I have a few other books that I am reading at the moment, but I those are the two that I am going to be concentrating on. See you next month.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?(Dec.26)

2011-12-26T17:52:00.000-08:00

It's Monday, What Are You Reading is a fun weekly meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey where we share what we've read and reviewed over the past week and what we plan to read next.

I haven't gotten much reading done this week, but have been primarily reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, which I am hoping to get done sometime this coming week. I hope that in the next few days that I will get closer to the 50 book read amount. I don't think that I am going to get to the 50 book mark, but I will get close. Hopefully next year I will get to the 50 book mark and hopefully I can read more than that (blogging has helped this year in that I can keep myself accountable as to what I should be reading), but that last bit can be wishful thinking.

What I am reading:
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
The Gift
Little House on the Prairie
What Alice Knew

What I recently finished:
The Christmas Wedding

What is up next:
Harry Potter and the Blood Prince

See you in the New Year!

Harry Potter Reading Challenge 2012

2011-12-26T11:01:00.000-08:00

This challenge is hosted by The Reading Fever

The challenge:

Read all seven books in the Harry Potter series during 2012.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

The challenge will run from January 1st, 2012, to December 31st, 2012. Books read before or after this time frame do not count. You can join anytime until the challenge ends.
Books can be in any format: Print, ebook, audiobook, etc..
You do not have to review the books to participate, although you are more than welcome to. If you choose not to review, you can also do the following and still be eligible for prizes:
- Answer the discussion questions each month
- Create a post talking about each book after you finish (any topic)
- Just update your kickoff post after each book
- Those without blogs can leave a comment with their thoughts/review/review link.
- Because this is open to those who have already read HP, old reviews will be accepted. Whether you have read the books within the challenge time frame is on the honor system, so please be honest!
Be sure to leave the relevant links in each linky to be entered into the drawings for prizes.

Extra Credit:

Read at least one book per month, starting in January. If you do this you will be done well before September, which is when you can join me at Potter Con 2012, the first online HP conference!
Each month, I will have a new linky on my blog where you can come to post your reviews/discussions of each book you have read. These will correspond with that month's book (Jan. = Sorcerer's Stone, Feb. = Chamber of Secrets, and so on).
In addition, I will post discussion questions about each book that you can answer on your blog, or in the comments of that post.
Watch the corresponding movie at the end of each book, and experience them with a fresh new viewpoint.
Tweet with me throughout the year! #2012HPRC

I am currently finishing up the series, but am more than glad to reread the series once again. Just so you are aware, the first book in the series for Canadians and Brits is Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and my first review post will reflect that.

Musing Mondays (Dec. 26)

2011-12-25T22:34:00.000-08:00

This weeks posting asks:

Did you get any books for Christmas? If so, what were they?

If you didn't, what books are you most looking forward to reading (and/or buying) in the new year?

I got a Kobo Vox for Christmas and after a lot of consternation, I finally got it set up so that I can borrow books from the library on my ereader. I don't see myself reading a lot on the reader for the fact that there aren't a lot of titles that I can download for free and I still like holding a physical book in my hands and can see myself reading a combination of the two.

Please leave a comment it you wish to.

Edit: My sister got me The Hunger Games, but I have to return because I already have a copy of the book.

Sunday Salon - Another little Christmas treat

2011-12-24T23:22:00.000-08:00

Here is another little Christmas treat from me to you, especially as you are hopefully not making dinner and just enjoying the day. I realize that a portion of the video is the same as last weeks, but I think you would enjoy something a little longer.

Jan. 12/12: If you are viewing this on or after Jan.12/2012, you can view the material elsewhere; I apologize, but I just don't want to be doing anything that may get me in major trouble. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Saturday Snapshot (Dec.24)

2011-12-24T01:31:00.000-08:00

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce @ AT Home With Books.

I took this photo with my new phone (gave myself a nice pressie a few days early and my old cell had a number that was sticking). My mom decorated the tree and this will be the last year that she will put my sister and mine decorations onto the tree. And as usual it looks very nice and very homey, especially with the presents below (and on) the tree, waiting to be opened in less than 36 hours from this post.

Friday Follow (Dec. 23)

2011-12-23T13:51:00.000-08:00

Friday Follow asks this week:

Q: If you had to spend eternity inside the pages of a book which book would you choose and why?

This is a hard one, as I can think of a number books/series that I would like spend time in but if I had to choose one book/series it would have to be Pride and Prejudice. While I understand that a number of people would pick this book for probably the officer's uniforms and the outfits that donned our favourite female characters during the course of the book, but it would have to be the fact that the people that moved in these circles were very fascinating people and would just be fascinating to listen to, even though some of them seem very shallow and self-serving. It would just be interesting to hear the various things that we didn't hear about during the course of the story.

Fall into Reading 2011 - Wrap-Up post

2011-12-23T13:38:00.000-08:00

Wow, I can't believe that this completed; it doesn't seem like it was 3 months ago this started, as so much has happened in the meantime.

I managed to finish 7 of the books that were on my initial post back on Sept. 23 and feel quite proud of myself that I got that many completed.

My favourite book that I read during the fall, that wasn't a reread, was Frankenstein, which was on TBR list. And the least favourite was The Christmas Wedding. The reason that I chose these two was because Frankenstein was complete revelation to me and totally exceeded what I expected the book to be and found it to be very relevant to our modern society as well and insightful to the things that Humans create, especially when it comes to computers and other things that come to rule our lives. The reason that The Christmas Wedding was my least favourite because I found the story very simple and not exactly thought provoking and found that Gaby was a very selfish individual, which was in contrast to her children, who didn't really seem to be as selfish and really much more grounded than she was.

My favourite thing about the challenge was the length of the challenge. Whereas many of the challenges/readathons seem to be either constrained by what one can read or by time, this one seemed relaxed and not really concerned with what I am reading.

Hope to see the challenge either in the Spring or in the Fall! Merry Christmas everybody!

