Three-day weekends always throw me off. There's a good chance that blogging's going to be light the next two weeks, with the exception of all the blogging that will go on next weekend for MotherReader's 48 Hour Book Challenge. Basically, I'm behind in my reviews and have a lot on my plate this week, reading-wise, so it will be all-reading, and just a little bit of reviewing.
Speaking off the 48 Hour Book Challenge, I am still asking people to sponsor my reading endeavors. I am raising money for Room to Read, which builds libraries and trains people to run them. They are trying to build 11,000 libraries in Asia and Africa by the end of 2010. I have a fundraising page here that you can donate to directly or if you want to wait to see how I do, or donate based on how much I read (books, pages, hours, number of pots of coffee I drink... you can do that, too!)
I'm looking forward to it! As always the number of books I plan to read is impossible, but it's nice to dream.
Which leads me to another "problem" (really, I can't complain. As a friend reminded me awhile ago, I have awesome problems.)
Thursday is the library's annual Teen Notables Discussion, where teen librarians and librarians with an interest in teen books get together to discuss about ten notable books that came out the year before. The reading list was announced a few months ago and you don't have to read *all* of the books on the list, even though I have every year, because well... I'm just like that. I have 3.5 books to go.
I also have several books that are overdue at the library and should really get returned, but I WANT TO READ THEM.
So, my reading's cut out for me.
But.
Jacyln Moriarty's new book, The Ghosts Of Ashbury High comes out today and the UPS man is bringing it to my house AS WE SPEAK.
OH! Whatever shall I read?!!!
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Showing posts with label housekeeping. Show all posts
Showing posts with label housekeeping. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 01, 2010
Sunday, February 07, 2010
Sunday Salon: The Snowed-in Spreadsheets!
During Bloggiesta, I mentioned one of my goals was updating my spreadsheets and many people asked how I used spreadsheets for blogging. Well... here you go!
(And if you think these are nerdy and anal, you should see the ones I use for work. Yes, I have multiple spreadsheets for storytime.) Basically, my entire life is lived off a spreadsheet.
Here's the basic blog spreadsheet:
This is where I keep track of books I need to blog about. This is not my list of books I've read (that's in a paper notebook.)
So the columns are date (done in month/year) that I read a book, title, if the review has been written, and notes. My notes column lists what date I've pre-scheduled a review for, if the book was for a challenge, or anything I want to remember when I write the blog post (but not the actual review. I have a paper notebook for things like that.)
I have a spreadsheet for review copies that I'm not going to show you because I'm horrified at how many have gone unread. Also, it's new, so it's not as useful yet. Basically, it goes pub date/title/notes (blog tour, unsolicited, promised review date/etc)/post date (which is 3 months after receiving or pub date, which ever is later, or if I have a promised post date because of a blog tour or something) The 3 months since receiving (ONLY if I asked for the book. It doesn't apply to unsolicited titles) was one of this year's "Be a better blogger" goals. As was "take fewer review copies." I also make liberal use of color coding, to highlight those books that should be read yesterday.
Then, there's the challenge spreadsheets...
Here's the one where I track all the challenges that don't come with a list. So, read 100 books from the library, or read 12 historical fiction titles, etc.
The name of the challenge is on top and then the column is highlighted to the number of books I have to read. If there are sub-categories within the challenge, the column will change colors. You can see this in the second column, which is the Marple/Poirot/Holmes challenge. 2 cells are the regular shade of peach, the next 2 are a bit darker, and the next 2 are orange to break up the detectives.
For challenges that come with a list, they each have their own sheet. This is the one for the Guardian Challenge:
The columns are: last name/first name/title/category/read/read for this challenge.
One I've read a book, it gets unhighlighted. A 1 in the 5th column is for all the books I've read off the list. A 1 in the 6th column is for the books I've read specifically for this challenge. So, in this screen shot, there are 3 books I've read. Bridget Jones's Diary was read shortly after publication in 1998. I read Wind in the Willows a few years ago. I read Cold Comfort Farm last month for this challenge (also because I owned it, and it's part of the 1% challenge.) In the last row, there are equations that add up how many books I've read both off the list in general, and specifically for this challenge.
For books that come with a list where I need to read every book on the list, I don't have numbers, I just unhighlight each book as I read it.
Last, but not least, is the BIG spreadsheet- the master sheet. So, all those challenges that come with a list are combined on this sheet:
It goes last name/first name/title/challenges. It's color coded based on how many challenges a book counts for. Once I read a book, I unhighlight it and then put a 1 in the 5th column. At the bottom, I have an equation so it adds up how many books I've read so far. This is the hardest to update at the start of a year. Books that I've read have to be taken off and new lists for new challenges have to be added in. Also, all the books I own, but haven't read, are on the list, so that had to be updated to add in the books I acquired but have not yet read in the past year.
I use Google Docs for all of these, just so I can access them from anywhere.
Any questions?
(And if you think these are nerdy and anal, you should see the ones I use for work. Yes, I have multiple spreadsheets for storytime.) Basically, my entire life is lived off a spreadsheet.
Here's the basic blog spreadsheet:
This is where I keep track of books I need to blog about. This is not my list of books I've read (that's in a paper notebook.)
So the columns are date (done in month/year) that I read a book, title, if the review has been written, and notes. My notes column lists what date I've pre-scheduled a review for, if the book was for a challenge, or anything I want to remember when I write the blog post (but not the actual review. I have a paper notebook for things like that.)
I have a spreadsheet for review copies that I'm not going to show you because I'm horrified at how many have gone unread. Also, it's new, so it's not as useful yet. Basically, it goes pub date/title/notes (blog tour, unsolicited, promised review date/etc)/post date (which is 3 months after receiving or pub date, which ever is later, or if I have a promised post date because of a blog tour or something) The 3 months since receiving (ONLY if I asked for the book. It doesn't apply to unsolicited titles) was one of this year's "Be a better blogger" goals. As was "take fewer review copies." I also make liberal use of color coding, to highlight those books that should be read yesterday.
Then, there's the challenge spreadsheets...
Here's the one where I track all the challenges that don't come with a list. So, read 100 books from the library, or read 12 historical fiction titles, etc.
The name of the challenge is on top and then the column is highlighted to the number of books I have to read. If there are sub-categories within the challenge, the column will change colors. You can see this in the second column, which is the Marple/Poirot/Holmes challenge. 2 cells are the regular shade of peach, the next 2 are a bit darker, and the next 2 are orange to break up the detectives.
For challenges that come with a list, they each have their own sheet. This is the one for the Guardian Challenge:
The columns are: last name/first name/title/category/read/read for this challenge.
One I've read a book, it gets unhighlighted. A 1 in the 5th column is for all the books I've read off the list. A 1 in the 6th column is for the books I've read specifically for this challenge. So, in this screen shot, there are 3 books I've read. Bridget Jones's Diary was read shortly after publication in 1998. I read Wind in the Willows a few years ago. I read Cold Comfort Farm last month for this challenge (also because I owned it, and it's part of the 1% challenge.) In the last row, there are equations that add up how many books I've read both off the list in general, and specifically for this challenge.
For books that come with a list where I need to read every book on the list, I don't have numbers, I just unhighlight each book as I read it.
Last, but not least, is the BIG spreadsheet- the master sheet. So, all those challenges that come with a list are combined on this sheet:
It goes last name/first name/title/challenges. It's color coded based on how many challenges a book counts for. Once I read a book, I unhighlight it and then put a 1 in the 5th column. At the bottom, I have an equation so it adds up how many books I've read so far. This is the hardest to update at the start of a year. Books that I've read have to be taken off and new lists for new challenges have to be added in. Also, all the books I own, but haven't read, are on the list, so that had to be updated to add in the books I acquired but have not yet read in the past year.
I use Google Docs for all of these, just so I can access them from anywhere.
Any questions?
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Sunday Salon
Well, I joined The Sunday Salon. Kinda, I mean, I signed up with my info. It's something I've been meaning to do for awhile. Even though I'm not officially a member yet, I thought I'd do a post anyway, because I have several blog-related things that I'm thinking about and wanted to share, and it is Sunday, so I might as well, right? Right.
