888 Challenge: Prize and Prejudice

**The contest has ended. Thank you so much for all your wonderful comments. The winner of the 10 books is Angie from SevEn cLoWn CirCuS. Congrats!!**

I am a voracious reader. Voracious. Book a day voracious. Until last year. February to be exact. Because that is when I started blogging. And went from a book a day. To a book or so a week.

Which is actually rather ironic because right after I started blogging I took up the 888 challenge. The challenge was rather simple in concept. To read 8 books in 8 categories in '08. 64 books. Easy peasy for a voracious reader like me. Except I had not counted on the distraction. (My complete list with categories is over on my left side bar)

If you look over my original list for the books I planned to read you'll see that I dreamed big. One of the big things I wanted to do was to read Jane Austen. I wanted to read Pride and Prejudice. Sense and Sensibility. Northanger Abbey. And those two others that I cannot think of. I tried to read them. Really. I did. My eyes glazed over. I yawned. And then I couldn't remember what I actually read. I read more of Sense and Sensibility. Because it was one of my book club books. But not all of it. I just couldn't bring myself to do it.

I wanted to read award winning books. To see what sets them apart from others. What makes something a Pulitzer? A Newberry? A National Book award winner? And what I discovered is that these particular award winners are really good. Eye opening. And even entertaining. I sort of felt like I cheated though. As the year began to wane...I found my list a little too ambitious. So I replaced some titles with Newberry winners so that I could finish my list. And actually here is where you will find one of my worst books of the year. The one where I am not sure why it won an award: The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing. Yuck.

I wanted to read books that I actually had bought that were sitting on my shelf. Books that I had not started because I set them aside for library books. Because those have a due date. Rationalizing that the books I had on my shelf I could read anytime. But don't. This is the category where I really cheated. Of the books that I read here...I think that only one was there at the beginning of the challenge. The rest were on my shelf. But just because I brought them home from the library and stuck them there. Or because Rhea mailed them to me. (And just an aside. Ummm. Rhea. I giggled at you. Because you forgot that you mailed books to me. Like "The Hunger Games." And then lamented about your missing copy in the comments of Lula's blog. I am still giggling. Sorry. *snort*)

Another category was non-fiction. Which I like. Sometimes. Like "Devil in the White City." Fabulous. But his other book - "Isaac's Storm." Not so much. Or I was caught up in the title. Like "Sin in the Second City." A book about madams. Sex. Politics. Intriguing, no? Sort of. It had its moments. And I had my own copy that I read in the pool while at the beach over the summer. It is rather water logged. Still. And then there is Tucker Max. I think that I still need some brain bleach to get some of those stories out of my head.

And then. My high brow category. To read the classics. Note. No Jane Austen's on this completed list. But I was quite pleasantly surprised with my list. Dracula. Fabulous. Orwell? Genius. Brave New World? Amazingly ahead of it's time. Lost Horizon? If you are a LOST fan...this is a MUST read. The only book I had issues with is "Little Women." So freakin' saccharine sweet, I think I fell into a diabetic coma.

And for the rest. Well...the rest is all part of my usual repertoire. Because I love to read. For me, reading is about pleasure. Escape. Entertainment. I don't want to struggle with a book just because I should read it. I want to read it. Enjoy it. For it's own sake. I want to be lost in a story. I want to be so engrossed that I stay up all night. And neglect everything that I am supposed to be doing. Those are the signs of a good book.

In honor of SITS and their Spring Fling...I am giving away 10 of the books I read for the challenge. It's a mixed bag because I get most of my books from the library. So what you are getting are well read...slightly water logged...books.

Included are: Dead until Dark by Charlaine Harris (the first of the Sookie Stackhouse mysteries - and the inspiration behind HBO's "True Blood"); Lost Horizon by James Hilton; The Lost Duke of Wyndham by Julia Quinn (fabulous, sexy, funny Regency romance); How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls by Zoey Dean (a very intelligent and witty chick lit book); Sin in the Second City by Karen Abbott (quite water logged. Didn't quite fulfill it's potential. Still. Rather interesting.); Interpreter of the Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri (FABULOUS Pulitzer Prize winner - and if you haven't read her other novel - The Namesake - you need to add it to your to be read pile!); Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (wonderful, lyrical. Read it and email me. I want to know your impressions of the ending.) Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips (fun romp with the Greek Gods in modern London. Could have been better); Austenland by Shannon Hale; and The Year of Living Biblically by AJ Jacobs (a hysterical look at a man trying to live EXACTLY as the Bible dictates).