Booking Through Thursday - Gifts

2011-12-22T11:41:00.000-08:00

This week Booking Through Thursday asks:

Any books you’re hoping to get for the holidays this year?
How about giving? Are you giving any good ones?

Answers:
I am hoping to get an e-reader this Christmas, but honestly I am not getting my hopes up. I usually don't ask for books because the ones that I want, I have either usually read beforehand or have purchased myself. It doesn't help that my birthday is a month afterwards and usually what I want sometimes comes out 6 months later.

I am giving a couple of books to my dad and sister, but won't say due to the fact that this blog updates on my Facebook page and there might be prying eyes wanting to see what they are getting for me. I can say that one of the author's that I am giving is well-known, or at least one of his books is well-known.

WWW Wednesdays (Dec. 21)

2011-12-21T18:48:00.000-08:00

The Christmas Wedding - James Paterson and Richard DiLallo

2011-12-21T01:21:00.000-08:00

Title: The Christmas Wedding
Author: James Patterson and Richard Dilallo
Pages: 266
Published: 2011
Genre: Christmas Fiction
Rating: 2.5/5

The tree is decorated, the cookies are baked, and the packages are wrapped, but the biggest celebration this Christmas is Gaby Summerhill's wedding. Since her husband died three years ago, Gaby's four children have drifted apart, each consumed by the turbulence of their own lives. They haven't celebrated Christmas together since their father's death, but when Gaby announces that she's getting married--and that the groom will remain a secret until the wedding day--she may finally be able to bring them home for the holidays.

But the wedding isn't Gaby's only surprise--she has one more gift for her children, and it could change all their lives forever.

Thoughts: After reading a number of reviews on this book and seeing that it has had mediocre reviews, I thought I would still give this book a chance and see if the book was better than what was being reported in regards to the book. Honestly, I like the stories of Gaby's children better than that of Gaby herself, who I thought was a bit odd in that she wouldn't reveal who she was marrying to anybody. I honestly would have liked to see more of the journey's of her children to the wedding itself. Did Claire have a conversation with Gus about his behaviour? What was the conversation between Gaby's lawyer daughter and her husband as they came from New York? I felt that the story was a bit disjointed and felt that the hype for the book was just that: hype. If you need to find something that you can quickly read during the Christmas/Holiday season, this book definitely fits that mold; I finished this book in a couple of sittings and found it okay.

Teaser Tuesdays (Dec. 20)

2011-12-19T22:34:00.000-08:00

Claire Donogue, Gaby's eldest daughter, had just finished her mother's video, and, well, wow. Go, Gaby!

~ p. 13, The Christmas Wedding by James Patterson and Richard DiLallo

Sunday Salon - Short and sweet

2011-12-18T11:48:00.000-08:00

I am going to make this one short and sweet and wish everybody who has read this blog over the past year a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I thank you for coming by and reading and commenting over the past year (I will give you my best of in the New Year, along with my reading resolutions).

Here is a little something from me to you:

Jan. 12/12: If you are viewing this on or after Jan.12/2012, you can view the material elsewhere; I apologize, but I just don't want to be doing anything that may get me in major trouble. Sorry for the inconvenience.

2012 A Classics Challenge

2011-12-17T21:12:00.000-08:00

Katherine over at November's Autumn is hosting a Classics challenge that complements another classics challenge that I signed up for. Its really quite simple: you need to read seven classics (3 of which can be rereads) and then return to her blog on the 4th of every month to participate in a series of questions about the book we are reading that month — questions that will be neutral enough to apply to any classic. Obviously, we post our answers and link back to her blog, so we can check out each other’s posts. You can click the photo to find out more information.

My seven will be:
1. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
2. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
3. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
4. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
5. Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
6. Anna Karerina by Leo Tolstoy
7. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

2012 Where Are You Reading Challenge

2011-12-16T22:36:00.000-08:00

I know that I have already signed up for more than I can possibly chew off at this point, but the great thing of this book reading challenge is that it doesn't really matter where you read, unless of course you wish to win a prize. But when I saw this over at Bookjourney, I couldn't help myself. Basically one has to read a book from each of the 50 states between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2012.

So here are some guidelines:

1. In a fiction read it would be the State or Country that the book spends the most time in. (Ie. If your main character is from Wisconsin but the book is all about his/her time in college in California – the books should categorize under California….)

2. Non fiction reads categorize in whatever State or Country it is about (Ie…. a book about fly fishing in Colorado is a Colorado point, and a book about women in Afghanistan is an Afghanistan point.

3. If the book goes from one state to another… go with the state that most of the time is spent.

How to get started
Set up a map under Google Maps. It is easy to do! Every time you read a book in 2012, upload a cover picture to Picasa Web Albums (there may be other sites to use, feel free to use what works best for you).

Shelia has a bunch more information over at her site as well as link to sign up, which you can do here. Hope to see you there! Personally I am going to just see where I can read and if I can read books that take place in the States, all the better. If you are curious to see how I do during the course of the year or you just want to see where I go, you can view my map here.

1. Little House on the Prairie - N. Oklahoma
2. A Midsummer Night's Dream - Athenian woods
3. Mini Shopaholic - Oxshott, England
4. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - Dufftown, Scotland
5. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - Dufftown, Scotland
6. The Scarlet Letter - Boston, Mass.

Fall into Reading 2011 - Update #5

2011-12-16T19:31:00.000-08:00

The last two weeks weren't that great, both personally and reading wise. I didn't get much reading done, but I hope that I will get more this coming week. Its hard to believe that its less than a week until it is winter due to the fact that a number of trees still have leaves on their branches and the grass out here still is fairly green. But it hasn't been a normal fall due to the lack of rain that we have had this year; most days its been either cloudy or clear and the air temperature has been fairly cool (like I have to wear gloves and a toque and a thick jacket in order to feel warm; the umbrella has barely been out).

Anyways hope the last two weeks have been better for you.