First off, in a non-blog related vein, I hope you had an excellent Thanksgiving, for my American friends who celebrate such things. I had oral surgery last Friday to fix a blocked saliva gland that resulted in 8 stitches, several of which are on the underside of my tongue. While it's not nearly as painful as it sounds like it should be (and the full description of events sounds rather painful) it does mean that I started eating solid food again... today. So my Thanksgiving involved Butternut Squash Soup with Cider Cream. And pumpkin pie filling. The rest of my week has involved me surviving on pudding, ice cream, jello, and apple sauce. Who knew that was a diet I would grow tired of really quickly? What is wrong with me?! But, given that today's breakfast involved toast (TOAST!) Dan's ordering me pizza for dinner. I think I could live off pizza. I've seriously considered making a pizza smoothie this week, because I missed it sooooooooooooooo much.
In the annals of geekdom: One thing I love about my neighborhood is that we can walk to a second-run movie theater that serves food! While you watch the movie! It's located by the local branch of our library, so last night, while walking to a late show, I made Dan and our friend Curtis detour so I could return a bunch of library books. Why yes, I do return my books at 10pm on a Saturday night!
In blogging news, this week will be Cybils week! Instead of only posting my Cybils reviews on Nonfiction Monday, I thought I'd post at least one a day this week. And probably the week after that, too, but I don't want to promise anything I won't be able to deliver on.
Are you excited for my birthday party next weekend? I AM!!!! Seriously guys, awesome prizes await. Dan's already tried to steal the Starbucks gift cards, but I told him to put them down and back away very slowly. Plus, I have a ton of cool things from Tartx, piles of books that need to no longer be in my house, and some bookmarks. And maybe some other things. And Dreadlock Girl is hosting a 24-hour Read-a-Thon that weekend!!! Maybe I'll do both? You can definitely do both!
Now, some new reading challenges that I've signed up for!
Marg from Reading Adventures is hosting a Terry Pratchett 2010 Challenge. I loved Nation and read my first Discworld novel this fall, which I also loved. I want to read many, many more and was thinking of hosting a Terry Pratchett challenge myself, so I was happy to see that Marg beat me to it! I've signed up for the Death's Apprentice Level, which has me reading 10-12 books.
The Marple Poirot Holmes Challenge. Pretty simply, read 2 Miss Marple Mysteries, 2 Poirot Mysteries, and to Sherlock Holmes Mysteries in 2010. I've never read any of them, so why not give it a try?
My Friend Amy's Christy Awards Challenge. I've only read a few Christian fiction books and feel like reading some more. It's a popular genre where I work and I want to know more about it. Plus, I've been really into issues of faith lately. I'm signing up for the Baby Steps level, which has me reading 3-4 books that have been nominated for the Christy Awards before December 1, 2010.
Deborah's Nancy Drew Challenge. Can I read all 56 yellow-spined Nancy Drews in 2010? Let's find out!
RYOB (Read Your Own Books) Challenge. Every year I vow to read 50 books I already own, so why not make it a little more formal?
I'll also be signing up for the TBR Challenge again, but I need to wait to see what I get read before the end of the year before I make my list.
Now, there were some other challenges I found that I knew that I could easily do. Things I'd do without needing a challenge. I mean, some will be knocked out in January. Did I still want to sign up for something that wouldn't even be a challenge? Didn't that defeat the purpose? But on the other hand, reading challenges are about fun and community and all that, so why not join the ones I'll do anyway?! So, I've also signed up for these:
Becky's Young Readers Challenge, which has me reading 12 books for kids (so, middle grade in the confines of this blog) in 2010.
J. Kaye's Young Adult Reading Challenge-- I signed up for the Super Size Me level, which has me reading 75 YA books in 2010.
J. Kaye's Support Your Local Library Challenge-- I signed up for the Super Size Me level, which has me checking out and reading 100 library books in 2010.
Friday, November 06, 2009
Housekeeping-a-go-go
Ok, I'm still struggling with the blog crisis that kidlitcon gave me about what I want to be and where I want to go and blah blah blah. Plus, I just have a lot of backlog to get through and other things in my non-blogging life that I want to focus more energy on and on and on and on...
I'm making a few changes in light of that.
In general, my blogging formula is
1. Write a few sentences on life, what's going on in blog world, general "hi, what's up?" type stuff
2. Review a book or two
I'll go a few days without posting because I have a ton of books to review but no time to do it. Days sometimes stretch into over a week.
I started pre-writing reviews (which coincided with a new personal policy to not return a library book before reviewing it) so that I could more quickly do a post for busy days. Sadly, adding the picture and links, adding my general "hi!" bit still took up too much time on some days.
SO! In order to cut through some of the backlog, I'mnot now just pre-scheduling a bunch of reviews. They'll just be posted automatically, one a day, and there they are.
I'll start having more non-review posts for the other things I want to talk about.
This means that I will now have a post a day (including weekends!). Also, there will be multiple posts some days. Some days, I'll want to talk about the book I just read, so I'll review it in addition to my pre-scheduled review. I'll want to talk about other things to participate in the discussion or just share about my life.
For now, THESE CHANGES ARE TEMPORARY. I'll re-evaluate around New Year's.
Between Cybils reading, NaNo writing, and a slew of other things, I'm feeling much more stretched than I should. These changes are to get me through that time and if it works, we'll keep 'em or tweak 'em and if they don't, we'll dump 'em.
PLEASE! Let me know what you think. Are such changes going to totally ruin all the reasons why you read Biblio File? Or are they just going to make it more awesome?
Let me know now, and let me know as things happen.
Thanks for reading!
Also, there will be a HUGE announcement on Monday. Look for it!
I'm making a few changes in light of that.
In general, my blogging formula is
1. Write a few sentences on life, what's going on in blog world, general "hi, what's up?" type stuff
2. Review a book or two
I'll go a few days without posting because I have a ton of books to review but no time to do it. Days sometimes stretch into over a week.
I started pre-writing reviews (which coincided with a new personal policy to not return a library book before reviewing it) so that I could more quickly do a post for busy days. Sadly, adding the picture and links, adding my general "hi!" bit still took up too much time on some days.
SO! In order to cut through some of the backlog, I'm
I'll start having more non-review posts for the other things I want to talk about.
This means that I will now have a post a day (including weekends!). Also, there will be multiple posts some days. Some days, I'll want to talk about the book I just read, so I'll review it in addition to my pre-scheduled review. I'll want to talk about other things to participate in the discussion or just share about my life.
For now, THESE CHANGES ARE TEMPORARY. I'll re-evaluate around New Year's.
Between Cybils reading, NaNo writing, and a slew of other things, I'm feeling much more stretched than I should. These changes are to get me through that time and if it works, we'll keep 'em or tweak 'em and if they don't, we'll dump 'em.
PLEASE! Let me know what you think. Are such changes going to totally ruin all the reasons why you read Biblio File? Or are they just going to make it more awesome?
Let me know now, and let me know as things happen.
Thanks for reading!
Also, there will be a HUGE announcement on Monday. Look for it!
Monday, October 12, 2009
Me and the FTC
The Federal Trade Commission has ruled about bloggers receiving product for manufacturers.
This includes book blogs receiving books from publishers and authors. The FTC seems to think that books are income and bloggers need to disclose where the book came from or give the book away. Also, if the blogger includes a link to a place like Amazon, then the review is an "advertisement" for the book and that needs to be disclosed. I have a lot of problems with this new policy but I'm not going to get in them here (mainly because right now my thought process is STUPID STUPID SO STUPID! Why is my government wasting time on this?! Especially in light of this article. It makes it painfully obvious that not only does the FTC not understand the way book blogging works, he also fundamentally misunderstands how book reviewing in general works.)
UPDATE 10/20/2009 At the KidLitCon this weekend, Mary Engle, a FTC lawyer cleared some things up. Basically, as an independent reviewer, I don't need to disclose my ARCS, even if I keep them. BUT! I still will, because I always have, because I'm all about transparency and I have nothing to hide. Plus, it's then easier for you to decide how independent I really am. I *do* need to disclose my Amazon Affiliation and not just in my disclosure statement, so look for some stock text in my reviews!
This includes book blogs receiving books from publishers and authors. The FTC seems to think that books are income and bloggers need to disclose where the book came from or give the book away. Also, if the blogger includes a link to a place like Amazon, then the review is an "advertisement" for the book and that needs to be disclosed. I have a lot of problems with this new policy but I'm not going to get in them here (mainly because right now my thought process is STUPID STUPID SO STUPID! Why is my government wasting time on this?! Especially in light of this article. It makes it painfully obvious that not only does the FTC not understand the way book blogging works, he also fundamentally misunderstands how book reviewing in general works.)
