Quote Wednesday - Hersey

Journalism allows readers to witness history; fiction gives its readers the opportunity to live it. -- John Hersey

Do you ever get lost in a book? Do you ever dream about a story? Do you ever wish you were a character in a book?

I do, all the time. I love getting into a story and have to invade my dreams. To me, that's is the highest compliment that I can pay an author. If your story invades my subconscious, you've made an impact on me. The same goes for changes in mood. Sometimes when I read a sad story, I find myself sad for the rest of the day. When reading At the Scent of Water, I was really depressed. The ending more than made up for my down mood, but those two days were a bit crazy.

I love nonfiction. I am constantly reading pop culture books or history books. However, nothing beats a good fiction story. Something to take me away to another world. I love it!

Top Ten Tuesday - Book Pet Peeves

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists

Each week we will post a new Top Ten list complete with one of our bloggers’ answers. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND post a comment on our post with a link to your Top Ten Tuesday post to share with us and all those who are participating. If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. If you can't come up with ten, don't worry about it---post as many as you can!

This week's we're talking about book pet peeves. And boy do I have some!

1. Back and Forth Dialogue: Many authors can do dialogue very well, and some others not so much. I hate it when two or even three characters get into a conversation and the dialogue gets confused. When the dialogue continues for 2-3 pages, sometimes I get really lost to who's is talking. A couple of "he/she saids" thrown in can really help me keep track. Just a helpful hint for all the writers out there.

2. Deus ex machina: I absolutely hate books where the conflict magically resolves itself at the end of the book. I have the same issue with many TV sitcoms. The Brady Bunch 30 minute exposition, conflict, resolution all wrapped up in a pretty bow really gets me. Conflicts are messy. They're supposed to be. You can't just swoop in and fix the problem in one page. I hate those endings.

3. Happy Endings: No, I'm not some crazy dark person who just wants tragedy, but I do want realistic endings. If the story is all doom and gloom, don't make everyone blissfully happy in the end. If the story is happy, then it makes sense to have a happy ending. But please don't have a happy ending just for the sake of a happy ending. If it doesn't make sense, then end the book differently. This point really goes along with dislike for much of Christian fiction. Read about my thoughts here.

4. Over Description: When an author spends an entire page describing the house, I get really bored. Don't get me wrong, I love description, but in moderation. We don't need to blather on and on about the color of the ocean or whatever. I think this is why I have never like Moby Dick. Melville just goes on and on describing crap.

5. Sentences with No End: I call this the Charles Dickens syndrome. Have you actually looked to see how long some of his sentences are? Two-three pages in length. By the time I finally reach a period, I need to go back and remind myself where the sentence actually started. What the hell are we trying to say? Can't we shorten this just a bit. I think so. Periods are fun to type. Try one sometime.

6. One-dimensional Characters: This is the Ernest Heimingway syndrome. Every one of his female characters is so one-dimensional. In many cases, the book probably would have been better without them. They are cardboard cutouts. If a character appears in a book, make them meaningful, please!

7. Grammatical Errors: I'm not talking about ARCs here. I'm talking about so-called edited final copies. I have found many grammatical errors in many books. My favorite error: mixing up names. Yep, I've seen it happen in many a book. Better editing people!

8. Characters on Covers: When I read a book, I create a picture in my head of the character. I hate when there is a picture of a "character" on the cover of a book. I prefer more abstract covers. Maybe some scenery, a specific object (the beauty of the Twilight series covers), anything but a complete person. I want to see the characters not the cover designer's version of the character.

9. Movie tie-in covers: While I appreciate movie versions of books, I don't want the movie version on the cover. I'm reading the book to read the book. If I wanted the movie, I would go see the movie. If you look at my library, I have successfully avoided these covers.

10. Misleading Blurbs: At the library (I kind of live there), I often pick books because of their blurbs and/or summaries. Imagine my surprise when I start reading the book and it's nothing like the description. How hard is it really to make sure the descriptions match the story? I guess harder than I think.

Awesome Video of the Week!

I found this on multiple book blogs. Just thought I would share this awesome video. Enjoy book lovers!

BTT: Multi-Tasking

Do you multi-task when you read? Do other things like stirring things on the stove, brushing your teeth, watching television, knitting, walking, et cetera?

Or is it just me, and you sit and do nothing but focus on what you’re reading?

(Or, if you do both, why, when, and which do you prefer?)