So...what do you need to do to win? Simply leave me a comment. Have you ever done a reading challenge? What kinds of books do you like to read? What are you reading right now?

I'll do a random drawing and announce the winner on Thursday.

What Kind of Reader are You? Part 2

In today’s paper, there is an article titled “Why teens don’t read: English teachers ruin it.” It discusses how English teachers are charged with stimulating their students used to ever changing visual stimulation – and now these same students must become enthralled with words on a page – and a narrative without pictures. But, the article suggests that this is not the big issue. That making connections with the kids is where the struggle lies. That teachers cannot engage them as they dissect Shakespeare into pieces that don’t seem united with the whole. That they cannot engage students with works that seem irrelevant to the students. That a student cannot write a passionate paper about a work that she never connected with in the first place.

So, this entire article got me thinking. I have always been a reader. I love to read. And will read just about anything. But, I must admit that classics scare me. I was not a big fan of the required reading in school. I did not fall in love with Dickens. Or Shakespeare. And I still get a headache thinking about Thoreau. Or Faulkner.

And I vividly remember a day in my high school English class, discussing Hemingway’s “Hills like White Elephants.” Where all I got out of it was a boy and a girl talking. And then leaving on a train. But apparently, she is pregnant. And he wants her to have an abortion. So, the baby is the symbolic white elephant in the room. I apparently can’t see the white elephant, because I got none of that from the conversation in the story. Actually, I am not sure that I got anything from the conversation in the story.

I think that my favorite classic is “To Kill a Mockingbird.” It is an engaging novel of courage, compassion and tolerance. Both of the book clubs that I am in read it. And there is a lot to be said for re-reading the classics as an adult rather than a disengaged high school student.

And then this year, when I decided to do the 888 challenge, I picked classics as one of my categories. I wanted to read things that I had not read in school. I needed a reason to pick them up. You will notice in my sidebar that the classics category is the one I have read the least of. I know they can be good. My book club read Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” last year – and I loved it. But now, we are reading “Emma” by Jane Austen. And I have this feeling that I am supposed to like it. To love it. When really what I want to do is throw it against the wall and move on. I had to put it down. And the temptation to give it up entirely is there. Along with removing “Pride and Prejudice” from my list and finding something else.

I have read three classics this year in the challenge. “Little Women,” which I did not like at all. The saccharine sweetness of it all just turned me off. But, I really liked both “Animal Farm” and “Brave New World.” Probably because I could make connections with them – and see how they related to our modern culture and sensibilities.

When I read “Animal Farm” it was along side Katie. We read it at the same time we studied about Mussolini and Hitler. So the connection was made. But something that I always keep in the back of my mind is “twaddle.” Because sometimes the books the girls choose to read just make me cringe. Is it okay to encourage this love of reading? To let the kids read whatever they want – even if it the equivalent of junk food? Or do you keep encouraging “nutritious” reading habits? And how do you do that without turning them off completely?

So, what about you? Did your high school English teacher foster or squash your love of reading? Did/do you like to read the classics? Do you have a favorite? Or one that you wanted to throw against the wall?

What kind of reader are you - part I: book snob or slob?

888 Challenge Check in

I have made some progress on my challenge list – and actually managed to complete 3 books during my vacation week – which is much more than I accomplish during a regular week. Because I blog. I started the challenge in February, and I have now read 18 books. I have also read a book “in process.” My friend Jennifer is an author…and has asked some people to read her book before she sends it off to publishers. So…19 books.

In the car, on the way to Tampa, I finished “Seduction of the Crimson Rose” by Lauren Willig. This is the fourth in Willig’s series about the “flower” spies of the London aristocracy during the Napoleonic wars (The first is “The Secret History of the Pink Carnation.). I really like this series. It has everything. Action. Adventure. History. And most importantly, romance. One of the things that I like about this series is that they are framed by another story: that of a grad student in today’s time doing research for her dissertation on the identity of the Pink Carnation. The juxtaposition of the contemporary romance with that of the regency time is a fun contrast. All the books in this series are very witty…but this one has a very cynical edge to it.