UPDATE 10/20/2009 At the KidLitCon this weekend, Mary Engle, a FTC lawyer cleared some things up. Basically, as an independent reviewer, I don't need to disclose my ARCS, even if I keep them. BUT! I still will, because I always have, because I'm all about transparency and I have nothing to hide. Plus, it's then easier for you to decide how independent I really am. I *do* need to disclose my Amazon Affiliation and not just in my disclosure statement, so look for some stock text in my reviews!
So, just to keep things all above board, I'm making a few changes here at Biblio File.
Main points first:
1. If the book came from a publisher for this blog, I always disclose that, whether or not I keep the book. This is not a change in policy at all, I'm just reiterating it.
1. If the book came from a publisher for this blog, I always disclose that, whether or not I keep the book. This is not a change in policy at all, I'm just reiterating it.
2. If I have a link to Amazon, and you click on that link and purchase anything then I get a percentage of the sale. How big of a percentage depends on how many items are purchased through my blog per month. I do this because as a blog reader, I want easy access to information about the book and maybe purchasing info if the book sounds good. It's also one of the easiest ways for people who enjoy my blog to support it. It's not a huge money maker for me, (in the summer of 2009, I made enough money to buy one CD.) Sometimes, if a book is not available through Amazon, I will link to another place to buy it. Usually, it will be The Book Depository. At this point, I have no affiliation with the Book Depository, except being a very satisfied customer. One again, not a change in policy at all, just a reiteration.
Other points:
In light of the FTC ruling, I will now be disclosing where EVERY book I read/review comes from. Here are the designations:
Own Copy: This is a book I (or Dan) own. We either purchased it ourselves, acquired it through something like BookMooch, or it was given to us as a present by friends or family (who are disinterested parties as far as publishing is concerned.)
Library Copy: A book I checked out from the library.
Borrowed Copy: This is a book that I borrowed from someone that isn't the library, such as a friend.
ARC/Copy provided by_____: An ARC or finished copy of a book provided by the author or publisher or another party for the express purpose of review in this blog OR in another medium, such as LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program, which I am also a member of. If it says at my request that means I approached the sending party instead of them approaching me. (If a someone says "are you interested in any of these books" then they send me the books I request, that will not be labeled as "at my request." If an author says "I have X copies of my new book for book bloggers and I say "ooo! Me!" or if I write to a publisher and say "I would like to review X book if you have any copies available" then they'll be labled as "at my request.")
ARC/Copy provided by other: I often get ARCS or other review copies for reasons that have nothing to do with Biblio File. Usually, this involves the fact that I'm a Youth Services librarian in my day job. When I go to work conferences, sometimes publishers are there with ARCS to give to librarians. The YA Collection Development librarian in my system is very nice about lending ARCS that she gets because (a) I can't wait for the book or (b) she wants a second opinion. These things have nothing to do with this blog except for the fact I try to review everything I read, so it will appear here eventually.
Please let me know if you have any more questions, comments or ideas on how to comply with this ruling. I'm sure this will be updated at some point as we get used to it.
Written on 10/12/2009
Monday, October 05, 2009
Challenge Update
Now comes the monthly post where I list all the reading challenges I'm participating in and how I'm doing...
TBR challenge, where I make a list of 12 books (and 12 backup) and read at least 12 by the end of the year. I've done 3.2:
Octavian Nothing II, Kingdom on the Waves
Frog Princess
High Fidelity
The .2 is part of Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out
For the 1% challenge, I need to read 13 books by March 31. I've done 2:
The Wind Up Bird Chronicle
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
For the Buy Books Challenge, I need to buy and read 12 books by the end of the year.
I've purchased 39, read 12, and reviewed 7!
Turning Pages
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
Forever Princess
Frog Princess
Gold
Dead is So Last Year
Don't Judge a Girl by her Cover
Living Dead Girl
Diamond Secret
Harry Potter Should Have Died
Fables: Dark Ages
Are These My Basoomas I See Before Me?
Also, I purchased a copy of Mao's Last Revolution but I read and reviewed that last year, so does it count? Does it not? I'm going to say no, just because I've purchased so many other things...
Along the same lines, I purchased Lonely Planet: Paris but I'm not going to review that.
For the Chunkster Challenge, I have to read 6 adult books of 450+ pages by November 15, 2009. I've done 1.4
The Wind-up Bird Chronicle
That .4 is part of Atlas Shrugged and part of Life and Death are Wearing Me Out
There's the Fill in the Gaps challenge, where I came up with a list of 100 books and commit to finishing 75 of them within 5 years. 4.5 years in, I've done 7.2!
Speak
Julie of the Wolves
Whale Talk
We Have Always Lived in the Castle
The Dark is Rising
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
The Golden Compass
Once again, that .2 is Atlas Shrugged.
And then there's my own Guardian Challenge, which has me reading 10 books by February 1. I've done 3.
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (which is filed under "comedy")
The Golden Compass (which is filed under "scifi/fantasy")
The Bottle Factory Outing (which is filed under "comedy" AND is a book I had never heard of before coming across it on this list.)
There's also my goal to read at least 50 of the books I owned but hadn't read as of January 1 by next January 1. I've done 15.4
Octavian Nothing II
Crazy Lady
Frog Princess
A Girl, A Boy, and a Monster Cat
A Girl, A Boy, and Three Robbers
Glass Castle
High Fidelity
North of Beautiful
Nothing But the Truth (and a few white lies
Rapunzel's Revenge
Revolution is Not a Dinner Party
Rouge of the North
Story of Sushi
We Have Always Lived in the Castle
Whale Talk
Once again, .4 is part of Atlas Shrugged and part of Life and Death are Wearing Me Out.
Then there is me trying to finish Anita Silvey's 100 Best Books for Children, of which I had 26 left. I've read 4!
Millions of Cats
Julie of the Wolves
The Dark is Rising
Snowflake Bentley
There's the
Japanese Literature Challenge so I have to read one book of Japanese literature by January 30.
Nothing yet.
The Random Reading Challenge has me taking my TBR pile (or a segment thereof) assigning a number to each book, and then using a random number generator to pick my next book. I have to read 12 this way by July 31. I've read 2! Both were chosen from a list that had all by TBR books that were ON HAND (so books that I own, review copies, and books that were currently checked out from the library.)
A Girl, a Boy, and Three Robbers
Rouge of the North
And there is my own China Challenge. I'm going to read 12 books and do 3 China-related activities between now and September 1, 2010.
Well... there's that .2 of Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out.
New since last month are Callapidder Day's Fall Into Reading Challenge, where I make a list of books I want to read before the end of the year. I've read 2.4!
Al Capone Shines my Shoes
Snowflake Bentley
We all know what that .4 is by now, right?
And, S. Krishna's Clear off Your Shelves Challenge, which sees me reading 38 books I own by the end of November. Cross your fingers for me.
Nothing yet, but it just started on Thursday.
TBR challenge, where I make a list of 12 books (and 12 backup) and read at least 12 by the end of the year. I've done 3.2:
Octavian Nothing II, Kingdom on the Waves
Frog Princess
High Fidelity
The .2 is part of Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out
For the 1% challenge, I need to read 13 books by March 31. I've done 2:
The Wind Up Bird Chronicle
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
For the Buy Books Challenge, I need to buy and read 12 books by the end of the year.
I've purchased 39, read 12, and reviewed 7!
Turning Pages
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
Forever Princess
Frog Princess
Gold
Dead is So Last Year
Don't Judge a Girl by her Cover
Living Dead Girl
Diamond Secret
Harry Potter Should Have Died
Fables: Dark Ages
Are These My Basoomas I See Before Me?
Also, I purchased a copy of Mao's Last Revolution but I read and reviewed that last year, so does it count? Does it not? I'm going to say no, just because I've purchased so many other things...
Along the same lines, I purchased Lonely Planet: Paris but I'm not going to review that.
For the Chunkster Challenge, I have to read 6 adult books of 450+ pages by November 15, 2009. I've done 1.4
The Wind-up Bird Chronicle
That .4 is part of Atlas Shrugged and part of Life and Death are Wearing Me Out
There's the Fill in the Gaps challenge, where I came up with a list of 100 books and commit to finishing 75 of them within 5 years. 4.5 years in, I've done 7.2!
Speak
Julie of the Wolves
Whale Talk
We Have Always Lived in the Castle
The Dark is Rising
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
The Golden Compass
Once again, that .2 is Atlas Shrugged.
And then there's my own Guardian Challenge, which has me reading 10 books by February 1. I've done 3.
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (which is filed under "comedy")
The Golden Compass (which is filed under "scifi/fantasy")
The Bottle Factory Outing (which is filed under "comedy" AND is a book I had never heard of before coming across it on this list.)
