tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61047531227092816632024-03-07T13:25:31.146-06:00A Striped ArmchairThe home of a girl whose idea of heaven includes a reading room with an infinite library, roaring fire, endless hot tea (with milk!) and, of course, a big, velvety striped armchair.Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703372903532502944noreply@blogger.comBlogger196125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6104753122709281663.post-15387404540940211992007-10-26T03:55:00.001-06:002007-10-26T03:57:11.604-06:00Address ChangeI've been thinking about switching over the wordpress for awhile, and so I've been playing around with it. I think I've finally got it in decent working order, although I'll probably keep playing with it for awhile!<br /><br />Anyway, come on over to <a href="http://astripedarmchair.wordpress.com/">A Striped Armchair, v.2</a> to find out my latest obsession. Also, please update your bookmarks and links: http://astripedarmchair.wordpress.com/. See you there!Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703372903532502944noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6104753122709281663.post-79967829546601338622007-10-23T16:23:00.000-06:002008-12-09T00:17:54.665-06:00Feeling BetterThanks everyone for the kind comments! I'll be answering them all individually a bit later (computer troubles). I pushed through the feeling this morning by turning to Jane Austen for comfort. :) Then, this afternoon I went to the library!<br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1cqhFqLTO70/Rx52hQL5gEI/AAAAAAAAAQE/rfKKETI8Xd0/s1600-h/DSC01227.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1cqhFqLTO70/Rx52hQL5gEI/AAAAAAAAAQE/rfKKETI8Xd0/s320/DSC01227.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5124663739646836802" /></a><br />I realised I was in a YA mood, so that's the majority of this trip's stash: <em>The Looking Glass Wars, Twilight, Ironside, The Wee Free Men, and Wicked Lovely</em>. I also grabbed some challenge read: <em>Sandman, Vol. I</em> for the Reading the Author Challenge, <em>The Master and Commander</em> and <em>The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle</em> for the upcoming Nautical Challenge. :)<br /><br />I plan to just bury myself in books for a little while, hehe. Panic attacks are silly!Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703372903532502944noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6104753122709281663.post-50894580195089390772007-10-23T02:46:00.000-06:002007-10-23T02:48:43.986-06:00Feeling OverwhelmedYou know those moments when you suddenly realise how many great books there are out there? And that there's no way you'll ever be able to read all of them?<br /><br />That realisation just came crashing down on me.<br /><br />How do y'all deal with that?Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703372903532502944noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6104753122709281663.post-16484252482626513532007-10-22T23:55:00.000-06:002007-10-22T23:41:45.593-06:00So Many Books, So Little Time (thoughts)Before I talk about the book, just wanted to announce that Shannon over at <a href="http://shannonsreadingjournal.blogspot.com/" target="_new">Just Another Musing</a> won the second draw! She went with <em>Tithe</em>, so I'll draw another winner shortly. :) Gotta love the read-a-thon! Now, on to a book I read before the read-a-thon, and that I've been meaning to review. :D<br /><br />I devoured <em>So Many Books, So Little Time</em> by Sara Nelson in the night it got in, and when I finally turned the last page, I felt completely satisfied. Sara Nelson and I have only two things in common: we're women, and we love books. But that's part of what makes reading this book so fun; I could see how our joint hobby played out in a very different kind of life. Nelson discusses how events in her life influenced her reading choices and vice versa. Her mix of informal book reviews and personal anecdotes actually felt like reading a great book blog. Soothing, funny, enjoyable...Nelson reminded me that I'm not alone in my reading obsession. If I had found this book before the blogging community, I'm sure it would've blown my mind to find a kindred spirit. As it is, I was just glad to be able to read a whole year's worth of reading experience without bothering with my laptop! Everyone who enjoys reading book blogs will probably enjoy this book!<br /><br />Favourite Passages<br /><br /><em>...the busier I've gotten over the years-the more family and work activities, the more friends to keep up with, the more duties of adulthood and parenthood, the more, well</em> life<em>-the more, not the less, I've read, (6)<br /><br />Reading's ability to beam you up to a different world is a good part of the reason people like me do it in the first place, because dollar for dollar, hour per hour, it's the most expedient way to get from our proscribed little "here" to an imagined, intriguing "there." Part time machine, part Concorde, part ejection seat, books are our salvation. (12)<br /><br />Explaining the moment of connection between a reader and a book to someone who's never experienced it is like trying to describe sex to a virgin. A friend of mine says that when he meets a book he loves, he starts to shake involuntarily. For me, the feeling comes in a rush: I'm readingalong and suddenly a word or phrase or scene enlarges before my eyes and soon everything around me is just so much fuzzy background. The phone can ring, toast can burn, the child can call out, but to me, they're all in a distant dream. The book-this beautiful creature in my hands!-is everything I've ever wanted, as unexpected and inevitable as love. (33)<br /><br />I may have come late to passaionte reading, but I caught on pretty early that a book can be the perfect shield against potentially piercing situations. Not only is reading a distraction during difficult times...but it's a highly socially respectable means of social avoidance. You can't tell an obnoxious seatmate on a plane, for example, taht his obstreperous pontificating about the virtues of saccharin over NutraSweet is driving you batty, but you can tell him you're in the middle of </em>A Tale of Two Cities<em> and you simply must get back to it. (39)<br /><br />Allowing yourself to stop reading a book-at page 25, 50, or even, less frequently, a few chapters from the end-is a rite of passage in a reader's life, the literary equivalent of a bar mitzvah or a communiion, the moment at which you can look at yourself and announce: Today I' am an adult. I can make my own decisions. (55)<br /><br />And in every case, the sun came up the day after I bagged these books. There was no quiz in the morning, no Reading Police at my door. Not the mention that the books themselves went on to greatness and comfortable spots on the bestseller lists. (57)<br /><br />The idea, I guess, is to turn a book into a media event, but this is a strategy that has major backfire potential. For me-as, I believe for a lot of readers-when a book gets overhyped, we get mad. We're a funny, cliquish group, we book people, and sometimes we resist liking-or even resist opening-the very thing everybody tells us we're supposed to like. (61)<br /><br />An occasional disagreement over a book's merit should not be a big deal to normal people, but the people I love-and the person