To be honest, I do both. It really depends on how engrossed I am in the book. If it's a book that really grabs my attention or has difficult language, I focus only on the book. On the other hand, if it's a fun read or an episodic read (short stories, nonfiction knowledge books) I can be watching tv (read during commercials) or cooking dinner. I have even been known to walk and read, but I don't do that anymore. I think I have become more clumsy in my old age. Really looking at my behavior, most of the time I just read. I like to get sucked into the world the author created. And if it's really good I lose all track of time and just read. Those are the best books...

Top Ten Tuesday - Dynamic Duos

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists

Each week we will post a new Top Ten list complete with one of our bloggers’ answers. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND post a comment on our post with a link to your Top Ten Tuesday post to share with us and all those who are participating. If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. If you can't come up with ten, don't worry about it---post as many as you can!

Hmmm... this week was way hard. I didn't just want to highlight love story duos, so I wanted to branch out.

1. Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - A slightly out of the loop Englishman and an alien in disguise... match made in heaven. I love their interactions. Unfortunately, past the first book, we lose the perfect pairing. I still love these two characters. And the movie version with Martin Freeman and Mos Def was perfect casting.

2. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson - They are a pair. Without Watson's level-headed realistic approach, Holmes would just be an ass and no one would want to read him. They level each other out. And the new BBC series starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman is perfect casting. (I think I have a thing for Martin Freeman. And he's supposed to be playing Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit)

3. F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald - I know not literary characters, but they were a dynamic (if completely crazy) duo. The perfect marriage of 1920s excess. So sad when Zelda went completely crazy and committed suicide. At least we have their books.

4. Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester - I know, a love duo, but I see them more than just a love story. They are a match, both as a friendship and a romance. I like their quiet relationship, even if Rochester is an ass throughout the middle of the book.

5. Tweedledum and Tweedledee - Funny twins, I had to add them to the list.

6. Superman and Lex Luthor - Not exactly literary, but they are a perfect duo. A yin and yang of two sides.

7. Jo and Laurie from Little Women - They should have ended up, but that's okay. They were still a beautiful pair of friends.

8. Elizabeth and Jane Bennet - Sisters who were made for each other. A great balance of outgoing, no hold's barred personality and shy, bashful, demur personality.

That's all I got for this week... But I do like my list.

Top Ten Tuesday - I Just HAD to Buy... But are Still Sitting on My Bookshelf

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week we will post a new Top Ten list complete with one of our bloggers’ answers. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND post a comment on our post with a link to your Top Ten Tuesday post to share with us and all those who are participating. If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. If you can't come up with ten, don't worry about it---post as many as you can!

This week's list is pretty difficult for me to write. For the past year, I've lived mostly out of boxes. I haven't even seen most of my books that entire time. I've bought a ton of books in the past few years and most of those are still sitting on "shelf." I buy books and then check books out from the library. Sometimes I get back to the ones I own, and sometimes they just stay somewhere. I have one box of books sitting in my room, so I'll look at those.

1-2. Dragonfly in Amber and Voyager by Diana Gabaldon -- C made me read Outlander (while reenacting, what a trip!) and I fell in love with the story of Claire and Jamie. I had to get the other books and read the rest of the Outlander series. So I rushed out to the used book stores and found Dragonfly in Amber and Voyager and what did I do? Left them on the shelf. I started Dragonfly a few months back and something happened. I got distracted or something and didn't finish it. So I've got these great books sitting here and haven't read them yet. Thankfully I have joined the Outlander series reading challenge so I am going to read the entire series this year, but it probably won't be until August (to coincide with my Year of Reading challenge). I promise I will get to them.

3. Wideacre by Philippa Gregory -- I love historical fiction. I read The Other Boleyn Girl and told myself that I had to read more from Gregory. So I had to buy this when I saw it on the used book store shelf. And again, I have let it sit on the shelf. No matter, historical fiction is another one of my reading challenges.

4-5. Inkheart and Inkspell by Cornelia Funke -- I watched the movie Inkheart and really liked it, so I just had to read the book right? Then I found out it was trilogy. Oh, well, okay I can do that. So I found Inkheart and Inkspell, but have yet to find a cheap copy of Inkdeath. I keep telling myself that I haven't read them because I don't have the third, but really I just keep getting distracted by other books.

6. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins -- Another must read after hearing about it for so long. I found a copy for cheap and snatched it up. It's only been on my shelf for about two weeks so far. I have high hopes that this one will be read soon.

7. The Magicians by Lev Grossman -- J's said that I had to read this one. And his description of the book made it really sound like something I would like. I found a cheap copy at Half Price Books about three weeks ago. I just need to work it into my crazy reading schedule now.

8. Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez -- Up until this year, I read mostly nonfiction or "classics." This is one of those books that I always considered a "classic," but hadn't read. So I found a copy sometime last year thinking that I would tackle it in the coming weeks and promptly forgot about the book. It sat in a box until I unearthed it last night while trying to think of entries for this post. I'll try to get to it soon, but I know it's one of those books that I'm going to have to devote actually dedicated reading time. Maybe during a trip or a snow day...

Okay, so I only found eight for this week. That's not to say I only have eight books in my purchased TBR pile. These are just the eight books that I was super excited to find and read and then not read for one reason or another. I am going to try really hard to put these into my must read pile. We'll see how it goes. I'm not making any promises.

BTT: Something Old, Something New

All other things being equal–do you prefer used books? Or new books? (The physical specimen, that is, not the title.) Does your preference differentiate between a standard kind of used book, and a pristine, leather-bound copy? Looking at my library, I have a mix of everything. The most important factor in buying books is price. I don't have a lot of money to spend on my reading habit. So, I tend to buy books from used books stores or publisher overstocks. Most of those books tend to be trade paperbacks. The only factor is portability. I take a book with me everywhere, so it needs to be easy to carry around. (I haven't jumped on the mobile reader band wagon yet, so not dealing with that debate right now) I prefer trade paperbacks for their size (not too big, but not too small) and weight (not noticeably heavy for purse carrying). I guess overall, I am an equal opportunity book buyer.

The Death of Borders

Okay not a complete death, but they have declared bankruptcy and are closing stores across the country. The announcement came last week. I read about the rumors online two weeks ago. I got an email from the CEO the day after the announcement. I've read a lot of posts from other book bloggers in the last week. But I haven't really decided what I think about this until now. Today I found an interesting article on TechCrunch that expressed a lot of my own ideas about this situation.

Books without Borders: A Victory for Amazon, But Also for Independent Book Stores by Paul Carr

Explaining the global fall of Borders – their UK arm collapsed last year – isn’t quite as simple as blaming Amazon and the rise of ebooks. But it mostly is. The company took a big gamble a decade or so ago in focusing on the notion of bricks-and-mortar book shopping as an “experience”. Stores were built with coffee shops and comfy chairs and warm little nooks in which people could hang out all day and read all the book and magazines they wanted. Unfortunately, after finishing their coffee and their free reading time, many of those people subsequently went home and took advantage of Amazon’s significant discounts to actually buy books. Only those few customers who demanded instant gratification needed to actually pay full price in store.

I admit, I am one of those people...

So, with Borders gone, Barnes and Noble struggling and independent stores still closing in their dozens, is this the beginning of the end for real world bookstores? Actually, I think probably not. In fact I suspect the death of Borders might actually cause something no-one in the book trade ever thought they’d see: a resurgence in independent book stores.

For a while, Borders – and the bigger (and for now more solvent) Barnes and Noble – represented a kind of mushy middle for bookselling. On one end of the spectrum sits Amazon – colossal of inventory, quick of delivery, soulless of personality. If you know exactly what book you want, Amazon is the place to buy it.

At the other end of the spectrum sit the independents – mom and pop stores and dusty used bookshops, staffed by knowledgeable bookworms eager to recommend something quirky (and possibly second hand) that they themselves have read, and think you might like. Borders plunked itself awkwardly in the middle, trying to out-stock the former (and failing) and to out-personality the latter (and failing). Even if Borders couldn’t replace the independent bookstore experience, the existence of a giant competitor in the their midst certainly hit mom and pop’s bottom line. No-one did well from the fight except for Amazon.

Now, with Borders out of the way, leaving absolutely no major chain book store in some markets (including San Francisco, which had three Borders but no Barnes and Noble), the independents have a real opportunity to push back.

Interesting option, let's see what happens in the coming months.

...

Before the announcement: I shopped everywhere. I frequented Borders and Barnes and Noble for their selection. No one can be beat for browsing, getting ideas, and for the occasional awesome sale. I frequented the chain used book store, Half Price Books, for selection (smaller than big boxes, but still pretty wide) and awesome clearance selection. I frequented the local independent used book stores, Hyde Brothers and Village Books, for fun browsing and occasional awesome find. And I frequented Amazon.com for the must-have new (or slightly used) books at a great price. I shopped everywhere. While I want to support the local stores, that cannot compete with the big boxes and online stores in terms of price and selection. But I tried to visit them on occasion. And I often found some great things while there.

After the announcement: My local Borders is not on the list of those closing. We are the only Borders store within a 2 hour radius. We currently have a Borders store and two Barnes and Noble stores. So what does all this to me? Will my shopping habits change? Probably not. I will still frequent Borders just as much as I did before. I will frequent all the other places just as much as I did before. The other thing I know I won't be doing.... buying the $20 Borders rewards card. Who knows what will happen in the next few months. I don't want to be caught holding someone I cannot use.