There's also my goal to read at least 50 of the books I owned but hadn't read as of January 1 by next January 1. I've done 15.4
Octavian Nothing II
Crazy Lady
Frog Princess
A Girl, A Boy, and a Monster Cat
A Girl, A Boy, and Three Robbers
Glass Castle
High Fidelity
North of Beautiful
Nothing But the Truth (and a few white lies
Rapunzel's Revenge
Revolution is Not a Dinner Party
Rouge of the North
Story of Sushi
We Have Always Lived in the Castle
Whale Talk
Once again, .4 is part of Atlas Shrugged and part of Life and Death are Wearing Me Out.
Then there is me trying to finish Anita Silvey's 100 Best Books for Children, of which I had 26 left. I've read 4!
Millions of Cats
Julie of the Wolves
The Dark is Rising
Snowflake Bentley
There's the
Japanese Literature Challenge so I have to read one book of Japanese literature by January 30.
Nothing yet.
The Random Reading Challenge has me taking my TBR pile (or a segment thereof) assigning a number to each book, and then using a random number generator to pick my next book. I have to read 12 this way by July 31. I've read 2! Both were chosen from a list that had all by TBR books that were ON HAND (so books that I own, review copies, and books that were currently checked out from the library.)
A Girl, a Boy, and Three Robbers
Rouge of the North
And there is my own China Challenge. I'm going to read 12 books and do 3 China-related activities between now and September 1, 2010.
Well... there's that .2 of Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out.
New since last month are Callapidder Day's Fall Into Reading Challenge, where I make a list of books I want to read before the end of the year. I've read 2.4!
Al Capone Shines my Shoes
Snowflake Bentley
We all know what that .4 is by now, right?
And, S. Krishna's Clear off Your Shelves Challenge, which sees me reading 38 books I own by the end of November. Cross your fingers for me.
Nothing yet, but it just started on Thursday.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Before the End of the Year
Rosh Hashanah was last weekend and Yom Kippur starts tonight. School started (but not for me! Huzzah!) at the beginning of the month. With the beginning of this new year, I start thinking about what my goals are and what I want to do in the next year. I won't finalize them until the January, when the calendar year begins anew, but I start thinking in broad plans now.
Al Capone Shines my Shoes
All the Broken Pieces
The Kind of Friends We Used to Be
Peace, Locomotion
Shadowland
Wintersmith
City of Bones
Claudette Colvin: twice toward justice
The Eternal Smile
Manga Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet
Keena Ford and the Field Trip Mix-Up
Marcelo in the Real World
Piper Reed Gets a Job
The Princess Plot
Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls: Stage Fright
Senator Joe McCarthy
Graceling
Street Love
Chop Suey
Confetti Girl
Evolution of Calpurnia Tate
How to be Popular
Life as We Knew it
Locomotion
Lucy Long Ago
39 Clues: Maze of Bones
Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg
Queen of Babble
Nature of Jade
Queen of Babble in the Big City
Queen of Babble Gets Hitched
Ready or Not
The Roar
Written in Bone
Atlas Shrugged
Life and Death are Wearing me Out
The Host
Book of Lost Things
Life and Death in Shanghai
Asleep
Hardboiled and Hardluck
Ballet Shoes
Cold Comfort Farm
Brideshead Revisited
Midnight Pearls
Adoration of Jenna Fox
Anatomy of a Boyfriend
Aurelie
Ballet Family
Ballet Family Again
Cathy's Key
A Certain Chemistry
Cybele's Secret
Everyday Life
Explosions
Fire in the Blood
General Winston's Daughter
Girl From Golden Horn
Babe
Betsy-Tacy
Snow
Clockwork Orange
Possession
Oliver Twist
The Sound and the Fury
Brave New World
1 Judge Dee Mystery
To Kill a Mockingbird
The Color Purple
Mr. Grumpy's Outing
Swamp Angel
John Henry
Snowflake Bentley
Tuesday
Seven Blind Mice
Morning Girl
Stone Fox
Misty of Chincoteague
Grandfather's Journey
The Incredible Journey
Humbug Mountain
The People Could Fly
Rabbit Hill
The Great Fire
Rascal
Island of the Blue Dolphins
Cricket in Times Square
Behind the Attic Wall
Out of the Dust
Johnny Tremain
I've also been putting some more work into The Reading Challenge Clearinghouse. There's now a twitter feed, and you can become a fan on Facebook, so I hope you'll fan us and follow us and get your challenge on...
And in this gap between the two New Years, I also start thinking about what I need to do to finish up last year's goals...
So, in that vein, I've decided to sign up for 2 more reading challenges. The first is S. Krishna's Clear Off Your Shelves Challenge. I'm aiming to read 10% of my unread books between now and November 30. That's 38 books.
The next is Callapidder Days's Fall into Reading Challenge. This one involves a list. I need to make a list of the books I want to read between now and December 20. The following list, while long, is by no means complete. I have a lot of required reading on the horizon with titles that haven't been announced yet. The titles here are
1. Books I currently have checked out from the library
2. Books I am currently reading (this might be cheating. I hope not.)
3. Books from other challenges that I told myself I'd read by the end of the year.
4. Other random things.
Al Capone Shines my Shoes
All the Broken Pieces
The Kind of Friends We Used to Be
Peace, Locomotion
Shadowland
Wintersmith
City of Bones
Claudette Colvin: twice toward justice
The Eternal Smile
Manga Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet
Keena Ford and the Field Trip Mix-Up
Marcelo in the Real World
Piper Reed Gets a Job
The Princess Plot
Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls: Stage Fright
Senator Joe McCarthy
Graceling
Street Love
Chop Suey
Confetti Girl
Evolution of Calpurnia Tate
How to be Popular
Life as We Knew it
Locomotion
Lucy Long Ago
39 Clues: Maze of Bones
Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg
Queen of Babble
Nature of Jade
Queen of Babble in the Big City
Queen of Babble Gets Hitched
Ready or Not
The Roar
Written in Bone
Atlas Shrugged
Life and Death are Wearing me Out
The Host
Book of Lost Things
Life and Death in Shanghai
Asleep
Hardboiled and Hardluck
Ballet Shoes
Cold Comfort Farm
Brideshead Revisited
Midnight Pearls
Adoration of Jenna Fox
Anatomy of a Boyfriend
Aurelie
Ballet Family
Ballet Family Again
Cathy's Key
A Certain Chemistry
Cybele's Secret
Everyday Life
Explosions
Fire in the Blood
General Winston's Daughter
Girl From Golden Horn
Babe
Betsy-Tacy
Snow
Clockwork Orange
Possession
Oliver Twist
The Sound and the Fury
Brave New World
1 Judge Dee Mystery
To Kill a Mockingbird
The Color Purple
Mr. Grumpy's Outing
Swamp Angel
John Henry
Snowflake Bentley
Tuesday
Seven Blind Mice
Morning Girl
Stone Fox
Misty of Chincoteague
Grandfather's Journey
The Incredible Journey
Humbug Mountain
The People Could Fly
Rabbit Hill
The Great Fire
Rascal
Island of the Blue Dolphins
Cricket in Times Square
Behind the Attic Wall
Out of the Dust
Johnny Tremain
I've also been putting some more work into The Reading Challenge Clearinghouse. There's now a twitter feed, and you can become a fan on Facebook, so I hope you'll fan us and follow us and get your challenge on...
Thursday, September 03, 2009
Atlas Shrugged
So, in my Challenge Update post, I mentioned I'm reading Atlas Shrugged.
Essentially, on Sunday, Dan dared me to do it. He said that if I read it and talked about it with him, he'd take me to one of my favorite restaurants. I think he was pretty surprised that I agreed right away!
You can follow our adventures as the aptly titled Dan and Jennie's Randian Adventure.
Essentially, on Sunday, Dan dared me to do it. He said that if I read it and talked about it with him, he'd take me to one of my favorite restaurants. I think he was pretty surprised that I agreed right away!
You can follow our adventures as the aptly titled Dan and Jennie's Randian Adventure.
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
Challenge Update...
Now comes the monthly post where I list all the reading challenges I'm participating in and how I'm doing...
TBR challenge, where I make a list of 12 books (and 12 backup) and read at least 12 by the end of the year. I've done 3:
Octavian Nothing II, Kingdom on the Waves
Frog Princess
High Fidelity
For the 1% challenge, I need to read 13 books by March 31. I've done 1:
The Wind Up Bird Chronicle
For the Buy Books Challenge, I need to buy and read 12 books by the end of the year.
I've purchased 34, read 11, and reviewed 7!