I am-are not normal; we're book people. TO us, disagreeing about something we read is as shocking and disruptive as, say, deciding that we hate each other's husbands. (67)<br /><br />I believe that an unreturned book beween friends is like a deb unpaid. It can linger, fester, throb like a sore wound. THe best preventative medicine is the simplest: Return All Books. (70)<br /><br />What draws a particular reader to a particular story can be completely idiosyncratic....Reading is highly personal and often revealing. Readers have superstitious preferences and irrational dislikes. (115)<br /><br />You can't eat pizza while reading </em>The House of Mirth<em>....You have to have long stretches of uninterrupted time to read </em>The House of Mirth<em>. You also have to have quiet. A long, rainy weekend afternoon would work. So would a couple of luxuriously sleepless nights in a well-appointed, comfortable bed. (117)<br /><br />One of the good things about having a partner who is just a tiny bit oblivious to the links between reading and life is that he doesn't take particular note that the two books you've brought on your three-week family vacation are </em>Anna Karenina<em> and </em>Madame Bovary<em>. (141)</em>Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703372903532502944noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6104753122709281663.post-18184715158251611542007-10-21T21:29:00.000-06:002007-10-21T21:42:27.482-06:00Final Read-a-Thon PostWhew. I got a lot of sleep since the last post. :) This was a ton of fun, and I highly recommend that everyone who can clear their schedules next year participate! Although I loved the reading, and the prizes, my favourite part was the community building that went on. :D <br /> <br />The first winner of my prize drawing is <a href="http://1morechapter.com/" target="_new">3M</a>, so she gets first pick of the books. Once she's picked, I'll draw the next winner!<br /><br />Here's <a href="http://deweymonster.com/" target="_new">Dewey's</a> final survey.<br /><br />1. <strong>Which hour was most daunting for you? </strong> Hour Sixteen...I experienced a serious energy slump and felt really loopy. Fortunately, the hot chocolate perked me back up.<br /><br />2. <strong>Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? </strong><em>The Kitchen Boy, Marked, Tithe, Gods in Alabama</em><br /><br />3. <strong>Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? </strong> I enjoyed this one a lot; I didn't really think anything was lacking!<br /><br />4. <strong>What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?</strong> I loved the mini-challenges and the cheerleaders. It all went very smoothly!<br /><br />5. <strong>How many books did you read?</strong> 7, plus parts of two more (2,014 pages)<br /><br />6. <strong>What were the names of the books you read? </strong>I completed: <em>Tithe </em>by Holly Black, <em>The Kitchen Boy </em>by Robert Alexander, <em>The Pale Horse </em>by Agatha Christie, <em>Gods in Alabama </em>by Joshilyn Jackson, <em>Marked </em>by P.C. and Kristin Cast, <em>The Sunday Philosophy Club </em>by Alexander McCall Smith, <em>The Children of Green Knowe </em>by L.M. Boston I read from: <em>Good Omens </em>by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett and <em>Lud-in-the-Mist </em>by Hope Mirrless<br /><br />7. <strong>Which book did you enjoy most? </strong>Three Way Tie: <em>Marked, The Kitchen Boy, The Children of Green Knowe</em><br /><br />8. <strong>Which did you enjoy least?</strong> <em>The Sunday Philosophy Club</em><br /><br />9. <strong>If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders? </strong>I wasn't a cheerleader. :)<br /><br />10. <strong>How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?</strong> If I can, I'd love to participate in next year's read-a-thon. I'd probably be a reader again!Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703372903532502944noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6104753122709281663.post-83370586269608990062007-10-21T07:30:00.000-06:002007-10-21T04:37:52.804-06:00And then there were fourteen...*this is a sticky, it'll be changed as people go to bed or get up*<br /><br />Well, I really like trying to visit every reader at least once every other hour. But, I was sick of weeding through the long blogroll. So here're the people who have updated in the last three-ish hours or sooner...<br /><br />Newest additions: <a href="http://joystory.blogspot.com/" target="_new">Joy Story</a>, <a href="http://somanybooksblog.com/" target="_new">So Many Books</a>,<a href="http://bonniesbooks.blogspot.com/" target="_new">Bonnie's Books</a> New additions:<a href="http://smsbookreviews.blogspot.com/" target="_new">SMS Reviews</a> (I didn't see Callista's posts beneath her stickies. Bad Eva!), <a href="http://dastevens.blogspot.com/" target="_new">Nothing of Importance</a> (Debi's back from her nap!), <a href="http://www.jasonlundberg.net/" target="_new">Jason Erik Lundberg</a> (who's decided to keep reading!) Original List: <a href="http://books4alison.blogspot.com/" target="_new">So Many Books, So Little Time</a>, <a href="http://readfromatoz.blogspot.com/" target="_new">Read From A to Z</a>, <a href="http://kayslifeandsuch.blogspot.com/" target="_new">Life</a>, <a href="http://l-squared.blogspot.com/" target="_new">Dog's Eye View</a>, <a href="http://blbooks.blogspot.com/" target="_new">Becky's Books</a>, <a href="http://www.beboauthor.blogspot.com/" target="_new">Bebo Author</a>, <a href="http://1morechapter.com/" target="_new">One More Chapter</a>, <a href="http://www.apatchworkofbooks.blogspot.com" target="_new">A Patchwork of Books</a>, <a href="http://deweymonster.com/" target="_new">Dewey</a> (of course! our fearless leader), and me!<br /><br />(this should be helpful for the current mini-challenge over at Deweys)Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703372903532502944noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6104753122709281663.post-14841631421790923552007-10-21T07:03:00.000-06:002008-12-09T00:17:54.856-06:00Hour Twenty-FourMugs of Hot Tea: 4<br />Mugs of Hot Chocolate: 2<br />Glasses of Iced Tea: 3<br />Cans of Diet Pepsi: 1<br /><br />Reading over 2,000 pages in 24 hours: Priceless!<br /><center><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1cqhFqLTO70/Rxl_IWsaMlI/AAAAAAAAAO0/fdHkp5vPzVs/s1600-h/readathon3_lg.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1cqhFqLTO70/Rxl_IWsaMlI/AAAAAAAAAO0/fdHkp5vPzVs/s320/readathon3_lg.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123265832618177106" /></a></center><br /><br />Wrap Up Time!