Reviews:

1. Lost December
2. The Quiet Little Woman

2012 TBR Pile Reading Challenge

2011-12-16T19:01:00.000-08:00

Objective:

To read books on your TBR pile that were published in 2011 or earlier. Any genre, length or format of book counts, as long as it is a book that's been sitting on your shelf for some time now. You can move up levels, but no moving down.

Levels:

1-10 - A Firm Handshake

11-20 - A Friendly Hug

21-30 - A Sweet Kiss

31-40 - Love At First Sight

41-50 - Married With Children

Due to all the other challenges I want to participate in, for this challenge I am aiming for A Friendly Hug (11-20 books).

Books I am considering:

1. Sarah's Key

2. Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

3. The Weed That Stings at the Hangman's Bag

4. Waiting for Columbus

5. A Red Herring Without the Mustard

6. Les Miserables

7. Northanger Abbey

8. The Hunger Games

9. The Passage

10. Anna Karenina
11. The Great Gatsby
12. The Help

I will be linking back to reviews from this page, if you are interested in reading reviews of books on my TBR pile.

2012 BBRC

2011-12-16T18:46:00.000-08:00

Book Blogger Recommendation Challenge
Hosted by Reading with Tequila

January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012
Level I - Read 5 books

My books have been selected from the entire 2011 Book Blogger Recommendation list.

1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
2. Divergent by Veroncia Roth
3. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
4. The Passage by Justin Cronin
5. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

Read Canadian Award Winners 2012 Challenge

2011-12-16T16:32:00.000-08:00

This one caught my eye because a lot of the award challenges tend to focus on the American or the British Literary Awards, even though some of them do tend to allow you to put any literary awards you wish to use.

Here are the details for the challenge:

Read Canadian Award Winners 2012 Challenge

Here’s the scoop on the ways you can enter:

• Toe-dipper: one book from the list of award winners of each of “main” prizes: the Governor-General’s Award, the Giller Prize, and the CAA Prize. (Total 3 books)

• Chance-taker: one book from each of the “main” lists plus one from the Amazon.ca First Novel Award winners. (Total 4 books)

• Bluenoser: One book from each of the “main” lists plus one from the Atlantic Book Award winners. (Total 4 books)

• CanLit Lover: one book from each of the five lists. (Total 5 books)

Here’s a list of the prize winners:

Governor-General’s Award for Literature
Canadian Authors Association Award for Fiction
Giller Prize
Amazon.ca First Novel Award
Thomas Head Raddall Atlantic Fiction Prize

P.S. Yes, crossovers with other challenges are allowed and you don’t have to choose your books now.

I am going to attempt Toe-dipper. You can find links to the book reviews on this page.

2012 Chunkster Reading Challenge

2011-12-16T16:17:00.000-08:00

I seem to love my big books. By big books, I mean those 450 pages+. This year I did get to my goal and then some. Here are the details for the challenge:

Definition of a chunkster:

A chunkster is 450 pages or more of ADULT literature, whether non-fiction or fiction. A chunkster should be a challenge.

If you read books in large print, your books will need to be 525 pages or more. The average large type book is 10-15% larger or more so it’s a fair estimate.

The rules:

No audio books. (There are exceptions to this rule.)
No e-books allowed. This was discussed in much detail in the 2011 challenge. The short version: a chunkster isn’t a challenge if you’re reading it on an e-reader. (There are exceptions to this rule.)
This year for the first time, essay, poetry, and short story collections will be allowed. Collections have to be read in their entirety to count. If you’ve needed a reason to finally pick up your copy of The Collected Works Of ____ now is the time.
Books may crossover with other challenges.
Anyone may join. (If you don’t have a blog, just leave a comment on this post with your challenge level and your progress throughout the challenge.)
You don’t need to list your books ahead of time.
Once you’ve picked a level, that’s it. You’re committed to it!

You must pick a level of participation:

• The Chubby Chunkster – this option is for the readers who want to dabble in large tomes, but really doesn't want to commit to much more than that. FOUR Chunksters is all you need to finish this challenge.

• The Plump Primer - this option is for the slightly heavier reader who wants to commit to SIX Chunksters over the next twelve months.

• Do These Books Make my Butt Look Big? - this option is for the reader who can't resist bigger and bigger books and wants to commit to SIX Chunksters from the following categories: 2 books which are between 450 - 550 pages in length; 2 books which are 551 - 750 pages in length; 2 books which are GREATER than 750 pages in length (for ideas, please refer to the book suggestions page for some books which fit into these categories).

• Mor-book-ly Obese - This is for the truly out of control chunkster. For this level of challenge you must commit to EIGHT or more Chunksters of which three tomes MUST be 750 pages or more. You know you want to.....go on and give in to your cravings.

I am going to attempt The Plump Primer. I will update this page at the end with the books that I have read.

2012 Tea & Books Reading Challenge

2011-12-16T15:57:00.000-08:00

Birgit from The Book Garden is hosting the Tea and Books Reading Challenge.

This challenge was inspired by C.S. Lewis' famous words, "You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me."

Birgit's challenge is inspired by that quote and she is challenging participants to read books with more than 700 pages. Novels only, no large print, short story collections/anthologies, audio books, or re-reads.

There are 4 levels to choose from:
Chamomile Lover - read 2 700+ page books
Berry Tea Devotee - read 4 700+ page books
Earl Grey Aficionado - read 6 700+ page books
Sencha Connoisseur - read 8 or more 700+ page books

I'm going to attempt Berry Tea Devotee (4 books).

Titles will have a link to the review as they are completed:
1. Les Misérables
2. Anna Karenina
3. War & Peace
4 . The Passage

Back to the Classics Challenge 2012

2011-12-16T15:45:00.000-08:00

I saw this challenge back in early November and I have hummed and hawed and finally I have decided to join in the fun.