Next in line: Marie Phillip’s first novel “Gods Behaving Badly.” It is a comedy of the absurd. Imagine that the Greek Gods have moved from Olympus to a townhouse in London that they were able to get cheaply during the plague…and they haven’t cleaned it since. Because they are Gods. They have all but lost their powers because no one believes in them anymore. Even Eros doesn’t believe in the Greek Gods anymore and he is one! He says to his mother, Aphrodite, “I wish my mother was the virgin Mary.” Bickering Gods leads to seeking revenge on one another…and it takes a very ordinary human to step up and be a hero to save us all.

And while I am reading books that will never be read by my book group, I continue the trend with Zoey Dean’s “How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls.” This is a really clever book about a massively in debt Yale grad with an English degree. And having seen “Avenue Q” – you know that it sucks to be the main character – because what do you do with a BA in English?! If you are the heroine of this novel, you get the chance of a lifetime to have your debt erased by helping two filthy rich girls/Paris Hilton wannabes get into Duke. Take a moment to savor the vision. And the possibilities. One of the funniest parts of the book is the multiple guess questions that are proposed at the beginning of each chapter (she is trying to make studying for the SAT “relevant” to the girls): Choose the analogy that best complements the following phrase:
YACHT : SOCIETY PRINCESS
cardboard box : wino
Chihuahua : rock starlet
Cocaine : supermodel
Fendi Baguette : Sarah Jessica Parker
Drug arrests : Robert Downey, Jr.

While we were on the cruise, my husband finished “I hope they serve beer in hell” by Tucker Max…and he handed it off to me. First of all…I apologize to any of you who picked this book up after seeing it on my website…and for some reason thought it was a recommendation from me. It is not. It is a clear departure from most books that I read. I think it could be categorized as the antithesis to the chick lit genre. I will admit that I laughed out loud at several stories…but pretty quickly, the book got old and stale. Perhaps it’s funnier to people who actually know Tucker Max. I am sure that it is hilarious to people who like stories about drinking, whoring, and excrement. And if curiosity is getting the better of you…just check out Tuckermax.com and you can read at least half of the book there. For free.

888 Challenge Check in: Reviews of the "Twilight Saga" and "Body Drama"

I am really enjoying the 888 challenge process - and it has been a challenge. I cannot tell you how many trashy books I have ended up returning to the library because there are other books that I am trying to read. Of course, blogging is really infringing on my reading time. But that's just as constructive, right? Right? I am still basking in the glow of having Larry Goldstone, the author of "Deconstructing Penguins" post a comment to my blog in response to this post - so now I think I'll try to see if I can get other authors to come by and say "hello!" It's a reasonable goal. Right?

My friend Abbey has been chomping at the bit for me to finish the "Twilight" series...and last night I finished the third book. There seems to be quite the "Twilight" bandwagon out there (Abbey even says they are "mommy crack"). I have one friend who even read them with her bookclub. The series has quite the fans - and the movie has even been cast. Maybe I am the only one...but I don't get it.

The summary in a nutshell: Bella is new in town...and she captures the attention of the beautiful and perfect Edward. Edward has to work hard to control his blood lust for Bella because he is a vampire. Edward is constantly worried about protecting the accident prone Bella from certain death. Love ensues. She meets a werewolf. Love ensues. She has to choose. Drama ensues.

For the entire first book, I had violent thoughts about Bella (the heroine). She's needy, dependent, and clueless...and by the end of the book, obsessive. I have read quite a few reviews of people who had the same reaction to Bella...but they loved Edward. Again...I don't get it. I don't understand what Edward (or all the other guys in Forks) sees in her.

In the second book, Bella really needed an intervention. Her obsession for Edward (who chose to leave her so that she could lead a "normal" life - oh the irony!) is out of control. And then she on a dime trades that obession for another - for Jacob and for living life on the edge. She is still needy, dependent, and clueless...but now instead of with a vampire, it's with a werewolf. What does Jacob see in her? I don't get it.

Finally in the third book, Bella seems to get a small amount of gumption - but her gumption completely revolves around being a martyr. ACK! I didn't hate these books at all. They were a quick read. They were entertaining. But Bella...hmmm...I wonder what kind of trouble and angst she is going to cause in book four that is being published in August...because even though I don't get it...I'll still be reading the final chapter of the saga.