So sorry about the bankruptcy Borders, but times change, and I guess you couldn't keep up.

Top Ten Tuesday - Book to Movie Adaptations

Top Ten Tuesday: Book to Movie Adaptations

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week we will post a new Top Ten list complete with one of our bloggers answers. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND post a comment on our post with a link to your Top Ten Tuesday post to share with us and all those who are participating. If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. If you can't come up with ten, don't worry about it---post as many as you can!

Very excited about this post, but how to narrow it down? After thinking long and hard, I think I've gotten my favorites in here. Caution: Long post ahead!

1. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy -- Easy choice. Peter Jackson did the books justice; something I don't think a lot of people thought could happen. I know he cut out some and changed a bit, but the movies stay true to the main stories of the books. Also, the cinematography is just amazing! Those landscapes, those sets, those wide shots! How could it get any better. As an added bonus, I loved the portrayal of Eowyn and Faramir in the movies. They even made last week's Top Ten Tuesday: Love Stories. Great movies. BTW they must be watched from the extended editions. None of this theatrical version crap! (I love The Fellowship of the Ring, so had to add that poster)

2. Persuasion -- Has anyone picked up that I love Jane Austen? And specifically Persuasion? My favorite Austen of all. Of course, for this post I had to pick an Austen adaptation and I do so love this one. The 2007 ITV version aired on PBS as part of the Jane Austen marathon on Masterpiece Theater. I was so excited to sit in front of my antenna-only TV and watch Jane Austen adaptations for two months of Sundays. This was far and away my favorite adaptation. (Northanger Abbey was my second favorite) Sally Hakwins plays Anne Elliot as quiet and demur, but with strong emotions and opinions just beneath the surface. Exactly how I pictured her! And Rupert Penry-Jones as Captain Wentworth! Divine casting! I know this version took some liberties with the book, but I felt that they were all done keeping the heart of the book intact. My favorite change is the scene after Sally gets Wentworth's letter and goes racing through Bath to find him. Awesome camera work and music! Love it, love it, love it!

3. Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events -- I sped through the book series in about two months. (I was late to the band wagon and didn't start reading them until they were all published). And then I found out they were making a film version. The film does condense the first three books of the series, but again the changes kept true to the heart of the books. Hmm... Jim Carrey as Count Olaf. I'm not the biggest fan of him, but this was perfect casting. And the Baudelaire children were perfect. I loved the supporting cast! Billy Connolly, Meryl Streep, Dustin Hoffman, Catherine O'Hara, Craig Ferguson, Cedric the Entertainer, Jane Lynch, Luis Guzman, Jennifer Coolidge and Jude Law's narration. How did they get all those people into this movie! It really makes the movie a lot of fun. And those sets!!!! Like a fairy tale! And the costumes!! Amazing! I want Violet's dress. So adorable.

4. Where the Heart Is -- I liked the book by Billie Letts, but it wasn't one of my favorites. And then I saw the 2000 movie, and absolutely fell in love with it. Natalie Portman and Ashley Judd are adorable. I think my favorite character from the book and from the film is Sister Husband played by Stockard Channing. I love her to death. I want her to take me in when I give birth to a baby in the Walmart! And her death was just so tragic. I cry every time I watch the movie.

5. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy -- Douglas Adams is a genius for writing the series. And the 2005 film was a great adaptation. Of course with cast of Martin Freeman (so adorable on The Office), Zooey Deschanel (love her!), Sam Rockwell (crazy as usual), Mos Def (great Ford Prefect), Bill Nighy (he plays such a range of characters), and Alan Rickman (who doesn't love Alan Rickman) how could it not be good! My favorite part of the book series is the Guide interludes. I'm excited that the film included a few with exciting animation. My favorite: definitely the Volgons! And speaking of Volgons, how awesome was that puppetry. They looked just fake enough to be real but comical. I loved all of them. And the opening Dolphin song... genius! (BTW opening narration by Stephen Fry is the best casting I've heard in a long while)

6. Coraline -- Okay so I saw the movie before I read the book. I loved the creepy sense of wonder in the movie version. The Other Mother is very scary (understandably so) in the final battle. And the black cat... I've always thought that cats were creepy, this just confirmed it for me. After seeing the movie, I went and read the book. Great story, but the visuals really didn't it for me. I got the graphic novel from the library the other day. After this post, it's moved up on my TBR list.