You can find the details at Sarah Reads Too Much. But essentially these are the goals that one has to complete:

• Any 19th Century Classic
• Any 20th Century Classic
• Reread a classic of your choice
• A Classic Play
• Classic Mystery/Horror/Crime Fiction
• Classic Romance
• Read a Classic that has been translated from its original language to your language - To clarify, if your native language is NOT English, you may read any classic originally written in English that has been translated into your native language.
• Classic Award Winner - To clarify, the book should be a classic which has won any established literary award.
• Read a Classic set in a Country that you (realistically speaking) will not visit during your lifetime - To Clarify, this does not have to be a country that you hope to visit either. Countries that no longer exist or have never existed count.

Here are my picks:
• 19th century classic - Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
• 20th century classic - The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
• Reread - Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
• Classic Play - Romeo & Juliet by William Shakespeare
• Classic Mystery - The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
• Classic Romance - North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
• Classic translated from its original language to your language - Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
• Classic Award Winner - East of Eden by John Steinbeck
• Classic not set in a country that you will not visit during your lifetime - The Orestia (Ancient Greece)

2012 Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge

2011-12-16T14:58:00.000-08:00

The Book Vixen is hosting a reading challenge in 2012.

Here are the details:

Runs January 1, 2012 – December 31, 2012 (books read prior to 1/1/12 do not count towards the challenge). You can join at anytime. Sign up on The Book Vixen’s blog.
The goal is to outdo yourself by reading more books in 2012 than you did in 2011. See the different levels below and pick the one that works best for you. Nothing is set in stone; you can change levels at any time during the challenge.
Books can be any format (bound, eBook, audio).
Re-reads and crossovers from other reading challenges are allowed.
Grab the reading challenge button and post this reading challenge on your blog to track your progress. Please include a link back to this sign-up post so others can join the reading challenge too. You do not have to be a book blogger to participate; you could track your progress on Goodreads or LibraryThing.

Levels:
     Getting my heart rate up – Read 1–5 more books
     Out of breath – Read 6–10 more books
     Breaking a sweat – Read 11–15 more books
     I’m on fire! – Read 16+ more books

I am going to go for Out of breath this year.

Reading Shakespeare: A Play a Month Challenge 2012

2011-12-16T14:24:00.000-08:00

Risa over at Breadcrumb Reads figured that the best way to read the Shakespeare plays that she hadn’t studied in school would be to read the with others, and to have a read-along. Hence Reading Shakespeare: A Play a Month in 2012 was born. A poll held from 01 November 2011 till 01 December 2011 determined the 12 plays we would be reading in 2012. Yes, this means that I am going to be cracking opening that big behemoth that is my Norton Shakespeare anthology to read the plays or maybe I could get a free copy on Gutenberg.

Here is the reading schedule:
January — A Midsummer Night’s Dream
February — Macbeth
March — Henry V
April — Much Ado About Nothing
May — Antony and Cleopatra
June — Richard III
July — As You Like It
August — King Lear
September — Cymbeline
October — Twelfth Night
November — Othello
December — Pericles

2012 Reading Addict Challenge

2011-12-16T13:51:00.000-08:00

Here are the guidelines:

It's that time of year where we finally admit to our addictions and try to do something about them. Some of us need to admit we have a bit of a problem. Some of us need to admit we have a huge problem. Some of us just really want to enjoy each other's pain and humiliation while completing challenges. (That's why CMash does this with me... so she can spend the year laughing uproariously at my futile attempts to cut back.)

Cheryl from CMash Loves to Read and Gina from Hott Books are two such people. We each can stand proudly and say,

I am a Reading Challenge Addict.

So we are challenging each of you who can also say that you also are a Reading Challenge Addict.

We'll be giving away prizes and recognizing those who are meeting their own expectations by completing the challenges they've entered.

How addicted are you?

Easy as Pie: 1-5 Challenges (Entered & Completed)
On the Roof: 6-10 Challenges (Entered & Completed)
In Flight: 11-15 Challenges (Entered & Completed)
Out of This World: 16+ Challenges (Entered & Completed)

Rules:

We're not making this a difficult challenge, actually, it's going to be very simple!

This challenge will begin on January 1, 2012 and end on December 31, 2012.
Write a starting post joining the challenge and outlining your challenges.
Track all of your challenge accomplishments - good & bad.
Stop by to join us in the mini-challenges, updates & extra giveaways throughout the year.

Easy, right? Who wants to be in on the fun? What else will we be doing? We'll have giveaways for our participants to enter and unannounced special drawings for commenters on the site so be sure to leave your email address with your comment! Are you ready? Sign up here to enter:
Join us to stamp out our addictiveness to reading challenges -- or just help us find more & enjoy our obsessiveness.

Just enter your handle, the link to your sign-up post, and your email address so that I can contact for any possible issues or prizes.

I am going to aim for In Flight. If you want to see what challenges I am entering in, you can view them here (will put my goals underneath at a later date).

2012 Support Your Library Challenge

2011-12-16T13:35:00.000-08:00

Here are the guidelines:

You don't need a blog to participate. If you are a Non-blogger please leave a comment with a link (if you review elsewhere) to your review or with the book(s) you read.
Audio, ebooks (some libraries allow ebooks to be checked out), bound books are ok.
No re-reads
Create a sign up post and post the link in the linky below.
Challenge goes from January 1, 2012 - December 31, 2012

Levels:

Level 1 - Read 12 library books

Level 2 - Read 24 library books

Level 3 - Read 36 library books

Level 4 - Read 37+ library books

I am going to aim for Level 3

1) Mini-Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

2) The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Kinsella

2012 Library Challenge

2011-12-16T13:24:00.000-08:00

Here are the rules:

About the Library Challenge

Hosted by Jessica of Jessica’s Musings.

I think many of us who like to read would like to think we’re well acquainted with our local library… or at least, we’d like to be. I’ve recently started using my local library more. Probably more than I’ve done since I was a child and my mom would drag me there to work on school projects. The goal of the Library Challenge is simple: check out and read books from your local library. Find your library card, dust it off, and put it to use.

Where’s my local library?
You can search for a library in your area here.