Turning Pages
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
Forever Princess
Frog Princess
Gold
Dead is So Last Year
Don't Judge a Girl by her Cover
Living Dead Girl
Diamond Secret
Harry Potter Should Have Died
Fables: Dark Ages
Also, I purchased a copy of Mao's Last Revolution but I read and reviewed that last year, so does it count? Does it not? I'm going to say no, just because I've purchased so many other things...
For the Chunkster Challenge, I have to read 6 adult books of 450+ pages by November 15, 2009. I've done 1.1
The Wind-up Bird Chronicle
That .1 is Atlas Shrugged which is something you'll hear more about soon. It's a thing.
There's the Fill in the Gaps challenge, where I came up with a list of 100 books and commit to finishing 75 of them within 5 years. 4.5 years in, I've done 5.1!
Speak
Julie of the Wolves
Whale Talk
We Have Always Lived in the Castle
The Dark is Rising
Once again, that .1 is Atlas Shrugged.
And then there's my own Guardian Challenge, which has me reading 10 books by February 1.
Nada. I kinda suck.
There's also my goal to read at least 50 of the books I owned but hadn't read as of January 1 by next January 1. I've done 15.1
Octavian Nothing II
Crazy Lady
Frog Princess
A Girl, A Boy, and a Monster Cat
A Girl, A Boy, and Three Robbers
Glass Castle
High Fidelity
North of Beautiful
Nothing But the Truth (and a few white lies
Rapunzel's Revenge
Revolution is Not a Dinner Party
Rouge of the North
Story of Sushi
We Have Always Lived in the Castle
Whale Talk
Once again, .1 is Atlas Shrugged.
Then there is me trying to finish Anita Silvey's 100 Best Books for Children, of which I had 26 left. I've read 3!
Millions of Cats
Julie of the Wolves
The Dark is Rising
Now, since last month, I've joined the
Japanese Literature Challenge so I have to read one book of Japanese literature by January 30.
Nothing yet.
The Random Reading Challenge has me taking my TBR pile (or a segment thereof) assigning a number to each book, and then using a random number generator to pick my next book. I have to read 12 this way by July 31. I've read 2! Both were chosen from a list that had all by TBR books that were ON HAND (so books that I own, review copies, and books that were currently checked out from the library.)
A Girl, a Boy, and Three Robbers
Rouge of the North
And, last but not least, there is my own China Challenge. I'm going to read 12 books and do 3 China-related activities between now and September 1, 2010.
So far, nothing, but the challenge has only been going for 2 days!
TBR challenge, where I make a list of 12 books (and 12 backup) and read at least 12 by the end of the year. I've done 3:
Octavian Nothing II, Kingdom on the Waves
Frog Princess
High Fidelity
For the 1% challenge, I need to read 13 books by March 31. I've done 1:
The Wind Up Bird Chronicle
For the Buy Books Challenge, I need to buy and read 12 books by the end of the year.
I've purchased 34, read 11, and reviewed 7!
Turning Pages
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
Forever Princess
Frog Princess
Gold
Dead is So Last Year
Don't Judge a Girl by her Cover
Living Dead Girl
Diamond Secret
Harry Potter Should Have Died
Fables: Dark Ages
Also, I purchased a copy of Mao's Last Revolution but I read and reviewed that last year, so does it count? Does it not? I'm going to say no, just because I've purchased so many other things...
For the Chunkster Challenge, I have to read 6 adult books of 450+ pages by November 15, 2009. I've done 1.1
The Wind-up Bird Chronicle
That .1 is Atlas Shrugged which is something you'll hear more about soon. It's a thing.
There's the Fill in the Gaps challenge, where I came up with a list of 100 books and commit to finishing 75 of them within 5 years. 4.5 years in, I've done 5.1!
Speak
Julie of the Wolves
Whale Talk
We Have Always Lived in the Castle
The Dark is Rising
Once again, that .1 is Atlas Shrugged.
And then there's my own Guardian Challenge, which has me reading 10 books by February 1.
Nada. I kinda suck.
There's also my goal to read at least 50 of the books I owned but hadn't read as of January 1 by next January 1. I've done 15.1
Octavian Nothing II
Crazy Lady
Frog Princess
A Girl, A Boy, and a Monster Cat
A Girl, A Boy, and Three Robbers
Glass Castle
High Fidelity
North of Beautiful
Nothing But the Truth (and a few white lies
Rapunzel's Revenge
Revolution is Not a Dinner Party
Rouge of the North
Story of Sushi
We Have Always Lived in the Castle
Whale Talk
Once again, .1 is Atlas Shrugged.
Then there is me trying to finish Anita Silvey's 100 Best Books for Children, of which I had 26 left. I've read 3!
Millions of Cats
Julie of the Wolves
The Dark is Rising
Now, since last month, I've joined the
Japanese Literature Challenge so I have to read one book of Japanese literature by January 30.
Nothing yet.
The Random Reading Challenge has me taking my TBR pile (or a segment thereof) assigning a number to each book, and then using a random number generator to pick my next book. I have to read 12 this way by July 31. I've read 2! Both were chosen from a list that had all by TBR books that were ON HAND (so books that I own, review copies, and books that were currently checked out from the library.)
A Girl, a Boy, and Three Robbers
Rouge of the North
And, last but not least, there is my own China Challenge. I'm going to read 12 books and do 3 China-related activities between now and September 1, 2010.
So far, nothing, but the challenge has only been going for 2 days!
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Ha! I found it!
Back in February I asked for help identifying I note that I wrote to myself about a "fairy challenge."
Through my trollings of the internet for the work I've been doing on the Reading Challenge Clearinghouse (go check it out if you haven't recently!) I found A Fairy Tale Challenge, which is challenging us to read all of Andrew Lang's color fairy books (luckily, no end date on this one!) and sure enough, there I was in the comments, signing up! Wahoo!
Anyway, so, I am waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay behind on book reviewing. I currently have 68 unreviewed books. BUT! I have reviews written for 31 of these! My thought was I would pre-write the reviews and then save them for a rainy day. BUT, rainy days come and go and don't use my stockpile.
So, I'm just going to start posting them. Expect a lot of book reviews today. You've been warned.
Through my trollings of the internet for the work I've been doing on the Reading Challenge Clearinghouse (go check it out if you haven't recently!) I found A Fairy Tale Challenge, which is challenging us to read all of Andrew Lang's color fairy books (luckily, no end date on this one!) and sure enough, there I was in the comments, signing up! Wahoo!
Anyway, so, I am waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay behind on book reviewing. I currently have 68 unreviewed books. BUT! I have reviews written for 31 of these! My thought was I would pre-write the reviews and then save them for a rainy day. BUT, rainy days come and go and don't use my stockpile.
So, I'm just going to start posting them. Expect a lot of book reviews today. You've been warned.
Friday, July 17, 2009
In which I admit I'm a corporate shill
Well, in light of Monday's post over at MotherReader, I updated my FAQ and am posting here to make something clear.
I am an Amazon Associate. That means, almost all of my links to books or CDs or other things are linked to Amazon.com. If you click on that link and then buy something (you can buy anything! it doesn't have to be what I linked to!) I get a percentage of the sale.
What percentage I get is based on how many items are purchased every month.
I do this because I like to buy books and movies and music, but I can't buy all that I want, because I also have to pay the mortgage, and starting last month, all my student loans from grad school. Not to mention that my belly demands food on a regular basis.
I don't make a lot of money off this blog, but being an associate allows me to make a little, which allows me to buy a few more books or download a few more songs, which gives me more to review here.
So, I just wanted to be upfront. If you click on a link and buy something, I get a little something in return.
Also, if you like the blog and are looking for a way to support it, next time you make a purchase, please think of clicking through via me. One of my favorite ways to support blogs I like is to use their associate links. That way, I get something I was going to get anyway, and they get a little something in return.
I am an Amazon Associate. That means, almost all of my links to books or CDs or other things are linked to Amazon.com. If you click on that link and then buy something (you can buy anything! it doesn't have to be what I linked to!) I get a percentage of the sale.
What percentage I get is based on how many items are purchased every month.
I do this because I like to buy books and movies and music, but I can't buy all that I want, because I also have to pay the mortgage, and starting last month, all my student loans from grad school. Not to mention that my belly demands food on a regular basis.
I don't make a lot of money off this blog, but being an associate allows me to make a little, which allows me to buy a few more books or download a few more songs, which gives me more to review here.
So, I just wanted to be upfront. If you click on a link and buy something, I get a little something in return.
