The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion

kiki wrote: "Patricia wrote: "I'm reading Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood for the cat task."

i loved this book. atwood is top of the line, IMHO! :)

"she

kiki wrote: "Bridgit wrote: "Just finished Shutter Island and Enchantress of Florence. Now starting Sure Fire by Jack Higgins"

how was Enchantress of Florence? it's on my TBR shelf, looking forw..."

It was beautifully written, but I think I just may not be smart enough to get that book. I couldn't follow what was happening to who and when for the life of me. It was my first Rushdie, so I imagine you need to get used to his style a bit, but I am afraid it was a bit over my head. It was my book club's selection for this month, so I am hoping the other members had better luck so that they can explain to me what actually happened.

That said, the actual writing was fascinating to read. Rushdie certainly deserves all the awards he has earned, but I am not sure that I will be reading any others of his for a few more years.

Don't let me talk you out of it though. Would love to discuss it with someone else who read it!

kiki wrote: "Patricia wrote: "I'm reading Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood for the cat task."

i loved this book. atwood is top of the line, IMHO! :)

"

I agree Margaret atwood is a amazing .I had a a chance to read read the Blind Assassin a couple years ago.Your comment remember me that I have another one one of my shelves Oryx and Crake that i haven

Just finished Julie and Julia My Year of Cooking Dangerously.
Now I'm almost halfway through The Rosetta Key, and then I'll be on to Going Postal
^___^

I'm enjoying Cat's Eye so far. I also read a few of her others (Handmaid's Tale, Blind Assassin, and Oryx & Crake) which i liked. : )

I am a multi-book reader. Usually have at least two going for on-line book clubs that read on a daily schedule. Am reading Sarah's Key for one of my clubs - will count toward 25.8 Cait's task as the "thing" title. Also reading City of God for another club - will count for 25.7 Cindy's task for the 3-word title book.

Currently have a hard copy book going for general relaxing etc. Working on First Family by David Baldacci for the 10.3 Addition task. Typical Baldacci - grabs you after the first sentence and holds you there until you finish the book.

Also have a book loaded on IPOD for working out, yard work, etc - listening to Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. And have a book on CD in my car - currently listening to: The Art of Racing in the Rain. These two will meet my 15.1 grammar requirement using the preposition OF.

Makes the reading process a little slower but allows me to multi-process and still get reading done.

Just finished Celestine Prophecy and Pay It Forward - an interesting juxtaposition. Am now starting The Provate World of Georgette Heyer for the Dream Job, task 30.1

Dead Until Darkabout 1/3 done, still not getting it : (

and now starting The Lost Symbol

Reading The Dream Thief for part of 20.2 and really enjoying it. Almost finished listening to The Voyage of the Dawn Treader for the sailing-the-ocean-blue task; Derek Jacoby has made this a very enjoyable listen

I'm trying a multi-read at the moment, flipping between A Dangerous Promise and the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows audiobook. The latter is awesome read by Hale! I love how he does the voices, and it's been even more enjoyable than the first time I read this book. :)

I've been MIA recently, (lots of real-life stuff going on) but I'm still reading- although not as much as I'd like to.

Still finishing off Jane Eyre- Charlotte Bronte for 25.2- related authors task. And I'm surprised at how much I've really enjoyed it. I'm not much of a classics reader, but the past few that I've read, I've really enjoyed.

I also have Along Came a Spider-James Patterson loaded on my Ipod, which I have yet to start (haven't had time to go to the gym these past two weeks)

My book club at work chose Never Let Me Go- Kazuo Ishiguro for this month so I'll be fitting that one in somewhere as well.

Also, An Echo in the Bone- Diana Gabaldon is coming out TOMORROW and I can't wait to get my sticky hands on a copy... been waiting for this one FOREVER. But not sure when I'll get around to reading it, given how many other books I've got planned...

Hoping to get more reading done this week.

My reading has tailed off a bit ... I have MIL staying for a few days and it is impossible to read with her around as she never stops talking! she's going home tomorrow, so should get back to it ... although I start a new job on Monday, but only part time so should still have lots of reading time :)

I'm currently reading Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult ... it's ok - better than the last one of hers I read anyway!

Right now I'm almost done with The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, then I have to decide between The Book Thief and The Angel's Game. They're the only two I have left from this round of library check-outs :).

I am currently slogging through From the Diary of a Snail by Gunther Grass for the Octoberfest task and Sliced Iguana Travels in Mexico by Isabella Tree for the Hispanic item

Right now I'm reading Fatherland by Robert Harris for the alternative history task (15.2). I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I picked it up, but I really like it!

Janice wrote: "Just finished Celestine Prophecy and Pay It Forward - an interesting juxtaposition. Am now starting The Provate World of Georgette Heyer for the Dream Job, task 30.1"

Best laid plans and all that--I decided to get the library books finished first, and since a slough more came in today, I have more library books to read.