Who can participate?
Anyone! Whether you have a blog or not, no matter what your age… you can participate in this challenge.

How does it work?
I know not everyone has the time to make multiple trips to the library each month, so the minimum goal for this challenge will be 12 books: one per month. The 12 main challenges will be required for the challenge completion. There will also be mini-challenges each month, relating in some way to the main challenge. The main challenge for the month will be posted on the 1st of the month. All mini-challenges will be posted on Sundays.

What will we be reading?
Since everyone has different reading preferences, the main challenges will be general. The mini-challenges will get a bit more specific, but will still have a generalness to them. This way, even when you are being pushed a bit out of your comfort zone, you will still have final say over the book you end up reading. You will not be required to read anything that goes against your values or would make you blush.

Will we be reading Popular Fiction?
Yes. The popular fiction section is organized by Author’s last name.

Will we be reading Non-Fiction?
Yes. Books in this section are arranged by the Dewey Decimal System which is organized as follows:
000: General Knowledge
100: Psychology and Philosophy
200: Religions and Mythology
300: Social Sciences and Folklore
400: Languages and Grammar
500: Math and Science
600: Medicine and Technology
700: Arts and Recreation
800: Literature
900: Geography and History

General Rules
1) This challenge will run from January 1, 2012 through December 31, 2012 – this means for a book to qualify for this challenge you will have to start it on or after 1/1/12 and finish it before 12/31/12.
2) Books read for this challenge may be used to meet the requirements of any other reading challenges you are participating in.
3) You must complete the main monthly challenge. All mini-challenges are optional.
4) You may join the challenge at any time during the year.
5) It’s okay to read a book you’ve read before. Just make sure you are reading it again in 2012.

Rules for Bloggers
1) All General Rules (see above)
2) After signing up, please make a post on your blog telling people about the challenge and linking back to this blog.
3) Link back to this blog either in your blog roll or with a button (provided in the sidebar).
4) After reading a book that meets this challenge, create a post on your blog about the book. Come back to this blog and leave a link on that post’s Mr. Linky.

Rules for Non-Bloggers
1) All General Rules (see above)
2) Sign up in the comments section of the sign-up page.
3)After reading a book that meets this challenge, come back to this blog and tell us about the book in that post’s comments section.
That’s it! If you want to participate head over to the sign-up page!

Follow Friday (Dec. 16)

2011-12-15T19:14:00.000-08:00

Follow Friday asks this week:

Q: When you’ve read a book, what do you do with it? (Keep it, give it away, donate it, sell it, swap it..?)

I assume you mean one of the books that I own, so if that were being the case, I mostly keep my books, depending on the book. I have swapped a few of my books and I have also donated some of my books and have sold some of them, but mostly I keep them, even the double copies of books I currently own.

Booking Through Thursday - Character or Plot?

2011-12-15T16:40:00.000-08:00

I apologize if this is late; had a busy day and wasn't able to sit down and get on until just recently.

Booking Through Thursday asks this week:

What’s more important to you? Real, three-dimensional, fleshed-out fascinating characters? Or an amazing, page-turning plot?

For me an amazing, page-turning plot. Reason being is that you can have fleshed-out, real, three-dimensional characters all you want, but if your plot is not great, you are probably not going to get a lot of readers to read your book. Its the plot that gets people to read your book for the most part and its how your characters become real, three-dimensional and fleshed-out. True, if the plot is really good, but the characters aren't as fleshed-out, it probably won't get a lot of readers, but at least with an amazing, page-turning plot there is the potential for real, three-dimensional, fleshed-out characters.

Teaser Tuesdays (Dec. 13)

2011-12-12T22:32:00.000-08:00

If you were to stroll down the candy-can façade of a suburban housing estate early on Christmas morning, you couldn't help but observe how the houses in all their tinselled glory are akin to the wrapped parcels that lie beneath the Christmas trees within. For each holds their secrets inside.

~ p. 1, The Gift by Cecelia Ahern

Musing Mondays (Dec. 12)

2011-12-11T21:52:00.001-08:00

This week Should Be Reading asks:

What kind of books do you like to read?
Why? Provide specific examples.

The type of books that I like to read are generally literary fiction that have a strong narrative to them and also have strong characters. I also don't like books that follow a certain formula to them, even though I sometimes will read them. I also like to have the books to have a good pace to them because I can't read a book 24/7 and it has to have something that I can just pick up and continue on no matter what the storyline may be.

Examples:
• The Tea Rose series: A really good narrative that keeps the reader reading and not wanting to put the book down and strong characters that make it worthwhile to keep on reading. It doesn't help that the plotlines are intriguing and fascinating.

• The Harry Potter series: Even though the series is geared towards YA readers, the series keeps drawing me back due to the excellent characters and storylines that involve the wide cast of characters that Rowling dreamed up.

• Jane Eyre: Strong characters, especially Jane, and a strong narrative that keeps you wondering what the real story behind not only Jane, but also Mr. Rochester. It is also helps that Bronte was a good storyteller and wrote what she knew and had somewhat experienced herself.

• Pride & Prejudice: Has an excellent pace to the storyline and keeps the reader engaged in the storyline and pulling for Lizze and Darcy to get together and so forth.

It's Monday! What are you reading? (Dec. 12)

2011-12-11T21:27:00.001-08:00

It's Monday, What Are You Reading is a fun weekly meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey where we share what we've read and reviewed over the past week and what we plan to read next.

Got a couple of books done this past week and I am hoping that I can get a few more done, but I really need to get the Steve Jobs biography done (seems I can only get a chapter or two done and then I set it aside, but this week, I am going to be spending a little more time with it, hopefully getting it completed).