Also, if you like the blog and are looking for a way to support it, next time you make a purchase, please think of clicking through via me. One of my favorite ways to support blogs I like is to use their associate links. That way, I get something I was going to get anyway, and they get a little something in return.
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
YAY!
Ok, My friend Jerry has been bugging me FOREVER to get my own domain name.
Someone is squatting in bibliofile.com, but it's time to start redirecting your feeds to...
www.jenrothschild.com
That's my name! Don't wear it out. :)
Someone is squatting in bibliofile.com, but it's time to start redirecting your feeds to...
www.jenrothschild.com
That's my name! Don't wear it out. :)
Saturday, May 16, 2009
I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack
I'd like to thank my readers for bearing with my blog hiatus as I went a-conferencing and would like to thank everyone who came out to MLA and came to my presentation on What's New in Young Adult Literature! (I talked about 175 books in the course of an hour. It was awesome.)
I had a great time and am now back home.
Tomorrow, I am hoping to finally get my challenge updates posted, as well as the winners of the England Prize draw for the Guardian Book Challenge. In the meantime, here are some book reviews! Huzzah! These are coming from my massive file of pre-written reviews.
The Explosionist Jenny Davidson
This really is just as good as everyone says it is.
Set in Scotland in an alternate 1930s, where Napoleon won Waterloo, the Hanseatic League still exists, and spiritualism is real and you can talk to ghosts through radio waves, Davidson weaves an excellent story of terrorism, murder, and political intrigue.
Sophie and her friend Mikael are investigating the mysterious murder of a famous medium when they realize the plot goes much, much deeper than they ever imagined and has ties to the highest levels of government. There's obviously a lot more to it, but the less I give away, the better.
The story is gripping and fraught with tension. The IRLYNS subplot is creepy, but in a way that's almost believable. (And when I say "almost" I don't mean that I didn't fully buy it, I mean, that I could pretty much believe that the IRLYNS subplot could be actually happening right now in our own world.)
Sophie's world is some much almost like ours, but not quite... there has to be a sequel coming, right? While the book ended in exactly the right place, there is so much left unanswered that I need more!
Guardian Julius Lester
Lester has a way of punching you in the gut with his books. Think Day of Tears and The Old African, not so much Cupid.
It's the Deep South, 1946. Zeph Davis is a psychopath that no one questions because his family owns the town. The preacher's daughter has become suddenly beautiful. Ansel (white) and Willie (black) have a friendship despite their racial differences, though always marred by the status differences between them because of their skin. This summer, they're learning to dream.
You know it will end in a lynching of an innocent man.
It's really Ansel's story. This lynching will be seen through the eyes of a young white boy.
The prose is spare, the chapters short, and the story only takes up 119 pages, a novella almost, really. The minimalist approach provides the greatest impact. He could have given us more, but by holding back, he gives his story more power and resonance.
After finishing, I had to curl up in a ball and not talk to anyone for awhile. After writing this review, I want to do the same.
I had a great time and am now back home.
Tomorrow, I am hoping to finally get my challenge updates posted, as well as the winners of the England Prize draw for the Guardian Book Challenge. In the meantime, here are some book reviews! Huzzah! These are coming from my massive file of pre-written reviews.
This really is just as good as everyone says it is.
Set in Scotland in an alternate 1930s, where Napoleon won Waterloo, the Hanseatic League still exists, and spiritualism is real and you can talk to ghosts through radio waves, Davidson weaves an excellent story of terrorism, murder, and political intrigue.
Sophie and her friend Mikael are investigating the mysterious murder of a famous medium when they realize the plot goes much, much deeper than they ever imagined and has ties to the highest levels of government. There's obviously a lot more to it, but the less I give away, the better.
The story is gripping and fraught with tension. The IRLYNS subplot is creepy, but in a way that's almost believable. (And when I say "almost" I don't mean that I didn't fully buy it, I mean, that I could pretty much believe that the IRLYNS subplot could be actually happening right now in our own world.)
Sophie's world is some much almost like ours, but not quite... there has to be a sequel coming, right? While the book ended in exactly the right place, there is so much left unanswered that I need more!
Lester has a way of punching you in the gut with his books. Think Day of Tears and The Old African, not so much Cupid.
It's the Deep South, 1946. Zeph Davis is a psychopath that no one questions because his family owns the town. The preacher's daughter has become suddenly beautiful. Ansel (white) and Willie (black) have a friendship despite their racial differences, though always marred by the status differences between them because of their skin. This summer, they're learning to dream.
You know it will end in a lynching of an innocent man.
It's really Ansel's story. This lynching will be seen through the eyes of a young white boy.
The prose is spare, the chapters short, and the story only takes up 119 pages, a novella almost, really. The minimalist approach provides the greatest impact. He could have given us more, but by holding back, he gives his story more power and resonance.
After finishing, I had to curl up in a ball and not talk to anyone for awhile. After writing this review, I want to do the same.
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Challenges Updates
Well, I've entered myself into 85 bajillion reading challenges this year. How am I doing so far?
Banned Books Challenge--Read 10 by June 30 (nothing so far)
The 1% Well Read Challenge--13 books by December 31 (nothing so far)
Becky's Do Re Mi Challenge--do 4 things off a list by May 17 (I've done 2!)
The TBR Challenge--read 12 books off your TBR list by December 31 (I've done 1!)
The Buy Books Challenge--buy, read, and review 12 books by December 31 (I've purchased 7, read 3, reviewed 1)
The Chunkster Challenge--read 6 adult books over 450 pages by November 15 (1 done!)
The Guardian Challenge--read 10 books by February 1 (none so far, which is sad, because I'm hosting this!)
And, how am I doing on the List O' Doom? 6 out of 50, with a bunch that will be read in the next 1.5 months.
And all of Silvey's 100 best that I hadn't read yet? 1 out of 26
And, I may not be doing great on challenge reading, but I have read 74 books so far this year.
Banned Books Challenge--Read 10 by June 30 (nothing so far)
The 1% Well Read Challenge--13 books by December 31 (nothing so far)
Becky's Do Re Mi Challenge--do 4 things off a list by May 17 (I've done 2!)
The TBR Challenge--read 12 books off your TBR list by December 31 (I've done 1!)
The Buy Books Challenge--buy, read, and review 12 books by December 31 (I've purchased 7, read 3, reviewed 1)
The Chunkster Challenge--read 6 adult books over 450 pages by November 15 (1 done!)
The Guardian Challenge--read 10 books by February 1 (none so far, which is sad, because I'm hosting this!)
And, how am I doing on the List O' Doom? 6 out of 50, with a bunch that will be read in the next 1.5 months.
And all of Silvey's 100 best that I hadn't read yet? 1 out of 26
And, I may not be doing great on challenge reading, but I have read 74 books so far this year.
Sunday, March 01, 2009
Challenge Update...
So, here's a little update in how I'm doing on all my reading challenges, including ones I've just signed up for.
The new ones:
Banned Books Challenge-- I will read 10 banned books by June 30.
The 1% Well-Read Challenge-- I will read 10 books off the 1001 Books to Read Before you Die list by December 31
Becky's Do Re Mi Challenge-- A little complicated, but lots of music-y stuff by May 17
Challenges that I'm currently working on:
TBR Challenge-- I've read 1 book so far (out of 12)
Buy Books Challenge-- I've bought 6 or so, but I've only read 1 and haven't reviewed any yet.
Chunkster Challenge-- I've read 1 out of 6.
Guardian Challenge-- I've read 0 out of 10.
And let's see how we're doing on the List O'Doom... 5 out of 50. Hmmm
Well, I'm off to get back to the books! I have more than enough to read, and we're in for some big snow tonight and tomorrow... time to make some hot chocolate, I think.
The new ones:
Banned Books Challenge-- I will read 10 banned books by June 30.
The 1% Well-Read Challenge-- I will read 10 books off the 1001 Books to Read Before you Die list by December 31
Becky's Do Re Mi Challenge-- A little complicated, but lots of music-y stuff by May 17
Challenges that I'm currently working on:
TBR Challenge-- I've read 1 book so far (out of 12)
Buy Books Challenge-- I've bought 6 or so, but I've only read 1 and haven't reviewed any yet.
Chunkster Challenge-- I've read 1 out of 6.
Guardian Challenge-- I've read 0 out of 10.
And let's see how we're doing on the List O'Doom... 5 out of 50. Hmmm
Well, I'm off to get back to the books! I have more than enough to read, and we're in for some big snow tonight and tomorrow... time to make some hot chocolate, I think.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Challenge Me!