As the Heyer biography is larger than my bag, this morning I picked up one of my paperbacks to read at work--The Girl Who Stopped Swimming by Joshilyn Jackson. Next I will read the second part of 15.1, which I picked up after work -- Swim to Me by Betsy Carter.

Well I finished Hitchhiker yesterday as well as finished listening to The Princess Diaries, so I've moved on to The Book Thief. I'm about 150 pages in and I'm really enjoying it so far.

I just finished You Shall Know Our Velocity! by Dave Eggers and I am now starting Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name A Novel written by his wife, Vendela Vida, for Donna Jo's Task - 25.2.

I'm seriously LOVING The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian!

I just finished As Darkness Falls - Bronwyn Parry and I'm now reading Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding for the Rookie of the Season - Learn your ABC'S.

I've been reading The Crying of Lot 49 and feel like I've hit a slump. It's not a bad book but it keeps putting me to sleep. I agree with another reviewer who mentioned it was the longest 183 page book they ever read. I can only manage bits and pieces at a time. It's driving me crazy!

Emily wrote: "I'm seriously LOVING The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian! "

That book has been getting great reviews by challenge participants. I've had to add it to my TBR pile. :-)

I've somehow got 4 books in process again! I'm almost done listening to The Angel's Game. I hope he wraps it all up nicely because as of right now I'm not sure I'm glad that I've invested 12 hours listening to this so far. It's a bit long-winded in the minute descriptions of Barcelona, etc.

I've also just started The Fiery Cross. I couldn't remember if I'd read this before, but now that I'm a few pages into it I know that it's a new read for me. I think I stopped reading the series right before this came out. I want to read this and 'Breath of Snow and Ashes' so I'll be ready to the read the next installment soon. I know it's coming out in a few days (if it hasn't just come out already...) I LOVE this series, but the books are so daunting in size. I got the hard back copy of this book from the library and it must weigh 5 pounds. It's a bear to read in bed!!

I've also started Are You There Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea. I didn't intend to read this book. I found it at a used book store and knew it was 'wish-listed' on PBS so I bought it so I could post it and get a credit for a book I REALLY wanted. Well, I started skimming it, and now I can't seem to walk away from it.

And I just started Daughter of Venice. It will work for a couple of tasks, and I'm previewing it to see if it's appropriate for my niece. Plust I like historical fiction, and it's sent in Venice. It's a nice change of pace for me. I've only gotten about 35 pages into it, but I'm enjoying it so far.

I'm still reading Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norell on weekends (it's too large to tote back & forth to work). It's very good and I'm over half-way through it now.
I'm also listening to Treasure Island and think I may finish by the end of the week.
Last night, I finished The Two Destinies by Wilkie Collins, which I highly recommend for anyone who likes Victorian-style novels, and started Fortune's Daughter.

Krista wrote: "I've somehow got 4 books in process again! I'm almost done listening to The Angel's Game. I hope he wraps it all up nicely because as of right now I'm not sure I'm glad that I've i..."

Krista the new Gabaldon came out today.

Stephanie wrote: "Krista wrote: "I've somehow got 4 books in process again! I'm almost done listening to The Angel's Game. I hope he wraps it all up nicely because as of right now I'm not sure I'm g...

Krista the new Gabaldon came out today. ...."

I'd better speed up my reading then. I'm #54 in the hold queue for the new one An Echo in the Bone at the library. Thanks for the update Stephanie!

Fedex delivered my copy of Gabaldon's An Echo in the Bone today so of course I'm dropping everything else and focusing all of my attention on this one until it's done!!!

Never mind that it's 820 pages long, weighs approximately 3 pounds and I'm only going to get 5 points for it. I'd read this one even if I couldn't fit it into the challenge. :)

Well, my brain is still muddle-headed from reading You Shall Know Our Velocity! by Dave Eggers this past weekend (Task 25.2). Rather than moving on to his wife, Vendela Vida's book (it is a bit heavy too), I read The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch (part of Task 25.9) last night in one sitting. Today I started reading Devil Bones by Kathy Reichs (Task 25.10). I am hoping these two 'lighter reads' will unfurl my brain! LOL!

I am reading "1000 White Men" by Jim Fergus for the Native American task. If there are any PBS members who would like this book when I am finished, please message me. I should be finished by Monday.

Beth(MN) wrote: "Fedex delivered my copy of Gabaldon's An Echo in the Bone today so of course I'm dropping everything else and focusing all of my attention on this one until it's done!!!

Never min..."

it wont fit under the math task, or use bone for thing task That way you get more points : )

I should be finished with The Devil's Punchbowl today. I then intend to read The Shack and Shutter Island in that order. TDP is a long book, but I'm enjoying it even though it outside of my comfort zone.