What I am reading:
Little House on the Prairie
Steve Jobs: A Biography
What Alice Knew

What I recently finished:
Lost December
The Quiet Little Woman

What is up next:
The Christmas Wedding
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
The Gift

Love Actually

2011-12-11T13:27:00.001-08:00

Title: Love Actually
Director: Richard Curtis
Running time: 135 min
Released: 2004 (originally released 2003)

It's all about love and holiday cheer in London. The Prime Minister is smitten with his caterer; a widower's young son nurses the ultimate schoolboy crush; a writer falls for his Portuguese housekeeper; a devoted wife and mother copes with her potentially unfaithful husband; and a lovelorn American is desperately attracted to a colleague.

Thoughts: One of my favourite Christmas films. It is also one of my favourite films to just sit down and watch for a few hours on a night when I am felling somewhat gloomy and need a bit of a pickup. One thing I like about the movie is that it shows love in the different ways that it can manifest itself. While a lot of it deals with romantic love, there is also the love we have for family members and for those that we close to, whether it be through working relationships or through friendships. Overall, its a good movie that can probably be viewed at any time of the year.

Follow Friday (Dec. 9)

2011-12-08T21:58:00.001-08:00

Follow Friday asks this week:

Q: Keeping with the Spirit of Giving this season, what book do you think EVERYONE should read and if you could, you would buy it for all of your family and friends?

I would probably pick Unbroken because it appeals to a large range of readers. And if I could, I probably would buy a copy for all my family and friends.

Booking Through Thursday - Mystery or Love Story?

2011-12-07T23:09:00.001-08:00

Booking Through Thursday asks this week:

All things being equal, which would you prefer–a mystery? Or a love story?

A love story. Simply for the fact that I read more of them than I do mystery, even though I have read a number of mystery/crime novels over the years. I guess I just like to have a feel-good story, especially when things feel like they are crowding in on me.

Looking forward to your comments :)

WWW Wednesdays (Dec.7)

2011-12-07T08:41:00.001-08:00

This is a weekly book meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you'll be reading next?

My answers:
1. What are you currently reading?
Nothing at the moment.

2. What did you recently finish reading?
I finished Lost December and The Quiet Little Woman

3. What do you think you'll be reading?
I have no clue right now; I probably will have picked out something in the next hour.

The Quiet Little Woman - Louisa May Alcott

2011-12-06T15:59:00.001-08:00

Title: The Quiet Little Woman : a Christmas story
Author: Louisa May Alcott
Pages: 122
Published: 1999
Genre: Short stories, Fiction, Christmas
Rating: 3/5

Everything about The Quiet Little Woman: A Christmas Story by Louisa May Alcott is heartwarming, starting with the extraordinary tale of its origin. Alcott wrote the story for three girls who emulated Little Women's March sisters by founding their own literary publication, but the magazine was lost for many years; this story is now being published in book form for the first time. The Quiet Little Woman tells the story of Patty, a young girl living hopelessly in an orphanage, who is rescued at Christmas time by a kindly woman named Aunt Jane. Also collected in this small, beautiful (and not coincidentally, Christmas stocking-size) volume are two of Alcott's other holiday stories; one of them, "Rosa's Tale," is a really lovely fable about a horse who speaks at midnight on Christmas Eve. (via Goodreads.com)

Thoughts: It was a nice light read. Granted the book was very short and the book only took me less than 12 hours of reading time to complete, but it was still a nice diversion from the heavier books that are awaiting me. I find it interesting that these three stories were only discovered quite recently and that Ms. Alcott took the time to pen these stories for the Lukens girls and their little publication, which was inspired by the paper that the March girls made in Little Women, even though she was a well-known author at the time of these stories and was in the midst of her own busy writing career. The stories are quite simple and while the first two stories in the collection were more entertaining, the last story was a little confusing for the most part. Overall it was enjoyable and a nice read.

Recommended for fans of Little Women and Alcott's other work.

Lost December - Richard Paul Evans

2011-12-05T23:46:00.001-08:00

Title: Lost December: a novel
Author: Richard Paul Evans
Pages: 346
Published: 2011
Genre: Christmas, Fiction
Rating: 4/5

When Luke Crisp graduates from business school, his father, CEO andco-founder of Fortune 500 Crisp's Copy Centers, is ready to sharesome good news: he wants to turn the family business over to hisson. But Luke has other plans. Taking control of his trust fund,Luke leaves home to pursue a life of reckless indulgence.

But when his funds run out, so do his friends. Humbled, alone, andtoo ashamed to ask his father for help, Luke secretly takes a lowlyjob at one his father's copy centers. There he falls in love with astruggling single mother and begins to understand the greatestsource of personal joy. (via jacket flap)

Thoughts: I really enjoyed this one. The story takes the story of the prodigal son and gives it a modern twist. I found it to be a little too simplistic and a little too straightforward, but I guess if somebody is basing a fictional story on a biblical tale, it usually is a little more straightforward than if one is developing one's own storyline, but for some reason I never found East of Eden to be that straightforward, even though it is also based on the biblical story of Cain and Able. But I digress.

One thing that I thought that could have been improved upon was that there could have been a little more conflict between Luke and Rachael and more time spent on it; felt that it was rather rushed and it felt as though they resolved whatever issues they had rather quickly and probably a little too quickly for my liking. I realize that its supposed to be a book that is meant to be read fairly quickly and therefore doesn't go into much depth, but I felt that issues that they had was dealt with fairly quickly, even though it felt like it was a huge betrayal for Rachael to discover; just felt that he could have added a few more pages and dealt with the conflict in regards to the text message a little more and have them discuss it a little more than they did at the end, not that I didn't understand where the author was coming from.

If you have read the other Christmas books by Evans, you will enjoy this one and even if you haven't read his other books, you will also like this warm-hearted tale.

Teaser Tuesdays (Dec.6)

2011-12-05T21:00:00.001-08:00

It felt good to feel truly grateful. I had learned a great truth: Joy isn't the natural response to blessings---joy is what comes from acknowledging them.

~p. 205, Lost December: A Novel by Richard Paul Evans

It's Monday! What are you reading?

2011-12-04T23:13:00.001-08:00

It's Monday, What Are You Reading is a fun weekly meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey where we share what we've read and reviewed over the past week and what we plan to read next.