<br /><br /><strong>Pages Read </strong>(cum.): 2014<br /><strong>Books Completed</strong>: 7 (<em>Tithe </em>by Holly Black, <em>The Kitchen Boy </em>by Robert Alexander, <em>The Pale Horse </em>by Agatha Christie, <em>Gods in Alabama </em>by Joshilyn Jackson, <em>Marked</em> by P.C. and Kristin Cast, <em>The Sunday Philosophy Club</em> by Alexander McCall Smith, <em>The Children of Green Knowe</em> by L.M. Boston)<br />Books Partially Completed: 1 (<em>Good Omens</em> by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett)<br />Stories Read: 2 ("The Death of a Government Clerk" and "The Sly Little Boy" by Anton Chekhov)<br />Mini-Challenges Participated In: 15<br /><br />That works out to about 84 pages an hour, which certainly isn't bad. Especially since I also managed to visit every active reader at least once every other hour. :) I had a ton of fun with this whole experience, and I feel very indebted to Dewey for running the whole thing and to the cheerleaders who came out and supported me (both official and unofficial). On twenty-three posts, I've had 77 comments not made by me! That's a whole lot of comments for one day. :D<br /><br />So, I'd like to give back a little. First off, I'll be sending two bookmooch points Dewey's way (gotta love the new booksmooches); it's a drop in the bucket compared to all of the work she's done, but hopefully she'll appreciate it! Alternatively, Dewey, you can pick two of these books that I read over the last twenty-four hours: <em><strike>Tithe</strike>, Marked, <strike>The Kitchen Boy</strike>, Gods in Alabama</em>. Next, I'm planning on having four drawings: one for each of the above books (or a bookmooch point, if Dewey wants one or two of them). Everyone will be entered however many times they've commented on the my read-a-thon posts (not including this one). I figure first draw will get first pick, etc. I'll do the drawing either late today or tomorrow!<br /><br />And that's all, folks. :)Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703372903532502944noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6104753122709281663.post-64600104230108694392007-10-21T06:18:00.000-06:002008-12-09T00:17:54.872-06:00Hour Twenty-Three<center><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1cqhFqLTO70/Rxl_IWsaMlI/AAAAAAAAAO0/fdHkp5vPzVs/s1600-h/readathon3_lg.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1cqhFqLTO70/Rxl_IWsaMlI/AAAAAAAAAO0/fdHkp5vPzVs/s320/readathon3_lg.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123265832618177106" /></a></center><br /><br />I think I'm read out. I haven't laughed out loud once yet at <em>Good Omens</em>, which is unheard of. However, I did love rereading <em>Green Knowe</em>-I think everyone should read it at least once! My only goal for the last hour is to break 2000 pages. Originally, I wanted to finish <em>Good Omens</em> as well, but that's not going to happen! Honestly, my perkiness has run away; I'm utterly exhausted. I only got about three hours of sleep Friday night, and I've calculated that of the last forty-eight hours, I've been awake thirty-six of them. Whew. Only one post left to go!<br /><br />Books Read (this hour): <em>The Children of Green Knowe</em> by L.M. Boston, <em>Good Omens</em> by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett<br />Pages Read (cum.): 1942<br />Books Completed: 7 (<em>Tithe </em>by Holly Black, <em>The Kitchen Boy </em>by Robert Alexander, <em>The Pale Horse </em>by Agatha Christie, <em>Gods in Alabama </em>by Joshilyn Jackson, <em>Marked</em> by P.C. and Kristin Cast, <em>The Sunday Philosophy Club</em> by Alexander McCall Smith, <em>The Children of Green Knowe</em> by L.M. Boston)<br />Stories Read: 2 ("The Death of a Government Clerk" and "The Sly Little Boy" by Anton Chekhov)<br />Mini-Challenges Participated In: 15Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703372903532502944noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6104753122709281663.post-47210168418579054002007-10-21T05:18:00.000-06:002008-12-09T00:17:54.929-06:00Hour Twenty-Two<center><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1cqhFqLTO70/Rxl_IWsaMlI/AAAAAAAAAO0/fdHkp5vPzVs/s1600-h/readathon3_lg.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1cqhFqLTO70/Rxl_IWsaMlI/AAAAAAAAAO0/fdHkp5vPzVs/s320/readathon3_lg.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123265832618177106" /></a></center><br /><br />Time flies! I abandoned the Chesterton on seeing the small print, and instead I went with L.M. Boston's <em>The Children of Green Knowe</em>, by far one of my favourite childhood books. I reread it every couple years, and it's always just magical! I'm about two-thirds of the way through it, and I really want to get back to it.<br /><br />So here's my mini-challenge offering:<br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1cqhFqLTO70/Rxs12GsaMuI/AAAAAAAAAP8/WZDnSWYQLrU/s1600-h/DSC01219.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1cqhFqLTO70/Rxs12GsaMuI/AAAAAAAAAP8/WZDnSWYQLrU/s320/DSC01219.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123748204690158306" /></a><br /><br />Books Read (this hour): <em>The Children of Green Knowe</em> by L.M. Boston<br />Pages Read (cum.): 1838<br />Books Completed: 6 (<em>Tithe </em>by Holly Black, <em>The Kitchen Boy </em>by Robert Alexander, <em>The Pale Horse </em>by Agatha Christie, <em>Gods in Alabama </em>by Joshilyn Jackson, <em>Marked</em> by P.C. and Kristin Cast, <em>The Sunday Philosophy Club</em> by Alexander McCall Smith)<br />Stories Read: 2 ("The Death of a Government Clerk" and "The Sly Little Boy" by Anton Chekhov)<br />Mini-Challenges Participated In: 15Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703372903532502944noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6104753122709281663.post-3872176847625417922007-10-21T04:14:00.000-06:002008-12-09T00:17:54.940-06:00Hour Twenty-One<center><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1cqhFqLTO70/Rxl_IWsaMlI/AAAAAAAAAO0/fdHkp5vPzVs/s1600-h/readathon3_lg.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1cqhFqLTO70/Rxl_IWsaMlI/AAAAAAAAAO0/fdHkp5vPzVs/s320/readathon3_lg.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123265832618177106" /></a></center><br /><br />We're so close now that we can taste it. :) This has been a really productive reading hour for me; I just decided I wanted to finish <em>The Sunday Philosophy Club</em>, and I did! While I'm happy for that, I did sacrifice visiting blogs, which makes me unhappy. So this hour I'm visiting everyone still up again. :) Then I'm thinking about breaking out some Chesterton, and hopefully finishing up with Good Omens.<br /><br />Mini Challenge:<br /><a href="http://joystory.blogspot.com/" target="_new">Joy Story</a> is clashing swords with that Spanish hero Don Quixote. ;) Love the haiku!<br /><a href="http://www.jasonlundberg.net/" target="_new">Jason Lundberg</a> is breaking out another graphic novel, which looks quite interesting.<br /><br />ETA: I won another one of the drawings! Dewey is being generous enough to offer future books. :)<br /><br />Books Read (this hour): <em>The Sunday Philosophy Club</em> by Alexander McCall Smith<br />Pages Read (cum.): 1731<br />Books Completed: 6 (<em>Tithe </em>by Holly Black, <em>The Kitchen Boy </em>by Robert Alexander, <em>The Pale Horse </em>by Agatha Christie, <em>Gods in Alabama </em>by Joshilyn Jackson, <em>Marked</em> by P.C. and Kristin Cast, <em>The Sunday Philosophy Club</em> by Alexander McCall Smith)<br />Stories Read: 2 ("The Death of a Government Clerk" and "The Sly Little Boy" by Anton Chekhov)<br />Mini-Challenges Participated In: 14Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703372903532502944noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6104753122709281663.post-15316143878243018502007-10-21T03:08:00.000-06:002008-12-09T00:17:54.952-06:00Hour Twenty<center><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1cqhFqLTO70/Rxl_IWsaMlI/AAAAAAAAAO0/fdHkp5vPzVs/s1600-h/readathon3_lg.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1cqhFqLTO70/Rxl_IWsaMlI/AAAAAAAAAO0/fdHkp5vPzVs/s320/readathon3_lg.