7. Interview with a Vampire -- I was too young to see the movie when it was released in theaters, but I did start reading Anne Rice about that time. I loved (still love) her writing and especially the first four of the Vampire Chronicles. I had definite images of all the characters in my head before seeing the movie. The movie versions don't really match, but that's okay. I see the movie and the book as two different entities. They are definitely not the same, but that's okay. I think the movie did a great job reimagining Rice's novel. And Rice wrote the screenplay and was a consultant during the filming. My fave from the movie: Stephen Rea as Santiago... very sinister.

8. The Secret Garden -- There is only one movie version of The Secret Garden and it's the 1987 Hallmark Hall of Fame version. I remember watching this movie as a young child. The opening scenes in India scared the begeezus out of me. And they were supposed to. The transition to the moors of England sets the mood for the entire book. I love it! The sets are wonderful and full of atmosphere. The music is extra moody at all the right times. The actress who played Mary gave her just enough spunk and defiance. I recently let C borrow the movie because she wanted to show it her daughters. She agrees, this is the only version of the book.

9. Harry Potter Series -- I love the books. And I love the movies. They are different, but related. I understand that the movie makers had to cut things out of the books to fit onto the screen. There's just too much going on in the books to put everything on screen. I've read the books, so some of the movie scenes (especially from the 5th and 6th movies) make more sense. But I still love the movies. My favorite, hands down, is The Goblet of Fire. I love the book and the movie did great job showcasing my favorite scenes. The final task: the labyrinth is awesomely shot with special effects and zooming camera angles. I loved it so much. I am so excited and so sad to see the last movie this July. It's already on my calendar!

10. Little Women -- Another favorite childhood book. I loved the March sisters and would read and reread the book growing up. The movie version is one of my favorite movies from my younger days. The adaptation is true to the book while allowing for the transition to film. The actors are wonderful. I loved Winona Ryder as Jo March. She plays her just how I pictured. Susan Sarandon gives a great performance as the matriarch of the clan. I would love to have her as a mother. And I have to mention Christian Bale as Laurie... so dreamy! I really love him as an actor. My only problem (and it's a problem with the book, not just the movie) Laurie should have ended up with Jo not Amy! Alas, I must live with the story as is. It's still one of my all-time favorites.

The best part of this list --- I own all the movies listed. So I can watch them again and again!

BTT: Romantic

What’s the most romantic book you’ve ever read?
(Mind you, I don’t mean the hard-core stuff you hide in plain wrappers under your mattress. I mean True Love, Romance, deeply emotional, heart-tugging, and all that stuff.)
And, secondly, did you like it? Is it your usual kind of reading, or did it take you by surprise?

Anyone who knows me or has read my blog has probably figured out that one of my favorite books is Persuasion by Jane Austen. It just so happens to be my favorite romantic book. The story of lasting love between Anne Elliott and Captain Wentworth hits me right in the mushy heart. They never stopped loving each other. After years apart, a chance meeting finally gets them to admit their feelings to each other and end up where they should have been. I love that they are both very realistic and pragmatic characters. They don't go running off to silly infatuation (like Catherine Morland or Marianne Dashwood). Instead, they took time to examine their feelings. That is romance to me. Maybe it's because I'm such a cynic, but I still think this is the most romantic book I've ever read. Every time I read it a panic rises in me. I start thinking about half way through the book that Anne and the Captain won't end up together, that they'll deny their feelings and/or get too scared to admit them to each other. I panic... and then I get to the end. He writes the letter, they reconnect, and everything is good in the world again. It is such a release.

As to the second question, no, my answer did not really surprise me. I love Jane Austen, so of course, the book is part of my regular reading. I don't usually read those labeled as "romance" (although I have picked up a few more lately for a light read in between more serious fiction). I tend to read more historical fiction and anything paranormal.

Top Ten Tuesday - Names

Top Ten Characters I'd Name My Children After

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week we will post a new Top Ten list complete with one of our bloggers answers. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND post a comment on our post with a link to your Top Ten Tuesday post to share with us and all those who are participating. If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. If you can't come up with ten, don't worry about it---post as many as you can!

My Top Ten:

1. Elizabeth Rose: After Elizabeth Bennett from Pride and Prejudice. Lizzie or Eliza for short.

2. Georgiana Jane: After Georgiana Darcy from Pride and Prejudice. Gigi or Georgie for short.

3. Arthur Dent: From Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. J insists, but I'm actually okay with this choice.

4. Emmeline: After Emma Woodhouse from Emma. I don't like just Emma, but Emmeline can be shortened to Emma if we choose. (Notice the Jane Austen trend?)

5. Dorian Grey: From The Picture of Dorian Grey. Not a good, morale character, but such a great name that I had to add it.