Next on my completed list: "Body Drama" by Nancy Amanda Redd. This book reminded me a lot of "Reviving Opheila" by Mary Pipher that I read in the early 90's. Both books explore the influence of the media on the self-confidence adolescent girls...how girls views of their own bodies are poisoned (so to speak) by constant visual stimulation of unrealistic expectations. What I like about this book (that Mary Pipher didn't do so well) is that it shows girls (in graphic details) that everyone is different...all of our parts come in different shapes and sizes...and that it is all normal. This book, I think, helps girls to realize that they have been socialized to look to the media for guidance on their own value - and for what is normal. But...in reality, girls can determine their own self worth - and what they are shown in the media is often not normal...and even more often, a complete fantasy. If you haven't seen it already -- go immediately to this link (sponsored by Dove's campaign for beauty) to see a model - and the wonders of photoshop in action!

888 Check In: I am deconstructing...

I have always considered myself to be an intelligent person. I am well read; I use words that make others scrunch up their faces in perplexion – or eyes gloss over in boredom; I have been called pedantic. But there is nothing like reading a book on how to critically discuss children’s literature to put me in my place.

I decided to read Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone’s "Deconstructing Penguins" after seeing several rave reviews on the WTM homeschool board. I had also seen it on several bloggers lists of books they were reading or were planning to read. Amazon has good reviews. And my library had the book…so I put it on reserve.

The basic premise of the book is that an author has intentional layers in his book – and it’s up to us as readers to solve the mystery of what the book is really about. By figuring out what a book really means, we move from being passive readers to active critical thinkers. The authors formed a child/parent book club and they used their technique to help children and their parents find the underlying meaning in the books they read. The first book they discussed was “Mr. Popper’s Penguins,” which gave birth to the title of this book as they deconstructed the message of the story.

So…why do I feel like an idiot? In the book, the Goldstones state: “…you don’t need an advanced degree in English literature or forty hours a week of free time to effectively discuss a book with your child. This isn’t 'Crime and Punishment', it’s 'Charlotte’s Web'.” The authors do an amazing job of helping the members of their book group deconstruct titles such as "Babe: The Gallant Pig," "Frindle," "View from Saturday," "Phantom Tollbooth," and even some poetry. But…wow…I never would have arrived at the conclusions that they found. I am still not sure that I can arrive at the correct protagonist and antagonist for the books that I read.

And then, one of my favorite young adult books, "The Giver" by Lois Lowry is slammed in a chapter called “Obvious Characters, Contrived Endings, and Convenient Plot devices.” I understand their points after reading the chapter. But…I liked that story…and its subsequent sequels. And it even won the Newberry in 1994! Perhaps my critical thinking skills are a bit rusty…

I am looking forward to “deconstructing” "Animal Farm" with Katie next week…but only because this book is going to hold my hand through the process. I am looking forward to opportunities to discuss all the mentioned books with my children. But…what am I going to do for books that are not mentioned? The book does not give me a plug and go formula for dealing with other books…and after reading it…I am not sure that I have the skills to deconstruct on my own…

Challenge Check-in

My 888 challenge is not going as quickly as I would have expected. Even my daughter has commented that it is taking me quite a long time to finish "The year of Living Biblically." I think that blogging is taking up some of my reading time! One of the talents that I do possess is the ability to read more than one book at a time. This happens to me because I forget my book in the kitchen...and I am too lazy to get out of bed and go downstairs...so I grab something else off the shelf!

So far, the only books that I have finished are Romance books. I was not a reader of romances until recently. My first was "Outlander" by Diana Gabaldon. It was recommended by a friend at my book club. I didn't know it was a romance...and actually the book store where I purchased it, had it in the fiction section. It is a great book - historical fiction with a little time travel thrown in - over 800 pages - riveting story - I would highly recommend it. So...when I finished it, I had to find the sequel (there are now 6 books in the story with 2 more to come). Now, I looked at a different bookstore for the sequel, and I could not find it on the shelves. When I went to ask about it...they sent me to the Romance section. What?! I dont' read romance! All I thought of was Barbara Cartland bodice rippers. Well...let me tell you, Romance has come a long way since the '80's.

My mother will still say that romance books are drivel...and I will admit that I can finish one in a day...but it is wonderful escapism...and there is always a "happily ever after." This HEA is really important after reading books like "Cold Mountain," where I just wanted to throw it against the wall after reading it. **Spoilers ahead - if you don't want to know...move on to the next paragraph!** I mean, after journeying forever with the twists, turns, and setbacks of that novel, only to have the hero killed in the end - no thanks!