Well, the New Classics Challenge is coming to an end, and I'm sprinting all the way (I'll post more about this later today, with a book review and hopefully tomorrow, sprinting across the finish line)
The Guardian 1000 Novels Challenge (which I'm hosting! Sign up!) starts on Sunday.
And I'm playing along with My Friend Amy's Buy Books Challenge.
Challenges are silly and fun. I like to think that reading is a competitive sport, and now that school is done, why not join some more?
So I think I will.
I now declare my intent to join the TBR Challenge, in which I have to read 12 books. I think this will help me in my goal to read 50 books off the List Of Doom. Here are 12 (with 12 alternates) I hope to read off that list. Hopefully, I'll read all 24, plus a few more!
1. The Adoration of Jenna Fox Mary E. Pearson
2. Anatomy of a Boyfriend Daria Snadowsky
3. Asleep Banana Yoshimoto
4. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves (The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation) M.T. Anderson
5. Aurelie: A Faerie Tale Heather Tomlinson
6. The Ballet Family Jean (Mabel Esther Allen) Estoril
7. Ballet Family Again Jean Estoril
8. Ballet Shoes Noel Streatfeild
9. The Book of Lost Things: A Novel John Connolly
10. Brideshead Revisited Evelyn Waugh
11. Cathy's Key: If Found 650-266-8202 Sean Stewart
12. A Certain Chemistry: A Novel Mil Millington
Alternates:
1. Cold Comfort Farm: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition) (Penguin Classics Deluxe Editio)Stella Gibbons
2. Cybele's Secret Juliet Marillier
3. Everyday Life Lydie Salvayre
4. Explosions and Other Stories Mo Yan
5. Fire in the Blood Irene Nemirovsky
6. The Frog Princess (Tales of the Frog Princess) E.D. Baker
7. General Winston's DaughterSharon Shinn
8. The Girl from the Golden Horn Kurban Said
9. Hardboiled and Hard Luck Banana Yoshimoto
10. High Fidelity Nick Hornby
11. Life and Death are Wearing Me Out: A Novel Mo Yan
Life and Death in Shanghai Nien Cheng
12. Midnight Pearls Debbie Viguié
I also want to join The Chunkster Challenge. I'm doing the Mor-book-ly Obese level, which makes me read 6 or more adult books with more than 450 pages.
I don't mind the stipulation for adult literature. I'm not supposed to complain, but I am. I don't like the reasoning behind the adult stipulation. "Don't complain folks, I read all thousands of pages of the Twilight series and they were good, but not a challenge. A chunkster should be a challenge. "
Sure, Twilight isn't a challenge, but that doesn't mean non-adult chunkster literature isn't (Book Thief) or that all adult chunkster literature is (Redeeming Love). Grrrrrrrrrr.
But those are my reading challenges this year (so far). We'll see how I do.
The Guardian 1000 Novels Challenge (which I'm hosting! Sign up!) starts on Sunday.And I'm playing along with My Friend Amy's Buy Books Challenge.
Challenges are silly and fun. I like to think that reading is a competitive sport, and now that school is done, why not join some more?
So I think I will.
I now declare my intent to join the TBR Challenge, in which I have to read 12 books. I think this will help me in my goal to read 50 books off the List Of Doom. Here are 12 (with 12 alternates) I hope to read off that list. Hopefully, I'll read all 24, plus a few more!1. The Adoration of Jenna Fox Mary E. Pearson
2. Anatomy of a Boyfriend Daria Snadowsky
3. Asleep Banana Yoshimoto
4. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves (The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation) M.T. Anderson
5. Aurelie: A Faerie Tale Heather Tomlinson
6. The Ballet Family Jean (Mabel Esther Allen) Estoril
7. Ballet Family Again Jean Estoril
8. Ballet Shoes Noel Streatfeild
9. The Book of Lost Things: A Novel John Connolly
10. Brideshead Revisited Evelyn Waugh
11. Cathy's Key: If Found 650-266-8202 Sean Stewart
12. A Certain Chemistry: A Novel Mil Millington
Alternates:
1. Cold Comfort Farm: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition) (Penguin Classics Deluxe Editio)Stella Gibbons
2. Cybele's Secret Juliet Marillier
3. Everyday Life Lydie Salvayre
4. Explosions and Other Stories Mo Yan
5. Fire in the Blood Irene Nemirovsky
6. The Frog Princess (Tales of the Frog Princess) E.D. Baker
7. General Winston's DaughterSharon Shinn
8. The Girl from the Golden Horn Kurban Said
9. Hardboiled and Hard Luck Banana Yoshimoto
10. High Fidelity Nick Hornby
11. Life and Death are Wearing Me Out: A Novel Mo Yan
Life and Death in Shanghai Nien Cheng
12. Midnight Pearls Debbie Viguié
I also want to join The Chunkster Challenge. I'm doing the Mor-book-ly Obese level, which makes me read 6 or more adult books with more than 450 pages.I don't mind the stipulation for adult literature. I'm not supposed to complain, but I am. I don't like the reasoning behind the adult stipulation. "Don't complain folks, I read all thousands of pages of the Twilight series and they were good, but not a challenge. A chunkster should be a challenge. "
Sure, Twilight isn't a challenge, but that doesn't mean non-adult chunkster literature isn't (Book Thief) or that all adult chunkster literature is (Redeeming Love). Grrrrrrrrrr.
But those are my reading challenges this year (so far). We'll see how I do.
Monday, January 05, 2009
Housekeeping and Challenges
I have 3 reading goals this month.
1. I totally forgot about the New Classics Challenge. It ends on the 31st and I haven't done any reading for it. I've been debating just failing on it, but 4 of my unread classics are also on the scary list of doom, so I'm going to at least try. This means I am trying to read and review the following books by the end of the month:
1. Wind up Bird Chronicle
2. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down
3. Possession
4. Glass Castle
5. Bonfire of the Vanities
6. High Fidelity
2. I have to read all the MG/YA Non-fiction Cybils finalists. I have a stack already! (Technically, this isn't due at the end of the month, but we have to pick a winner by the 14th of February, so I want to have most, if not all read by the end of the month, so I have 2 weeks to ponder and discuss)
3. One of my goals this year is to have no more than 5 pleasure reading books checked out at a time. I won't tell you how many I have checked out right now, but let's just say it is WAY more than 5. I will give myself to the end of the month to read as many as possible. After that, all but 5 are going back to the library. (Ok, this goes until February 4th though, because I have the first few days of the month off and won't be at the library until the 4th to return my books. Ha!)
And... I've joined another challenge. This is an easy challenge.
My Friend Amy is challenging people to buy 1 book a month and read it. 3 books can be ones you've already owned. This is something that was going to happen anyway, so it's not really a "challenge" but it will be fun! You should join, too.
1. I totally forgot about the New Classics Challenge. It ends on the 31st and I haven't done any reading for it. I've been debating just failing on it, but 4 of my unread classics are also on the scary list of doom, so I'm going to at least try. This means I am trying to read and review the following books by the end of the month:
1. Wind up Bird Chronicle
2. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down
3. Possession
4. Glass Castle
5. Bonfire of the Vanities
6. High Fidelity
2. I have to read all the MG/YA Non-fiction Cybils finalists. I have a stack already! (Technically, this isn't due at the end of the month, but we have to pick a winner by the 14th of February, so I want to have most, if not all read by the end of the month, so I have 2 weeks to ponder and discuss)
3. One of my goals this year is to have no more than 5 pleasure reading books checked out at a time. I won't tell you how many I have checked out right now, but let's just say it is WAY more than 5. I will give myself to the end of the month to read as many as possible. After that, all but 5 are going back to the library. (Ok, this goes until February 4th though, because I have the first few days of the month off and won't be at the library until the 4th to return my books. Ha!)
And... I've joined another challenge. This is an easy challenge.
My Friend Amy is challenging people to buy 1 book a month and read it. 3 books can be ones you've already owned. This is something that was going to happen anyway, so it's not really a "challenge" but it will be fun! You should join, too.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
The Year in Review
I'm pretty sure I'm not going to finish the book I'm currently reading (The Sushi Economy: Globalization and the Making of a Modern Delicacy) by midnight (but, well, you never know) so
here are this year's stats, and looking at last year's resolutions and how I did:
Last year's resolutions?