6. Ophelia: From Shakespeare's Hamlet. Horrible ending for the character, but I so love her name.

7. Frances Price: After Fanny Price from Mansfield Park. Another great Jane Austen character and name. Plus, Frances is my middle name, so keeping it in the family.

8. Evelyn Lyra: After Lyra from Pullman's Dark Materials trilogy. First names must be able to be shortened, so Lyra cannot be a first name. Perhaps a middle name.

9. Sophie Anne Elliot: After Anne Elliot from Austen's Persuasion, my favorite book, but the name needs a bit more.

10. Alice (or Alyss) Heart: After Alice from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. One of all-time favorite books.

Some other possibilities: Cordelia (King Lear), Katharina (Taming of the Shrew), Josephine (Little Women), Rosalind (As You Like It), Edmund (Mansfield Park), Penelope (The Odyssey), Sam (The Maltese Falcon)... I could keep going, but I think that's a good list.

I would love to name my future children after great literary characters. Names with meaning, strength, beauty, etc. Plus, it would also be an interesting story.

BTT: Big Books

What’s the largest, thickest, heaviest book you ever read? Was it because you had to? For pleasure? For school?

Hmmm... interesting questions. The majority of books that I read are around 300-400 pages. There are some that end up being upwards of 500 pages. But for the truly long, I would have to go for The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova or something by Stephen King (like The Stand). To be fair, neither of those authors are Tolstoy. They are a much lighter read. So more than 1000 words doesn't actually seem that long. I've been known to read a 300 book in a day, so pages alone don't really count. I must take into account difficulty. And all those crazy long books... my choice!

The Centurions of 2011 Reading Challenge

Yesterday I was reading A Year of Reading (one of the many book blogs I follow) and found this great group on Facebook: The Centurions of 2011. A goal of reading 111 books by January 2012 and a place to share those books and progress, I just had to join! I'll just add this goal to the 10+ reading challenges I have joined. I think I'm a bit addicted to reading challenges and book groups. I might need an intervention soon. But it's a good addiction, right? Right? Right? I take from the silence that's it a great addicition. So, I'm gong to keep reading and try to get ahead on these challenges.

If you're like me and addicted to books, check out the group on Facebook.

Christian Historical Fiction Redux

A few weeks back I wrote a post about Christian historical fiction: what I like and didn't like. Turns out a blogger that I've been following lately (Deborah from Books, Movies, and Chinese Food) as many of the same sentiments as I. What a great little surprise! She articulates her feelings a lot better than I do so I'm not going to attempt to paraphrase. If the topic interests you, please check out her post: http://books-movies-chinesefood.blogspot.com/2011/01/why-im-not-target-audience-for.html

As for my post, instead of trying to back in the archives, check it out here:

Christian Historical Fiction

BTT: Periodicals

What magazines/journals do you read?

I do read some magazines on occasion, but mostly I just flip through them. Let's see:

Bitch (Feminist Response to Pop Culture)
Mother Jones (mostly economics and current events) -- have a subscription
National Geographic -- have a subscription
Entertainment Weekly -- have a subscription; have to get my weekly dose of pop culture crap
Us Weekly -- read at the library during the boys' Pokemon club; have to get my weekly dose of crap celebrity news
People -- see Us Weekly
Discover -- on occasion from the library
Smithsonian -- on occasion from the library
Spin -- parents have a subscription

Guess I do read more than my fair share of magazines. It usually happens that I flip through them while watching a movie or television. I don't have to concentrate as much as when I'm reading a book, so they're more like a small distraction. And except for Bitch and Mother Jones, I don't read them cover to cover. I tend to skim, much like reading the newspaper. For the sake of being all academic and nerdy, I must add that I do read way more books than magazines. So I think my literary cred is still intact.

The Book List

Look at the list and bold those you have read. Italicize those you intend to read. Underline the books you LOVE. Strike out the books you have no intention of ever reading, or were forced to read and hated. Reprint this in your journal and share.

Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
The Lord of the Rings – JRR Tolkien
Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte
The Harry Potter Series – JK Rowling
To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
The Bible
Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte
Nineteen Eighty Four – George Orwell
His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
Little Women – Louisa M Alcott
Tess of the D’Urbervilles – Thomas Hardy
Catch 22 – Joseph Heller
Complete Works of Shakespeare
Rebecca – Daphne Du Maurier
The Hobbit – JRR Tolkien
Birdsong – Sebastian Faulks
Catcher in the Rye – JD Salinger
The Time Traveller’s Wife – Audrey Niffenegger
Middlemarch – George Eliot
Gone With The Wind – Margaret Mitchell
The Great Gatsby – F Scott Fitzgerald
Bleak House – Charles Dickens
War and Peace – Leo Tolstoy
The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams
Brideshead Revisited – Evelyn Waugh
Crime and Punishment – Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
Alice in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll
The Wind in the Willows – Kenneth Grahame
Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy
David Copperfield – Charles Dickens
Chronicles of Narnia – CS Lewis
Emma – Jane Austen
Persuasion – Jane Austen
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe – CS Lewi
The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini
Captain Corelli’s Mandolin – Louis De Bernieres
Memoirs of a Geisha – Arthur Golden
Winnie the Pooh – AA Milne
Animal Farm – George Orwell
he Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
One Hundred Years of Solitude – Gabriel Garcia Marquez
A Prayer for Owen Meaney – John Irving
The Woman in White – Wilkie Collins
Anne of Green Gables – LM Montgomery
Far From The Madding Crowd – Thomas Hardy
The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood
Lord of the Flies – William Golding
Atonement – Ian McEwan
Life of Pi – Yann Martel
Dune - Frank Herbert
Cold Comfort Farm – Stella Gibbons
Sense and Sensibility – Jane Austen
A Suitable Boy – Vikram Seth
The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafon
A Tale Of Two Cities – Charles Dickens
Brave New World – Aldous Huxley
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time – Mark Haddon
Love In The Time Of Cholera – Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck
Lolita – Vladimir Nabokov
The Secret History – Donna Tartt
The Lovely Bones – Alice Sebold
Count of Monte Cristo – Alexandre Dumas
On The Road – Jack Kerouac
Jude the Obscure – Thomas Hardy
Bridget Jones’ Diary – Helen Fielding
Midnight’s Children – Salman Rushdie
Moby Dick – Herman Melville
Oliver Twist – Charles Dickens
Dracula – Bram Stoker
The Secret Garden – Frances Hodgson Burnett
Notes From A Small Island – Bill Bryson
Ulysses – James Joyce
The Bell Jar – Sylvia Plath
Swallows and Amazons – Arthur Ransome
Germinal – Emile Zola
Vanity Fair – William Makepeace Thackeray
Possession – AS Byatt
A Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens
Cloud Atlas – David Mitchell
The Color Purple – Alice Walker
The Remains of the Day – Kazuo Ishiguro
Madame Bovary – Gustave Flaubert
A Fine Balance – Rohinton Mistry
Charlotte’s Web – EB White
The Five People You Meet in Heaven - Mitch Albom
Adventures of Sherlock Holmes – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Faraway Tree Collection – Enid Blyton
Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
The Little Prince – Antoine De Saint-Exupery
The Wasp Factory – Iain Banks
Watership Down – Richard Adams
A Confederacy of Dunces – John Kennedy Toole
A Town Like Alice – Nevil Shute
The Three Musketeers – Alexandre Dumas
Hamlet – William Shakespeare
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl
Les Miserables – Victor Hugo

Some Comments: I know the instructions said to strike out any book you don't have any intention of reading, but I just can't. I would never say never when it comes to books. I do read according to my mood. For example, right now I am reading a lot of contemporary fiction. Two years ago it was all nonfiction history books. Five years ago, it was all the American classics. And so on... I will keep some of these books on my TBR list, possibly for years, but they're stay there until I get around to reading them.

How many have you read?

Challenged List

I’ve copied the list of the most-challenged books of the 1990s straight from the ALA website. I’ve highlighted the ones I’ve read.