Didn't get much done this last week, but I should be able to get a few done this coming week.

What I am reading:
• Little House on the Prairie
• Lost December: A Novel
• Quiet Little Woman
• Steve Jobs: A Biography
• What Alice Knew

What I recently finished:
Like I said above, I didn't finish any books this past week, but I should have some finished for next week; it was one of those weeks in which no books were completed.

What is up next:
See the list above.

Musing Mondays (Dec.5)

2011-12-04T22:39:00.000-08:00

This week Should Be Reading asks:

How many books do you read in a week? Month? Year?

I probably read 1 or 2 books a week, but of course that depends on whether what I am reading at the time and how long the book is and how engrossed I am in the book. As for how much in a month, probably 4 or 5 on average and I read probably between 35 to 45 in a year, at least that is what I think I have averaged in the past. This year I will probably get closer to the higher end of my average.

Feeling stupid and understanding the need to improve

2011-12-04T20:47:00.000-08:00

Boy am I feeling like the fool at the moment. I made a mountain out of a mole hill out what really I realized was a very small issue and should really be a small issue. Part of the reason is that I feel very insecure with my book blogging abilities and the ability to convey how I truly feel about a book and to take passages out of a book to make a point or to show why I like the book. I am used to giving my opinion without much backup and not really caring as to whether somebody likes the post or not. THIS is a different kettle of fish. I guess I just assumed that people would be attracted to the blog because it deals with books and that people would comment just because. I am not trying to make people comment; I should know because I am very bad at commenting on other people's blogs and I try to, but when you have over 400 posts in your Google reader to go through because you have been neglecting it for periods of time, its kinda hard to comment on every single post that comes through (there are some that I should just eliminate because no matter what I am just going to read straight through them most times). But I suppose a lot of what happened was due to the fact that I am very insecure about myself at times and when I do feel insecure, I tend to go off my rocker at times.

Anyways, I am going to try and make sure that this is a place where people can talk about books and talk about what they have read or maybe make suggestions as to what sorts of books that I might be interested in based on what I have been reading.

That being said, I do have to let you know that its been a rather tough go with my dad not around as often. He's my rock in my life and up until this past summer he's been around to make sure that everything is okay with me and that things are even-keeled as much as possible, not that it should excuse my behaviour of the past few days.

I hope that I can put this behind me and move on and make this blog better in the coming years and somewhere where people can come and discuss books and book related topics. If you have any suggestions as to how I can improve this blog, I am open to suggestions and any sage advice you may want to impart on me.

Sunday Salon - November in review

2011-12-04T00:00:00.000-08:00

Can't believe that November has passed by. Seems like only yesterday that it was the end of October and now we are at the beginning of December. The last week felt a little rushed and I felt like I was out of my skin a bit and hence I have been feeling like I am little rushed and not in sync with the rest of the world, but I am hoping that this week will slow down a little and I won't feel as though I am going out of my mind, especially since I will be really busy on Saturday with Help Portrait Abbotsford (yes, it is part of the Help-Portrait event that is going on world-wide) and that will take up most of my day. Honestly I am very tired at the moment and can't wait to have some much needed sleep today and also get some much needed cleaning done.

November was a very productive month in terms of reading, especially since I felt that I didn't get much done during the month. I managed to get to my goal of reading 15,000 pages for the year and have already surpassed last years goal of 38 books read (I am at 41 at the time of writing this post) and am hoping that in the next few weeks I can get to 50. If I don't, I will be close in case. It was also a month in which I blogged a lot (I had 45 posts, which is the most I have ever posted since I started this blog a little over 2 years ago). Even though I sometimes didn't feel like it, I managed to put up a post most of the time. And even though I have complained about the lack of comments on my posts, I am starting to realize that I am doing this for fun and the enjoyment of the readers that read the blog on a regular basis. I understand that not every thing needs to have a comment, but sometimes I feel like I need the affirmation. But I am slowly starting to understand that not every post needs to have a comment to know that you guys appreciate what I do. As long you keep reading, I will keep reading.

November book reviews:
1. Frankenstein
2. Little House in the Big Woods
3. Rebel Angels
4. The Wild Rose
5. The Christmas Scrapbook
6. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

November movie reviews:
1. A Charlie Brown Christmas

A Christmas Story

2011-12-03T21:39:00.001-08:00

Title: A Christmas Story
Director: Bob Clark
Running time: 93 min.
Released: 2003 (originally released 1983)

Nine-year-old Ralphie desperately wants a Red Ryder BB-gun for Christmas, over his parents' objections. (via Fraser Valley Regional Library)

Thoughts: Definitely a favourite of mine. What I love about the movie is the individual vignettes that occur throughout the film, with the connection that Ralphie wanting a Red Ryder BB-gun no matter what the situation. Favourite moment is the pink bunny outfit that is sent by a family member for Ralphie. Love the simplicity of the movie. Will likely watch this one again before the season is out.

Literary Blog Hop: Dec 1-4

2011-12-03T10:57:00.001-08:00

This week The Blue Bookcase asks:
What work of literature would you recommend to someone who doesn't like literature?

It would really depend on the person you are recommending the piece of literature to, as each person is different and therefore their tastes are different. But if I did have to suggest a piece of literature, I would recommend To Kill A Mockingbird, as the story is fairly straightforward, but also complex at the same time. I would probably also suggest something like A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens because it is one of the more simpler books that Dickens wrote (not that I haven't read much by Dickens). I may also suggest Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood. Yes, I realize that the story probably has a feminist bent to the book, but it still is an excellent read (I read it when I was 16 and it still is one of my favourite books).

I would also suggest This Side of Paradise, which I found to be a fairly easy read and also quite engrossing. And despite its size, I would suggest East of Eden by John Steinbeck. While the book is over 600 pages, I found the book to be something that a non-literature fan would probably enjoy due to the awesomeness that is the book and the fact that I didn't really grasp The Grapes of Wrath, which I found to be somewhat non-readable and maybe a little too long.