1. Blog at least 5 books a week for a total of 260, or to keep up with my reading habits. FAIL! I blogged 221
2. Read at least 20 nonfiction books. CHECK! I read 32
3. Read at least 50 books from the scary list. (See, this might be a little hard to pull off. We'll see.) FAIL! I read 16
4. Set a silly reading challenge every month. Started to do this, then FAIL!
5. Never have more than 5 pleasure reading materials checked out from the library at a time. I was pretty good at this until I checked out a bunch for the 48 reading challenge and went crazy again. FAIL!
6. Finish reading the rest of Silvey's top 100. FAIL!
Ah well. Here are this year's goals:
1. Blog at least 5 books a week for 260 total, or to keep up with reading habits, whichever is less.
2. Read at least 20 nonfiction books
3. Read at least 50 books from this year's scary list.
4. Never have more than 5 pleasure reading materials checked out from the library at a time.
5. Finish read the rest of Silvey's top 100. (This is only 26 books, 7 of which are picture books. I can do this! Listening totally counts.)
6. Never be more than a year behind on reviewing. I will catch up with 2006 books by the end of January
Anyway, this year's stats...
I read a whopping 251 books (up from last year's 219)
June was the busiest month for me, reading 49 thanks to 2 different read-a-thons and no school. School killed November and December, which were my slowest months with 7 each. (Ok, November was more NaNo than school.)
74 were children's books (based on where my library puts things), down from last year's 82
140 were YA, WAY UP from last year's 80
36 were adult, down from last year's 57
32 nonfiction, about the same as last year's 33
10 were under 100 pages (usually they don't "count" if they're under 100 unless I decide otherwise based on my gut feeling. Or if I'm spending a lot of time with it, such as reviewing or a Cybils book)
17 were graphic novels, down from last year's 32
6 were re-reads, about the same as last year's 8
All in all, a good year in books. Here are some of my favorites:
Favorite new-to-me authors:
Elizabeth Scott
Lenore Look
Meg Cabot
Favorite guilty pleasure series:
The Specialists Shannon Greenland
Twilight Stephenie Meyer
Favorite Fairy Tales with new Twists:
Sunlight and Shadow Cameron Dokey
Fables Vol. 10: The Good PrinceBill Willingham
The Storyteller's Daughter Cameron Dokey
The Night Dance Suzanne Weyn
The Swan Maiden Heather Tomlinson
Book of a Thousand Days Shannon Hale
Favorite Nonfiction
The Last Days of Old Beijing: Life in the Vanishing Backstreets of a City Transformed Michael Meyer
The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food Jennifer 8. Lee
Ten Thousand Miles Without a Cloud Shuyun Sun
Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood Ibtisam Barakat
Inside the Red Mansion: On the Trail of China's Most Wanted Man Oliver August
Favorite Children's Books
Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Writing Thank-you Notes Peggy Gifford
Favorite YA Books
Paper Towns John Green
Ten Cents a Dance Christine Fletcher
Audrey, Wait! Robin Benway
Girl Overboard Justina Chen Headley
Good Enough Paula Yoo
She's So Money Cherry Cheva
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian Sherman Alexie
Freak Show James St. James
Before I Die Jenny Downham
Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale Holly Black
Kimmie66 Aaron Alexovitch
Favorite Adult Books
Mister Pip Lloyd Jones
The Bastard of Istanbul Elif Shafak
Favorite Authors that aren't new to me, but reinforced why I love them
Jaclyn Moriarty
Narinder Dhami
AND! MY FAVORITE BOOKS OF 2008!
The Storyteller's Daughter Cameron Dokey
The Last Days of Old Beijing: Life in the Vanishing Backstreets of a City Transformed Michael Meyer
The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food Jennifer 8. Lee
Ten Cents a Dance Christine Fletcher
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian Sherman Alexie
Mister Pip Lloyd Jones
Airhead Meg Cabot
Spell Book Of Listen Taylor Jaclyn Moriarty
here are this year's stats, and looking at last year's resolutions and how I did:
Last year's resolutions?
1. Blog at least 5 books a week for a total of 260, or to keep up with my reading habits. FAIL! I blogged 221
2. Read at least 20 nonfiction books. CHECK! I read 32
3. Read at least 50 books from the scary list. (See, this might be a little hard to pull off. We'll see.) FAIL! I read 16
4. Set a silly reading challenge every month. Started to do this, then FAIL!
5. Never have more than 5 pleasure reading materials checked out from the library at a time. I was pretty good at this until I checked out a bunch for the 48 reading challenge and went crazy again. FAIL!
6. Finish reading the rest of Silvey's top 100. FAIL!
Ah well. Here are this year's goals:
1. Blog at least 5 books a week for 260 total, or to keep up with reading habits, whichever is less.
2. Read at least 20 nonfiction books
3. Read at least 50 books from this year's scary list.
4. Never have more than 5 pleasure reading materials checked out from the library at a time.
5. Finish read the rest of Silvey's top 100. (This is only 26 books, 7 of which are picture books. I can do this! Listening totally counts.)
6. Never be more than a year behind on reviewing. I will catch up with 2006 books by the end of January
Anyway, this year's stats...
I read a whopping 251 books (up from last year's 219)
June was the busiest month for me, reading 49 thanks to 2 different read-a-thons and no school. School killed November and December, which were my slowest months with 7 each. (Ok, November was more NaNo than school.)
74 were children's books (based on where my library puts things), down from last year's 82
140 were YA, WAY UP from last year's 80
36 were adult, down from last year's 57
32 nonfiction, about the same as last year's 33
10 were under 100 pages (usually they don't "count" if they're under 100 unless I decide otherwise based on my gut feeling. Or if I'm spending a lot of time with it, such as reviewing or a Cybils book)
17 were graphic novels, down from last year's 32
6 were re-reads, about the same as last year's 8
All in all, a good year in books. Here are some of my favorites:
Favorite new-to-me authors:
Elizabeth Scott
Lenore Look
Meg Cabot
Favorite guilty pleasure series:
The Specialists Shannon Greenland
Twilight Stephenie Meyer
Favorite Fairy Tales with new Twists:
Sunlight and Shadow Cameron Dokey
Fables Vol. 10: The Good PrinceBill Willingham
The Storyteller's Daughter Cameron Dokey
The Night Dance Suzanne Weyn
The Swan Maiden Heather Tomlinson
Book of a Thousand Days Shannon Hale
Favorite Nonfiction
The Last Days of Old Beijing: Life in the Vanishing Backstreets of a City Transformed Michael Meyer
The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food Jennifer 8. Lee
Ten Thousand Miles Without a Cloud Shuyun Sun
Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood Ibtisam Barakat
Inside the Red Mansion: On the Trail of China's Most Wanted Man Oliver August
Favorite Children's Books
Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Writing Thank-you Notes Peggy Gifford
Favorite YA Books
Paper Towns John Green
Ten Cents a Dance Christine Fletcher
Audrey, Wait! Robin Benway
Girl Overboard Justina Chen Headley
Good Enough Paula Yoo
She's So Money Cherry Cheva
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian Sherman Alexie
Freak Show James St. James
Before I Die Jenny Downham
Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale Holly Black
Kimmie66 Aaron Alexovitch
Favorite Adult Books
Mister Pip Lloyd Jones
The Bastard of Istanbul Elif Shafak
Favorite Authors that aren't new to me, but reinforced why I love them
Jaclyn Moriarty
Narinder Dhami
AND! MY FAVORITE BOOKS OF 2008!
The Storyteller's Daughter Cameron Dokey
The Last Days of Old Beijing: Life in the Vanishing Backstreets of a City Transformed Michael Meyer
The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food Jennifer 8. Lee
Ten Cents a Dance Christine Fletcher
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian Sherman Alexie
Mister Pip Lloyd Jones
Airhead Meg Cabot
Spell Book Of Listen Taylor Jaclyn Moriarty
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Announcements pt 1: Cybils
So, first up, it's Cybils time! For those who have been living under a kid lit rock, the Cybils is an award given to books in a whopping 9 categories. Anyone can nominate a title (yes, that means YOU) starting on October1st, and judges are made up of kidlit bloggers, because we can't all be librarians, publishers, and booksellers. Even though some of us are both.
So, go to the blog and start thinking about your nominations! It's going to be an awesome fall!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
ACK!
Ok guys, I'm trying out some new things with my RSS feed, and somehow my feed got mixed in with another blogger blog with almost the same address. I hope I fixed it and I really apologize to Chinese Novel if I messed things up on their end.
Factoid of the day: Tushuguan is Chinese for library!
Anyway, let me know about wacky feed issues on my end.
Factoid of the day: Tushuguan is Chinese for library!
Anyway, let me know about wacky feed issues on my end.
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