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123265832618177106" /></a></center><br /><br />At this point, I'd say that we all just kick ass. :) Even if we're grumpy, or only reading 2 pages an hour, or can't type to save our lives. Go readers! The cheerleaders are also kicking some serious ass...they're spending their time making us feel more special! And doing such a good job of it! Go cheerleaders!<br /><br />I've spent the last hour reading the first book in Alexander McCall Smith's newest detective series, <em>The Sunday Philosophy Club</em>. It revolves around Isabel Dalhousie (love her name), an early forties-something single intellectual living in Edinburgh. So far, her niece (Cat, early twenties) and housekeeper (Grace, late forties) have been the most important supporting characters. It's a nice, soothing read; Isabel has cooked a mushroom risotto ("Cooking in a temper required caution with the pepper, as one might put far too much in and ruin a risotto in sheer pique."), sang duets with an ex-flame of her niece's (which I find endlessly amusing), and of course solved some crossword puzzles. I'm enjoying it!<br /><br />Now for this hour's mini-challenge: a haiku based on one of the characters...<br /><br />Zooey-you<br />precocious vampire-<br />be careful!<br /><br />Based on the main character from <em>Marked</em>. Cut me some slack-I've been up forever!<br />ETA: I'm an idiot. I thought haikus wre 3-5-3, but they're 5-7-5. Oy. How about...<br />Zooey-though you are<br />quite a precocious vampire,<br />you must still take care.<br /><br />Books Read (this hour): <em>The Sunday Philosophy Club</em> by Alexander McCall Smith<br />Pages Read (cum.): 1595<br />Books Completed: 5 (<em>Tithe </em>by Holly Black, <em>The Kitchen Boy </em>by Robert Alexander, <em>The Pale Horse </em>by Agatha Christie, <em>Gods in Alabama </em>by Joshilyn Jackson, <em>Marked</em> by P.C. and Kristin Cast)<br />Stories Read: 2 ("The Death of a Government Clerk" and "The Sly Little Boy" by Anton Chekhov)<br />Mini-Challenges Participated In: 13Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703372903532502944noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6104753122709281663.post-36105640261000322122007-10-21T02:09:00.000-06:002008-12-09T00:17:54.964-06:00Hour Ninteen<center><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1cqhFqLTO70/Rxl_IWsaMlI/AAAAAAAAAO0/fdHkp5vPzVs/s1600-h/readathon3_lg.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1cqhFqLTO70/Rxl_IWsaMlI/AAAAAAAAAO0/fdHkp5vPzVs/s320/readathon3_lg.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123265832618177106" /></a></center><br />I'm doing this one really early so that I can go get lost in <em>The Sunday Philosophy Club</em>. :) This hour, I finished <em>Marked</em>. Then, I went and ran around blog-hopping. You can see how I felt about <em>Marked</em> down in hour eighteen.<br /><br />Minichallenge:<br />Alison over at <a href="http://books4alison.blogspot.com/" target="_new">So Many Books, So Little Time</a> has finished <em>Pretties</em>, and it helped bring the excitment back! Now, she's off snacking on popcorn. Yummy. :)<br /><br />Claire at <a href="http://www.beboauthor.blogspot.com/" target="_new">Bebo Author</a> is reading <em>Twilight</em>, but finding it difficult to settle down over her break. Not to mention she's cold. :( Let's all send good vibes her way!<br /><br />Books Read (this hour): <em>Marked</em> by P.C. and Kristin Cast<br />Pages Read (cum.): 1495<br />Books Completed: 5 (<em>Tithe </em>by Holly Black, <em>The Kitchen Boy </em>by Robert Alexander, <em>The Pale Horse </em>by Agatha Christie, <em>Gods in Alabama </em>by Joshilyn Jackson, <em>Marked</em> by P.C. and Kristin Cast)<br />Stories Read: 2 ("The Death of a Government Clerk" and "The Sly Little Boy" by Anton Chekhov)<br />Mini-Challenges Participated In: 12Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703372903532502944noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6104753122709281663.post-75218346214929291762007-10-21T01:49:00.000-06:002008-12-09T00:17:54.976-06:00Hour Eighteen<center><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1cqhFqLTO70/Rxl_IWsaMlI/AAAAAAAAAO0/fdHkp5vPzVs/s1600-h/readathon3_lg.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1cqhFqLTO70/Rxl_IWsaMlI/AAAAAAAAAO0/fdHkp5vPzVs/s320/readathon3_lg.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123265832618177106" /></a></center><br /><br />This is a late update, because I simply couldn't stop reading <em>Marked</em>. Technically, I didn't finish it until Hour Nineteen, but I'm still going to talk about it here. It had a lot of Wiccan elements in it, which amused me (not because Wicca is funny, but the idea of Wiccan vampires certainly is). I could've done without some of the pop culture references, but those tended to become more scarce in the second half of the book. Of course, it leaves at an utter cliffhanger, so now I have to go get the second one (<em>Betrayed</em>)! Let's see...well, I'd definitely recommend this one to everyone who's trying to stay awake in the tail end of a 24 hour read-a-thon. :) Other than that, it's kind of like Harry Potter + vampire + Wicca/pagan. For me, the coolest part is that the main character is part Cherokee and really connects with her roots. If any and all of that appeals to you, and you enjoy/don't mind YA style, I say go for it!<br /><br />Books Read (this hour): <em>Marked</em> by P.C. and Kristin Cast<br />Pages Read (cum.): 1383<br />Books Completed: 4 (<em>Tithe </em>by Holly Black, <em>The Kitchen Boy </em>by Robert Alexander, <em>The Pale Horse </em>by Agatha Christie, <em>Gods in Alabama </em>by Joshilyn Jackson)<br />Stories Read: 2 ("The Death of a Government Clerk" and "The Sly Little Boy" by Anton Chekhov)<br />Mini-Challenges Participated In: 11Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703372903532502944noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6104753122709281663.post-15574468913335021162007-10-21T00:25:00.000-06:002008-12-09T00:17:54.988-06:00Hour Seventeen<center><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1cqhFqLTO70/Rxl_IWsaMlI/AAAAAAAAAO0/fdHkp5vPzVs/s1600-h/readathon3_lg.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1cqhFqLTO70/Rxl_IWsaMlI/AAAAAAAAAO0/fdHkp5vPzVs/s320/readathon3_lg.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123265832618177106" /></a></center><br />Wow! I'm completely and utterly sucked in by the world of <em>Marked</em>. There are definitely some things I would change about it stylistically, but I award it an A+ for keeping me awake. :)<br /><br />With that, I'm getting back to it. Just wanted to check in so that y'all knew I was still awake. :D (oh-and the hot chocolate worked wonders!)<br /><br />Books Read (this hour): <em>Marked</em> by P.C. and Kristin Cast<br />Pages Read (cum.): 1247<br />Books Completed: 4 (<em>Tithe </em>by Holly Black, <em>The Kitchen Boy </em>by Robert Alexander, <em>The Pale Horse </em>by Agatha Christie, <em>Gods in Alabama </em>by Joshilyn Jackson)<br />Stories Read: 2 ("The Death of a Government Clerk" and "The Sly Little Boy" by Anton Chekhov)<br />Mini-Challenges Participated In: 11Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703372903532502944noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6104753122709281663.post-41752994363342823792007-10-20T23:22:00.001-06:002008-12-09T00:17:55.142-06:00Hour Sixteen<center><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1cqhFqLTO70/Rxl_IWsaMlI/AAAAAAAAAO0/fdHkp5vPzVs/s1600-h/readathon3_lg.