The genre that I don't read a lot of is non-fiction...and here I am reading two! For this type of book to work for me, I need it to either be funny or told like a story. I tried so hard to read "John Adams" by David McCullough, but I just could not get into it. It was just too dry and tedious. Recently I read "A Year without Made in China" by Sara Bongiorni about one family's attempt to go an entire year without buying goods made in China. The writer has a great sense of humor about her experiment and I like her writing style. Another non-fiction favorite is Erik Larson's "Devil in the White City." Larson writes in a story format with side by side tales - of the architecture world's fair in Chicago and the first documented serial killer in the US. Fascinating history!

I think my favorite non-fiction writers can be found in the travel section of the bookstore -- Bill Bryson and Maarten Troost. Most people have heard of Bryson and his travels around Britain (in "Notes from a Small Island"), Australia ("In a Sunburned Country"), the Appalachain Trail ("A Walk in the Woods") and the universe ("A Short history of Nearly Everything")...but not as many people have heard of Troost. He has written two books with a third coming out this fall. His first book, "The Sex Lives of Canibals" is not about sex or cannibals but about a couple's quest to escape from their mundane lives to something extraordinary - so she gets a job on Kiribati, a small island in the Pacific - and he writes about island life. It is a laugh outloud, pee in your pants, funny book.

Goin' Native

The world of blogging is so much fun – and for someone with a degree in Anthropology, I feel like I have found a whole new culture. There are all these cultural norms – such as the post from yesterday of “Wordless Wednesday.” And now I have heard of bloggers challenge that is going to complete my transformation of going native. It is a challenge that appeals to my two great loves: reading and making lists!

The challenge is called 888. It entails reading 8 books in 8 categories in ’08. You can make any categories you like…and I hear the “official” rules say that 8 books can overlap – so your total reading will be 56-64 books. Now reading this many books is not the challenge for me (I read over 200 last year) – what will be challenging is to read outside of my normal genres…and for me that would be classics.

Confession time: I have never read Jane Austen. For someone who loves romance novels…it’s like sacrilege. (I’ll go ahead and hang my head in shame) I know the stories, I have seen the movies, but I have never read the books. So, a classics category would work – I don’t want an entire Austen category – because, God forbid – what if I don’t like her style?!

So…as a work in progress, here is what I have so far for the challenge:
Book Club
1. Water for Elephants by Sarah Gruen
2. Isaac’s Storm: a Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History by Erik Larson

Young Adult
1. Brisingr by Christopher Paolini
2. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
3. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
4. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
5. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
6. The miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate Dicamillo
7. The Wave by Todd Strasser

Popular Fiction
1. People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
2. Austenland by Shannon Hale
3. Duma Key by Stephen King

Non-Fiction
1. The know it all by AJ Jacobs
2. Body Drama: Real girls, real bodies, real issues, real answers by Nancy Amanda Redd
3. Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser
4. Thunderstruck by Erik Larson
5. Sin in the Second city: Madams, ministers, playboys and the battle for America’s soul by Karen Abbott
6. Lost on Planet China by J. Maarten Troost
7. I hope they serve beer in Hell by Tucker Max
8. Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Anthony Bourdain


Romance
1. Secrets of the Highlander by Janet Chapman
2. Lover Enshrined by JR Ward
3. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Classics
1. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
2. Dracula by Bram Stoker
3. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
4. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
5. 1984 by George Orwell
6.

Award Winners
1. March by Geraldine Brooks (Pulitzer Prize 2006 in fiction)
2. We wish to inform you that tomorrow we will be killed with our families: stories from Rwanda by Philip Gourevitch (National Book Critics Circle, 1998)
3. Vernon God Little by DBC Pierre (2003 Man Booker Prize)
4. Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro (1998 Man Booker Prize)
5. Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri (2000 Pulitzer Prize in fiction)
6. A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kenney Toole (1981 Pulitzer Prize in fiction)
7. A Midwife’s Tale by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich (1991 Pulitzer Prize in History)
8. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson (1978 Newberry Medal for best children’s book)


Books already on my shelf
1. The boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory
2. Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips
3. An Arsonists Guide to Writers homes in New England by Brock Clark
4. Fight Club by Chuck Palahntik
5. How to teach filthy rich girls by Zoey Dean
6. Your big break by Johanna Edwards
7. Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
8. Material Girl by Julia London

So...are you with me for the challenge? What's on your to be read pile?