Scary Stories (Series) by Alvin Schwartz
Daddy’s Roommate by Michael Willhoite
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Harry Potter (Series) by J.K. Rowling
Forever by Judy Blume
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
Alice (Series) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman
My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The Giver by Lois Lowry
It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris
Goosebumps (Series) by R.L. Stine
A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Sex by Madonna
Earth’s Children (Series) by Jean M. Auel
The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers
In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak
The Stupids (Series) by Harry Allard
The Witches by Roald Dahl
The New Joy of Gay Sex by Charles Silverstein
Anastasia Krupnik (Series) by Lois Lowry
The Goats by Brock Cole
Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane
Blubber by Judy Blume
Killing Mr. Griffin by Lois Duncan
Halloween ABC by Eve Merriam
We All Fall Down by Robert Cormier
Final Exit by Derek Humphry
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Girls: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Daughters by Lynda Madaras
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Beloved by Toni Morrison
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
The Pigman by Paul Zindel
Bumps in the Night by Harry Allard
Deenie by Judy Blume
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
Annie on my Mind by Nancy Garden
The Boy Who Lost His Face by Louis Sachar
Cross Your Fingers, Spit in Your Hat by Alvin Schwartz
A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Sleeping Beauty Trilogy by A.N. Roquelaure (Anne Rice)
Asking About Sex and Growing Up by Joanna Cole
Cujo by Stephen King
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
The Anarchist Cookbook by William Powell
Boys and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy
Ordinary People by Judith Guest
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Boys: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Sons by Lynda Madaras
Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
Crazy Lady by Jane Conly
Athletic Shorts by Chris Crutcher
Fade by Robert Cormier
Guess What? by Mem Fox
The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende
The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline Cooney
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Native Son by Richard Wright
Women on Top: How Real Life Has Changed Women’s Fantasies by Nancy Friday
Curses, Hexes and Spells by Daniel Cohen
Jack by A.M. Homes
Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo A. Anaya
Where Did I Come From? by Peter Mayle
Carrie by Stephen King
Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume
On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer
Arizona Kid by Ron Koertge
Family Secrets by Norma Klein
Mommy Laid An Egg by Babette Cole
The Dead Zone by Stephen King
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
Always Running by Luis Rodriguez
Private Parts by Howard Stern
Where’s Waldo? by Martin Hanford
Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene
Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman
Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
Running Loose by Chris Crutcher
Sex Education by Jenny Davis
The Drowning of Stephen Jones by Bette Greene
Girls and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy
How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell
View from the Cherry Tree by Willo Davis Roberts
The Headless Cupid by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
The Terrorist by Caroline Cooney
Jump Ship to Freedom by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier

In the future, I want to read all the books on this list. I'm sure I'll get to them at some point. Just need to start plugging away. For my take on censorship, specifically in relation to literature, check out the entry on my education blog, The New Athenian Academy.

Trip and a Challenge and Holiday Cheer!

Final book read while sitting on various planes -- Dashing Through the Mall. Three holiday themed romances set in the same mall on Christmas Eve. Good fun, predictable, but fun. The book included "Santa, Baby" by Sherryl Woods, "Assignment, Humbug" by Darlene Gardener, and "Deck the Halls" by Holly Jacobs. My favorite, hands down, was "Santa, Baby." The story might have been predictable, but the characters were real with personalities. The other two stories were good; they just didn't have the extra little something that I wanted. The paperback ended up being 312 pages long, but I finished it in one leg of my journey back home. Good, fast read to keep the holiday cheer! Final state of the list:

Bespelling Jane -- Mary Balogh, Colleen Cleason, Susan Krinard, and Janet Mullany
Holidays are Hell --Kim Harrison, Lynsay Sands, Marjorie M. Liu, and Vicki Petersson
The New Dead -- edited by Christopher Golden
This Christmas --Jennifer Coburn and Liz Ireland
Dashing Through the Mall -- Sherryl Woods, Darlene Gardner, and Holly Jacobs
The Geeks' Guide to World Domination -- Garth Sundem
The Lightkeeper's Daughter -- Colleen Coble (waiting until Jan. 1 to include in Historical Fiction Reading Challenge)
Rogue Angel: Destiny -- Alex Archer
ArchEnemy -- Frank Beddor (waiting until Jan. 1 to include in Fantasy Reading Challenge)

Well, 4 out of 9 isn't bad. I really only spent time reading through the traveling parts. Now I need to get started on all the reading challenges that I convinced myself I just had to do. Wish me luck!

Trip and a Challenge and Geeks!

Interested little book full of useless information... just what I love. Where else can you learn to say "Where is the bathroom" in 12 languages? Or 6 great moments in pre-1980 Kung Fu movies (of which I have seen 2)? How about Band Trivia from America's Top Universities? Must have for anyone wanting to add to their ridiculous knowledge basis. And just for good measure: 5 Latin phrases to shout while heading into battle. Per aspera ad astra! (Debuting as my own personal Latin motto) State of the list:

Bespelling Jane -- Mary Balogh, Colleen Cleason, Susan Krinard, and Janet Mullany
Holidays are Hell --Kim Harrison, Lynsay Sands, Marjorie M. Liu, and Vicki Petersson
The New Dead -- edited by Christopher Golden
This Christmas --Jennifer Coburn and Liz Ireland
Dashing Through the Mall -- Sherryl Woods, Darlene Gardner, and Holly Jacobs (started yesterday)
The Geeks' Guide to World Domination -- Garth Sundem
The Lightkeeper's Daughter -- Colleen Coble (going to not read; wait until Jan. 1 to include in Historical Fiction Reading Challenge)
Rogue Angel: Destiny -- Alex Archer
ArchEnemy -- Frank Beddor (going to not read; wait until Jan. 1 to include in Fantasy Reading Challenge)

One more trip and a challenge update to go before it's back to normal. Time to get started on all those reading challenges I signed up for.