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1cqhFqLTO70/Rxl_IWsaMlI/AAAAAAAAAO0/fdHkp5vPzVs/s320/readathon3_lg.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123265832618177106" /></a></center><br /><br />Two-thirds there. We can do this, people! This hour, I definitely experienced a slump. Between looking at the blogs, picking my prize books (I won the mini-challenge!), and suddenly realising how exhausted I was, there wasn't much time for actual reading. I was feeling kind of low, so I decided to make the ultimate late-night pick-me-up...<br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1cqhFqLTO70/RxriYWsaMtI/AAAAAAAAAP0/i6RwWwUsCmw/s1600-h/DSC01218.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1cqhFqLTO70/RxriYWsaMtI/AAAAAAAAAP0/i6RwWwUsCmw/s320/DSC01218.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123656434123944658" /></a><br />home-made hot chocolate! Yay! I also decided to break out my other YA novel, <em>Marked</em> by P.C. and Kristin Cast. I don't need heavy reading right now! Hopefully the next couple hours will fly by. :D<br /><br />Mini-Challenge for this hour was to visit blogs. <a href="http://1morechapter.com/" target="_new">3M</a> (who has been around to all of us readers tons of times, leaving uplifting comments, rather like a cheerleader herself!) decided to take a break from Stephen King and go with an Alexander McCall Smith Precious Rambotse mystery, <em>Tears of the Giraffe</em>. My mom loves this series, and I have a different McCall Smith (<em>The Sunday Philosophy Club</em>) waiting on deck. Meanwhile, <a href="http://l-squared.blogspot.com/" target="_new">L-Squared</a> (I wonder if Dewey was attracted to numbers this hour?) is moving through <em>Dracula</em>. More importantly, imo, she might have lost a snake! Uh-oh...<br /><br />Books Read (this hour): <em>Marked</em> by P.C. and Kristin Cast<br />Pages Read (cum.): 1190<br />Books Completed: 4 (Tithe by Holly Black, The Kitchen Boy by Robert Alexander, The Pale Horse by Agatha Christie, Gods in Alabama by Joshilyn Jackson)<br />Stories Read: 2 ("The Death of a Government Clerk" and "The Sly Little Boy" by Anton Chekhov)<br />Mini-Challenges Participated In: 11Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703372903532502944noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6104753122709281663.post-85592950396957074582007-10-20T22:16:00.000-06:002008-12-09T00:17:55.401-06:00Hour Fifteen<center><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1cqhFqLTO70/Rxl_IWsaMlI/AAAAAAAAAO0/fdHkp5vPzVs/s1600-h/readathon3_lg.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1cqhFqLTO70/Rxl_IWsaMlI/AAAAAAAAAO0/fdHkp5vPzVs/s320/readathon3_lg.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123265832618177106" /></a></center><br />This hour I spent immersed in Russian. I read a bit of Pushkin, a bit of Akhmatova, and then I settled down to a couple of Chekhov's short stories. I love Chekhov: I think his talent is incredible, for one thing, and for another he writes in quite simple Russian, so it's easier for me to figure out what's going on. :) This was to complete Sara's mini-challenge, and I'm happy that she challenged me! I read the stories aloud, and just enjoyed the 'foreign-ness' of it all. :D Here's the front and back covers of the Chekhov collection I have (it's the collection "The Lady with the Little Dog"). Fun factoid about Russian books: the table of contents is in the back, instead of the front.<br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1cqhFqLTO70/RxrTRWsaMrI/AAAAAAAAAPk/b2qTIVqitJ8/s1600-h/DSC01213.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1cqhFqLTO70/RxrTRWsaMrI/AAAAAAAAAPk/b2qTIVqitJ8/s320/DSC01213.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123639821190443698" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_1cqhFqLTO70/RxrT82saMsI/AAAAAAAAAPs/WkEhnIxmCGw/s1600-h/DSC01215.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_1cqhFqLTO70/RxrT82saMsI/AAAAAAAAAPs/WkEhnIxmCGw/s320/DSC01215.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123640568514753218" /></a><br /><br />I'm not sure what I'll move on to next...but I'm going to try to stay up all 24 hours, so I do know I'll be drinking lots of caffeine!<br /><br />Books Read (this hour): "The Death of a Government Clerk" and "The Sly Little Boy" by Anton Chekhov (but in Russian)<br />Pages Read (cum.): 1180<br />Books Completed: 4 (Tithe by Holly Black, The Kitchen Boy by Robert Alexander, The Pale Horse by Agatha Christie, Gods in Alabama by Joshilyn Jackson)<br />Stories Read: 2 ("The Death of a Government Clerk" and "The Sly Little Boy" by Anton Chekhov)<br />Mini-Challenges Participated In: 10Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703372903532502944noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6104753122709281663.post-35894822801956695742007-10-20T21:18:00.000-06:002008-12-09T00:17:55.414-06:00Hour Fourteen<center><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1cqhFqLTO70/Rxl_IWsaMlI/AAAAAAAAAO0/fdHkp5vPzVs/s1600-h/readathon3_lg.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1cqhFqLTO70/Rxl_IWsaMlI/AAAAAAAAAO0/fdHkp5vPzVs/s320/readathon3_lg.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123265832618177106" /></a></center><br /><br />I'm absolutely loving the mini-challenges! Wow-these cheerleaders are super-inventive. :) This hour, I'm supposed to decide what I would serve at a book group meeting to discuss one of the books I've been reading. I just finished <em>Gods in Alabama</em> (and it was a great read!), but I also really want to talk about Russian food, so I'm going to do two version!<br /><br />First, let's say we're meeting for <em>Gods in Alabama</em>, a book about the South. Since we're talking about finger food, I'd probably serve fried chicken and cornbread with sweet sun tea and some kind of pie for dessert. :) Glorious! For <em>The Kitchen Boy</em>, I'd serve black tea with guest's choice of sugar, lemon, and raspberry preserves, along with blinchiki. Blinchiki are a food made out of blini (the Russian version of crepes)-the difference is that blini are flat while blinchiki are stuffed with yummy fillings (I'd offer an apple filling or a ricotta cheese/yogurt/sugar/currants mix-those were my host mom's specialities). There'd definitely be candy as well; Russians have a hardcore sweet tooth, and Russian adults eat candy with the abandon of American kids. Of course, if we could upgrade it to an actual meal, I'd make borscht (I have a delicious recipe), and serve it with huge dollops of sour cream, fresh dill, and black bread. Hmmmm...borscht.<br /><br />Well, now that I've made myself hungry, lol, I'm going to take a little break from the fast reading I've been doing, and try out Sara's mini-challenge. I'll be reading some of Chekhov's short stories in Russian, so my pages/hr average is about to drop substantially. ;)<br /><br />Books Read (this hour): <em>Gods in Alabama</em> by Joshilyn Jackson<br />Pages Read (cum.): 1170<br />Books Completed: 4 (<em>Tithe </em>by Holly Black, <em>The Kitchen Boy</em> by Robert Alexander, <em>The Pale Horse</em> by Agatha Christie, <em>Gods in Alabama</em> by Joshilyn Jackson)<br />Mini-Challenges Participated In: 9Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703372903532502944noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6104753122709281663.post-42329902756309012372007-10-20T20:21:00.000-06:002008-12-09T00:17:55.429-06:00Hour Thirteen<center><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1cqhFqLTO70/Rxl_IWsaMlI/AAAAAAAAAO0/fdHkp5vPzVs/s1600-h/readathon3_lg.