Like I said earlier, it would really depend on the person you are recommending a piece of literature to, as not everybody may like it.

Disney's A Christmas Carol

2011-12-03T00:09:00.000-08:00

Title: Disney's A Christmas Carol
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Running Time: 96 min.
Released: 2010

Ebenezer Scrooge begins the Christmas holiday with his usual miserly contempt, barking at his faithful clerk and his cheery nephew. But when the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come take him on an eye-opening journey revealing truths Old Scrooge is reluctant to face, he must open his heart to undo years of ill will before it's too late. Includes featurettes, and deleted scenes. (via Fraser Valley Regional Library)

Thoughts: While I still think that the 1951 version with Alastair Sim in the lead role is the best version out there (I know everybody has their favourite version so I am not going to debate everybody on the best version), this one is definitely up there and is probably my no. 2 and it is more accurate to the novel, including things that weren't included in the 1951 version that my family so loves. It is rated PG, so I wouldn't recommend it to those with young children as there are some "scary moments", especially with the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come (even I got a little freaked out when I first watched this in the theatre), but other than that, I highly recommend it.

Follow Friday (Dec.2)

2011-12-01T23:14:00.001-08:00

Follow Friday asks this week:

Q: What is your biggest pet peeve when it comes to books? Maybe you don’t like love triangles or thin plots? Tell us about it!

My biggest pet peeve is thin storylines/plots, especially when it comes to Christian fiction. I like stories that are strong and have lots of action within the book, so that when one storyline seems to be thin for a bit that another storyline can emerge and become a little stronger. While I know that can't happen every time, it certainly does irritate me to the point that I have basically not read any sort of Christian fiction in about 6 months.

Advent Tour - Looking forward

2011-12-01T00:00:00.000-08:00

I am slowly getting ready for Christmas. While my garland is up and decorated and I have my gifts purchased and looking forward to wrapping them and I have the cards addressed and ready to set out for family and friends to receive them in the coming days and weeks, I am not fully ready. I still have the lights on my balcony to put out, which I am looking forward to getting on in the coming days and today I will start my chocolate advent calendar. I am also looking to seeing my sister in person for the first time since she left for school in early September. I am also looking forward to spending more time with my parents and other family members and hopefully some of my friends as well. But I think the thing that I am looking forward to the most is just kicking back and relaxing and enjoying the season. I just want to be able to have more than a couple of days to sleep in and get caught up with things.

I am also looking forward to watching some of the Christmas movies that I have on hand and also a number of the books that I have signed out of the library. I am also looking forward to making some Christmas goodies that I can share with others.

Jayne's Books

WWW Wednesdays (Feb.1)

The Scarlet Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - J.K. Rowling

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? (Jan. 30)

Musing Mondays (Jan. 30)

Sunday Salon - Crazy, crazy, crazy

Saturday Snapshot (Jan. 28)

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - J.K. Rowling

TGIF: Buy or Burrow?

Library Loot: January 25 to February 1

Booking Through Thursday - Writing or Riveting?

What's on Your Nightstand - January 24

A Winter's Respite Readathon (Jan 23 - 29) #WintersRespite

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? (Jan. 23)

Musing Mondays (Jan. 23)

Sunday Salon - It's amazing

Mini-Shopaholic - Sophie Kinsella

Saturday Snapshot (Jan. 21)

Blog Blackout

First Chapter - First Paragaph(s) - Tuesday Intros (Jan.17)

Teaser Tuesdays (Jan. 17)

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? (Jan.16)

Musing Mondays (Jan.16)

Sunday Salon - A bit of an update

Library Loot: January 11 – 17

A Midsummer Night's Dream - William Shakespeare

Saturday Snapshot (Jan. 14)

Bout of books 3.0

Booking Through Thrusday - Interview, Part 2

WWW Wednesdays (Jan. 11)

2011 Christmas Spirit Wrap-up Post

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? (Jan.9)

Musing Mondays (Jan.9)

January Classic Challenge: Nathaniel Hawthorne

Saturday Snapshot (Jan. 7)

Literary Blog Hop: January 7-10

Booking Through Thursday - Interview, Part 1

WWW Wednesdays (Jan. 4)

Teaser Tuesdays (Jan. 3)

Musing Mondays (Jan.2)

Little House on the Prairie - Laura Ingalls Wilder

The Great Gatsby Readalong - Sign up post

Schedule:

How it Works:

Sunday Salon - Looking back

Saturday Snapshot (Dec. 31)

Chunkster Readalong - Les Miserables, 2012

1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die Challenge Sign Up: 2012 Edition

Booking Through Thursday - Best of 2011

2012 Historical Fiction Challenge

WWW Wednesdays (Dec. 28)

First Chapter - First Paragaph(s) - Tuesday Intros (Dec. 27)

Teaser Tuesdays (Dec. 27)

What's on Your Nightstand - December 27

Top Ten Books Read In 2011 - Top Ten Tuesday

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?(Dec.26)

Harry Potter Reading Challenge 2012

Musing Mondays (Dec. 26)

Sunday Salon - Another little Christmas treat

Saturday Snapshot (Dec.24)

Friday Follow (Dec. 23)

Fall into Reading 2011 - Wrap-Up post

Booking Through Thursday - Gifts

WWW Wednesdays (Dec. 21)

The Christmas Wedding - James Paterson and Richard DiLallo

Teaser Tuesdays (Dec. 20)

Sunday Salon - Short and sweet

2012 A Classics Challenge

2012 Where Are You Reading Challenge

Fall into Reading 2011 - Update #5

2012 TBR Pile Reading Challenge

2012 BBRC

Read Canadian Award Winners 2012 Challenge

2012 Chunkster Reading Challenge

2012 Tea & Books Reading Challenge

Back to the Classics Challenge 2012

2012 Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge

Reading Shakespeare: A Play a Month Challenge 2012

2012 Reading Addict Challenge