Teresa in Ohio wrote: "Beth(MN) wrote: "Fedex delivered my copy of Gabaldon's An Echo in the Bone today so of course I'm dropping everything else and focusing all of my attention on this one until it's don..."

I’m reading it as part of Roseann’s Task (30.1). My dream job growing up was to be a doctor (Like Claire) and then around grade 9 I realized that A) I didn’t want to be in school till I was 30 and that I wanted a life outside of the office and B) My grades in chemistry were horrible, I’d never be able to handle university-level science courses. So I became an accountant instead. :P

I would have read the book one way or the other (even if I couldn't fit it somewhere) but I'm glad that I'll be getting more than 5pts for it.

I have been wanting to get through all of the Dragonriders of Pern books by Anne McCaffrey for some time so I've been trying to fit them each in somewhere. There are some that are re-reads and some I've had lying around waiting to be read. So far, I've finished Dragonflight for a book starting with the letter D, Dragonsong for the one word title and Dragonquest for subtraction in the math challenges. None are points I can claim yet! Oh, well. These books are such a guilty pleasure of mine.

Livy wrote: "I have been wanting to get through all of the Dragonriders of Pern books by Anne McCaffrey for some time so I've been trying to fit them each in somewhere. There are some that are re-reads and some..."

These were also approved for the Science Fiction Task, the later ones could be used for the "Two Heads" task, and aren't some by only Todd so you could use them for the related authors task.

Just finished Cotillion for the one-word tittle in Cindy's Task. Such fun! That woman really knew how to create marvelous characters and situations.

Now on to Lair of the Lion for 10.10

Also listening to The Curse of the Pharaohs for my Let's Get Physical book, but it's been too hot to do much walking, so that one's going slowly

BJ Rose wrote: "Just finished Cotillion for the one-word tittle in Cindy's Task. Such fun! That woman really knew how to create marvelous characters and situations.

Now on to [book:Lair of the Lion..."


I dearly love Georgette Heyer. She is my "comfort read" when depression strikes or I'm bored with every other book I'm trying to read.

I have finally finally FINALLY finished reading Little Dorrit. I don't know what my real-life bookclub was thinking when we picked a 900 pg. Dickens novel. Unfortunately, it is part of a multi-book task, so i have spent almost a month reading this and STILL can't claim any points. Thankfully, it's a good book.

On to something short.

I have just started reading A Case of Exploding Mangoes by Mohammed Hanif and, only 10 pages in I am adoring it. My recovery from Dave Eggers book You Shall Know Our Velocity! continues! Sheesh. :)

Teresa in Ohio wrote: "it wont fit under the math task, or use bone for thing task That way you get more points : ) "

Perhaps. But my ultimate goal is read as many books I own as possible and I can't figure out where to fit 'Echo' in anywhere else except in categories where I already own the book and I'm trying not to decrease the number of books I own from my schedule. So I'm mostly satisfied with my 5 points, hehe (or at least that's what I'm going to keep telling myself!)

kiki wrote: "Patricia wrote: "I'm reading Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood for the cat task."

i loved this book. atwood is top of the line, IMHO! :)

"

I meant to ask, what is IMHO? Ha!

Moving on to Tipping the Velvet for the Harvey Milk task. I thought Fingersmith was entertainingly clever so I'm interested to see what this one's like.

I'm in the middle of two tasks right now. I just need to read "The House at Riverton" and I will have completed the Noun task.

And then I have to finish two books to complete the ABC task.

Just want to feel like I'm accomplishing something, so that's why I'm posting. Hee hee.

Beth(MN) wrote: "Teresa in Ohio wrote: "it wont fit under the math task, or use bone for thing task That way you get more points : ) "

Perhaps. But my ultimate goal is read as many books I own as possible and ..."

Okay that makes sense : )

Patricia wrote: "I meant to ask, what is IMHO? Ha!"

Acronym/text-speak for In My Humble Opinion.

El wrote: "Patricia wrote: "I meant to ask, what is IMHO? Ha!"

Acronym/text-speak for In My Humble Opinion."

Ah, good to know. Thanks. I definitely am not up to par on my text speak! : )

In My Humble Opinion...IMHO! (not short for I'm a Ho!)

I'm reading The Witch of Portobelo for the foreign language task. I'm really enjoying it. I'm also reading The Unofficial guide to Disney for one of the maths tasks - I think it was the division one, anyway it's very long but I'm loving it.

I just finished The Bone Doll's Twin and really enjoyed it. I am now reading Five Quarts by Bill Hayes for part of Roseann's task. I am also reading Of Love and Shadows by Isabel Allende for the second part of the foreign language task.

I'm just finishing up The Druid Made Me Do It (so not going to be on my top 10 list) and getting ready to start The Count of Monte Cristo. I have never read this before--although I will admit to reading the Classics Illustrated version back in the days of my youth.