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1cqhFqLTO70/Rxl_IWsaMlI/AAAAAAAAAO0/fdHkp5vPzVs/s320/readathon3_lg.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123265832618177106" /></a></center><br /><br />No mini-challenge this hour, which is probably good, since I'm quite caught up in Jackson's book! I love the South (it kinda reminds me of Russia, in that I love it and hate it at the same time, lol), and thanks to Maggie's Southern Reading Challenge earlier this year, I realised how much I enjoy the genre. I saw this book reviewed a few times back then, and then I went to B&N and found it on clearance. Yay! I plan to finish this one by 9, and then start on Sara's mini-challenge of reading in another language. Girding my loins, as they say! (at least, I think that's what they say) Oh-I've also passed the 1,000 page mark! Very exciting. :) And Blogger still isn't letting me post pictures, which is less than exciting. Those tacos were cute, lol, and I had plans for some other pictures as the night progresses. I'll just hope it fixes itself soon. :)<br /><br />Books Read (this hour): <em>Gods in Alabama</em> by Joshilyn Jackson<br />Pages Read (cum.): 1036<br />Books Completed: 3 (<em>Tithe </em>by Holly Black, <em>The Kitchen Boy</em> by Robert Alexander, <em>The Pale Horse</em> by Agatha Christie)<br />Mini-Challenges Participated In: 8Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703372903532502944noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6104753122709281663.post-31888746014766759972007-10-20T19:12:00.000-06:002008-12-09T00:17:55.444-06:00Hour Twelve<center><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1cqhFqLTO70/Rxl_IWsaMlI/AAAAAAAAAO0/fdHkp5vPzVs/s1600-h/readathon3_lg.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1cqhFqLTO70/Rxl_IWsaMlI/AAAAAAAAAO0/fdHkp5vPzVs/s320/readathon3_lg.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123265832618177106" /></a></center><br />Half-Time alert! This week's half-time entertainment? A picture of Eva's dinner...<br />(Note: picture pending...Blogger isn't letting me upload pics :( )<br />two tacos loaded with beans, cheese, yummy salsa from a Mexican restaurant, and homemade guacamole (my guacamole has been responsible for converting several former guac-haters). Simple, but fast. I'm a taco fiend, maybe from living in San Antonio (home of the original Taco Cabanas) for so long. I probably have at least one taco six days a week!<br /><br />Additional entertainment provided by Dewey's meme...<br /><br />1. What are you reading right now? <em>Godsin Alabama</em> by Joshilyn Jackson<br /><br />2. How many books have you read so far? 3<br /><br />3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon? good question! probably <em>Marked</em> or <em>Good Omens</em>...maybe <em>The Wisdom of Father Brown</em><br /><br />4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day? I don't have kids, but I do live with my parents and baby niece (I'm the nanny). I just stressed that I would be reading all day, and they've been really good about it so far.<br /><br />5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those? Just a few, and they were fun ones (like my sister bringing my niece in to attack me w/ lamb chops kitchen mitts). I looked at them as welcome breaks! My biggest interruption from reading has been checking out all the blogs. :)<br /><br />6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far? Just how much it feels like a little community; I've gotten a ton of comments on my posts, and I've left a ton of comments as well. It really feels special. :) That, and how fast the hours are flying by!<br /><br />7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? Not so far!<br /><br />8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year? So far, nothing really.<br /><br />9. Are you getting tired yet? Nope! (I've been trying to drink caffeine regularly every couple of hours)<br /><br />10. Do you have any tips for other Readers or Cheerleaders, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered? Well, the starting things off with a YA novel seemed very helpful, but other than that not much. :)<br /><br />Well, as you might have noticed from the meme, I have put <em>Lud-in-the-Mist</em> aside for the moment. It's delightful, but I'm not in the right mood for it. So, this hour I grabbed <em>Gods in Alabama</em> by Joshilyn Jackson. I'm a little over 50 pages in and enjoying it!<br /><br />Books Read (this hour): <em>Gods in Alabama</em> by Joshilyn Jackson<br />Pages Read (cum.): 957<br />Books Completed: 3 (<em>Tithe </em>by Holly Black, <em>The Kitchen Boy</em> by Robert Alexander, <em>The Pale Horse</em> by Agatha Christie)<br />Mini-Challenges Participated In: 8Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703372903532502944noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6104753122709281663.post-88881567375404509632007-10-20T18:06:00.000-06:002008-12-09T00:17:55.630-06:00Hour Eleven<center><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1cqhFqLTO70/Rxl_IWsaMlI/AAAAAAAAAO0/fdHkp5vPzVs/s1600-h/readathon3_lg.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1cqhFqLTO70/Rxl_IWsaMlI/AAAAAAAAAO0/fdHkp5vPzVs/s320/readathon3_lg.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123265832618177106" /></a></center><br />Wow! The read-a-thon is almost half over. I didn't get to do much of any reading this hour (about ten pages), between catching up w/ other readers, making tea, and then going for a walk like Dewey suggested. I took my baby niece and my dog and went up to the mailbox. And guess what was waiting there for me?! Two bookmooches and a box of books (they're free in exchange for me reviewing them at Curled Up). If this isn't a pick me up, I don't know what is!<br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1cqhFqLTO70/RxqYzWsaMqI/AAAAAAAAAPc/ltTgTygUKvg/s1600-h/DSC01207.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1cqhFqLTO70/RxqYzWsaMqI/AAAAAAAAAPc/ltTgTygUKvg/s320/DSC01207.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123575534119957154" /></a><br /><br />And with that, I'm going to get back to my reading. :D<br /><br />Books Read (this hour): <em>Lud-in-the-Mist</em> by Hope Mirrless<br />Pages Read (cum.): 895<br />Books Completed: 3 (<em>Tithe </em>by Holly Black, <em>The Kitchen Boy</em> by Robert Alexander, <em>The Pale Horse</em> by Agatha Christie)<br />Mini-Challenges Participated In: 7Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703372903532502944noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6104753122709281663.post-33512505755349340282007-10-20T17:12:00.000-06:002008-12-09T00:17:55.643-06:00Hours Seven-Ten<center><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1cqhFqLTO70/Rxl_IWsaMlI/AAAAAAAAAO0/fdHkp5vPzVs/s1600-h/readathon3_lg.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1cqhFqLTO70/Rxl_IWsaMlI/AAAAAAAAAO0/fdHkp5vPzVs/s320/readathon3_lg.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123265832618177106" /></a></center><br /><br />Whew! So, B&N was quite nice (a think of a change of scenery is always good). While at the store, I read through the Agatha Christie (hour seven: 62 pages, hour eight: 85 pages, hour nine: 74 pages) and then began <em>Lud-in-the-Mist</em> by Hope Mirrless (hour ten: 54 pages). I enjoyed the Christie, although I don't think it's one of her best. So far, <em>Lud-in-the-Mist</em> is really, really good. The style is very fairy-tale like (it's recommended by Neil Gaiman), so it's quite soothing. It's for adults, however! A nice change of pace; more the kind of book that settle into slowly than a fast read.<br /><br />Here are two mini-challenges I missed while I was away.<br /><br /><a href="http://trecento.blogspot.com/" target="_new">Jessica</a> started the read-a-thon this afternoon. So far, she's enjoying Murakami's <em>Norwegian Wood</em>; I read this book earlier this year and loved it! <a href="http://books4alison.blogspot.com/" target="_new">Alison</a> is in the <em>Pretties</em> and feeling a little tired. Fortunately, her son is there to make her S'Mores! <a href="http://www.the-deblog.com/" target="_new">Deb</a> just cracked open <em>The Case of the Missing Books</em>, which is a mystery that I've heard decidely mixed reviews about. Can't wait to see what she thinks!<br /><br />The other one is to write a letter to an author. Here's mine to Robert Alexander.<blockquote><em>Dear Mr. Alexander,<br />Thank you so much for writing </em>The Kitchen Boy<em>. Reading it brought me back to my time studying abroad in Russia, which was very precious for me. You're obviously a very talented writer, and you're equally obviously in love with that crazy, contradictory, beautiful country. I see that you studided in Leningrad; St. Petersburg was my first introduction to Russia, and I think that it's the most beautiful city I've ever seen (and thatn includes Paris and Venice!). I hope that you write many more books set in historical Russia, since I'm much more interested in the pre-Soviet Union era of the country. Reading your book was a true joy.<br />Sincerely,<br />Eva</em></blockquote>Books Read (these hours): <em>Lud-in-the-Mist</em> by Hope Mirrless, <em>The Pale Horse</em> by Agatha Christie<br />Pages Read (cum.): 887<br />Books Completed: 3 (<em>Tithe </em>by Holly Black, <em>The Kitchen Boy</em> by Robert Alexander, <em>The Pale Horse</em> by Agatha Christie)<br />Mini-Challenges Participated In: 6Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703372903532502944noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6104753122709281663.post-2463915689620715752007-10-20T12:55:00.000-06:002008-12-09T00:17:55.655-06:00Hour Six<center><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1cqhFqLTO70/Rxl_IWsaMlI/AAAAAAAAAO0/fdHkp5vPzVs/s1600-h/readathon3_lg.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1cqhFqLTO70/Rxl_IWsaMlI/AAAAAAAAAO0/fdHkp5vPzVs/s320/readathon3_lg.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123265832618177106" /></a></center><br /><br />Whew-so I 'officially' finished my second book this hour (to see my full thoughts on it, check out Hour Five). Then, I decided I was in the mood for an Agatha Christie. I had just grabbed it randomly off my library's shelves, and it turned out to be one of the Ariadna Oliver mysteries (although she's more a bit player). It has a great opening paragraph:<blockquote>The Espresso machine behind my shoulder hissed like an angry snake. The noise it made had a sinister, not to say deveilish, suggestion about it. Perhaps, I reflected, most of our contemporary noises carry that implication. The intimidating angry scream of jet planes as they flash across the sky, the slow menacing rumble of a tube train approaching through its tunnel; the heavy road transport that shakes the very foundations of your house...even the minor domestic noises of today, beneficial in action though they may be, yet carry a kind of alert. The dishwashers, the refrigerators, the pressure cookers, the whining vacuum cleaners. "Be careful," they all seem to say. "I am a genie harnessed to your service, but if your control of me fails..."</blockquote>The mini-challenge for this hour is to do 'reader advisory.' I'll go with the three books I've spent time with today.<br /><em>Tithe</em> by Holly Black: I think teens who likes faeries/fantasy would eat this book up, and adults who aren't phased by the more obvious YA aspects to the book will probably enjoy it as well. It reminds me a little bit of <em>I Once Was a Teenage Fairy</em>, since they're both YA and fantasy oriented, with main characters who experience rather troubled homelifes. The urban fantasy aspect of the book is reminiscent of Charles de Lint, but it's not on the same level. Urban fantasy and YA are both genres new to me, so I can't think of any more connections (maybe Stephanie Meyer's vampire series, which sounds YA and urban fantasy-ish, but I haven't read any).<br /><em>The Kitchen Boy</em> by Robert Alexander: people who enjoy historical fiction should jump all over this one, as well as those interested in pre-USSR Russia (you can tell the author put a lot of research into it). It's pretty bare-bones at 226 pages, so don't expect a lush romance (a la Diana Gabaldon) or a decades-spanning epic (a la <em>The Crimson and the White</em>). At heart, this is a story about people, the choices they make, and how they deal with those choices. Readers who enjoyed <em>Atonment</em> by Ian McEwan will probably really like this one, and vice versa.<br /><em>The Pale Horse</em> by Agatha Christie: I'm not too far into this one, but it seems to me that mystery readers in general have their 'type.' My type happens to my British mysteries; if readers like Agatha Christie and are looking for similar authors, I'd highly recommend Ngaio Marsh and Dorothy Sayers. If they're looking for well-written, tightly-plotted mysteries in general, I'd toss in Ellis Peters. But if they find Christie a little too plot-driven, and want more focus on characters and why people do the things they do, I'd happily send them towards Laurie King's Mary Russell series or P.D. James. (Told you I was a British mystery buff; although King is American, her series is mostly set in England)<br /><br />I leave you with that, and I may not be around for the next couple hours. I'd like to go to Barnes & Noble and read there for a little change of scenery, and it'd be too much of a hassle to bring my laptop. On the other hand, it's Saturday, so it might just be crazy crowded there. But don't worry about me if you don't hear from me for two or three hours; after that, I'll definitely be back with even more reading to report!<br /><br />Books Read (this hour): <em>The Kitchen Boy</em> by Robert Alexander, <em>The Pale Horse</em> by Agatha Christie<br />Pages Read (cum.): 612<br />Books Completed: 2 (<em>Tithe </em>by Holly Black, <em>The Kitchen Boy</em> by Robert Alexander)<br />Mini-Challenges Participated In: 4Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703372903532502944noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6104753122709281663.post-28406648809089885022007-10-20T12:14:00.000-06:002008-12-09T00:17:56.097-06:00Hour Five<center><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1cqhFqLTO70/Rxl_IWsaMlI/AAAAAAAAAO0/fdHkp5vPzVs/s1600-h/readathon3_lg.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1cqhFqLTO70/Rxl_IWsaMlI/AAAAAAAAAO0/fdHkp5vPzVs/s320/readathon3_lg.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123265832618177106" /></a></center><br /><br />I'm updating early this hour, because I'm about to lose myself in an Agatha Christie. :) I've finished <em>The Kitchen Boy</em>, but I had to read into this hour to do it, so I'll actually count it in my Hour Six post (does that make sense?). I partly expected the twist, partly not. The writing was so lush; now I'm going to have to track down <em>Rasputin's Daughter</em>. Hehe-while I was in Russia, I bought "Rasputin" tea (mainly because there was a creepy picture of him), so I'll have to break that out as well! I think most people would enjoy <em>The Kitchen Boy</em>: it's a slim read that immediately plunges you into another world. The author makes sure to provide translations when he sprinkles in Russian words (and, of course, the words aren't in Cyrillic, but transliterated into our alphabet); however, some people might be annoyed by being unsure how to pronounce the Russian. Or, this could just be a pet peeve of mine when I'm reading books set in other countries and don't get a pronunciation guide. :) Still, it comes highly recommended! No mini-challenge this hour, but I did break for lunch.<br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1cqhFqLTO70/RxpHDWsaMpI/AAAAAAAAAPU/5g0J9IUjI0s/s1600-h/DSC01205.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1cqhFqLTO70/RxpHDWsaMpI/AAAAAAAAAPU/5g0J9IUjI0s/s320/DSC01205.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123485649044386450" /></a><br />Yummy-homemade Welsh Rarebit soup w/ Pumpernickel Croutons (I'm a crouton fanatic; I made these from store-bought Pumpernickel bread). The dark bread was very Russian feeling! And, of course, ice tea to keep me caffeinated. :D<br /><br />So far, I'm really loving how community-like this read-a-thon feels. I try to go to at least a few blogs every hour (I've made it through the blogroll one and a half times), and that seems to be pretty common amongst all the readers. Of course, the cheerleaders are just awesome! What a fun way to spend a Saturday. :D<br /><br />Books Read (this hour): <em>The Kitchen Boy</em> by Robert Alexander<br />Pages Read (cum.): 537<br />Books Completed: 1 (<em>Tithe </em>by Holly Black)<br />Mini-Challenges Participated In: 3Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703372903532502944noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6104753122709281663.post-27532847030582971902007-10-20T11:34:00.000-06:002008-12-09T00:17:56.110-06:00Hour Four<center><a href="http://deweymonster.com/" target="_new"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1cqhFqLTO70/Rxl_IWsaMlI/AAAAAAAAAO0/fdHkp5vPzVs/s1600-h/readathon3_lg.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1cqhFqLTO70/Rxl_IWsaMlI/AAAAAAAAAO0/fdHkp5vPzVs/s320/readathon3_lg.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123265832618177106" /></a></a></center><br />Really? Have I already done four hours of reading? Time sure does fly! It feels like just a moment ago I was cracking open the first page. :)<br /><br />I spend all of this hour with <em>The Kitchen Boy</em>, which is proving to be immensely satisfying. I'm over half way done with it, and I smell a twist or two coming! We'll have to see though. ;)<br /><br />The mini-challenge for this hour is running for the entire read-a-thon, which is good because it's a big one (w/ a big prize of $20 at Amazon)-read for one hour in a language that isn't your native tongue. I have books in French and Russian, so I'll definitely be participating (right now I'm leaning towards my Chekhov short stories or my little book of Tolstoy collections), but I'm not up for it right now. I'm not bilingual, and written Russian (esp. pre-USSR lit) is quite different from spoken Russian, so it takes a bit of concentration. Should be worth it, though!<br /><br />Books Read (this hour): <em>The Kitchen Boy</em> by Robert Alexander<br />Pages Read (cum.): 458<br />Books Completed: 1 (<em>Tithe </em>by Holly Black)<br />Mini-Challenges Participated In: 3Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703372903532502944noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6104753122709281663.post-63109549747132590492007-10-20T09:57:00.000-06:002008-12-09T00:17:56.242-06:00Hour Three<center><a href="http://deweymonster.com/" target="_new"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1cqhFqLTO70/Rxl_IWsaMlI/AAAAAAAAAO0/fdHkp5vPzVs/s1600-h/readathon3_lg.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1cqhFqLTO70/Rxl_IWsaMlI/AAAAAAAAAO0/fdHkp5vPzVs/s320/readathon3_lg.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123265832618177106" /></a></a></center><br /><br />First off, so that everyone realises why I went through <em>Tithe</em> so quickly, here's a random page shot. Note the gloriously large text and the rather square pages. I don't usually read that quickly.<br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_1cqhFqLTO70/Rxol_msaMoI/AAAAAAAAAPM/cqAmaesi5ws/s1600-h/DSC01204.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_1cqhFqLTO70/Rxol_msaMoI/AAAAAAAAAPM/cqAmaesi5ws/s320/DSC01204.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123449300736160386" /></a><br /><br />This hour, I finished up <em>Tithe</em>; I'm uncertain as to whether to award it three or four stars. Parts of it were very good, other parts not so much. Overall, I'd recommend it for people who enjoy urban fantasy, and don't mind a somewhat clunky writing style and teens who engage in sketchy behavior (lol-like sixteen-year-olds smoking and hooking up). After I was done with that, I decided I wanted a complete change of pace, so I went with <em>The Kitchen Boy</em>, a historical novel by Robert Alexander set in Russia when it was becoming the USSR. It recounts the last days of the Russian royal family's lives. So far, I'm in love with Alexander's style. He captures the Russian tone really well; also, since I speak Russian, I adore the Russian words and phrases he scatters around. I can hear various Russians I knew speaking them. I can already tell I'm going to be sad when this one ends (it's barely 200 pages)!<br /><br />Finally, here's a really neat mini-challenge over at <a href="http://www.taylortheteacher.com/2007/10/20/mini-challenge-while-my-guitar-gently-weeps/" target="_new">Taylor the Teacher</a>. I opened my book, and the first words I saw were "Russia's black ingratitude." I'm not a writer, but I'm supposed to write a few lines about that (what a heavy phrase!) So here I go:<br /><br />I can't always understand<br />Russia's black ingratitude for what it's become.<br />When it rose, out of the ashes of communism,<br />didn't we capitalists take it under its wing?<br />And if that led to the oligarchs, who spend Russia's wealth buying football teams, and a falling life expectancy, and dissatisfied youth,<br />well,<br />then they must still be commies.<br /><br />(Note: just in case it isn't clear, this was *ironic*; I'm bashing neoliberalism, not Russia or communism...just wanted to cover my bases)<br /><br />Books Read: <em>Tithe </em>by Holly Black, <em>The Kitchen Boy</em> by Robert Alexander<br />Pages Read (cum.): 379<br />Books Completed: 1<br />Mini-Challenges Participated In: 3Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703372903532502944noreply@blogger.com10