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Posts from ‘October, 2008’

In Their Shoes Challenge

Oct 25th, 2008
by Wendy.
10 comments


January 1, 2008 – December 31, 2008

Vasilly over at 1330V is hosting a memoir/biography/autobiography challenge for 2008. She’s allowing participants to pick the number and type of books they want to read (as long as they meet the definition of either memoir, biography or autobiography). She has set up the In Their Shoes Group Blog for all participants to post reviews. And you have until February 1, 2008 to sign up.

I have a number of books that fit the criteria for this challenge. Some of them were on my alternates list for the Non Fiction Five Challenge – but I didn’t get to them, so I’ve moved them to this challenge instead! I am committing to at least FOUR books from this list:

1. Tender at the Bone, by Ruth Rechl
2. The Sisters: The Saga of the Mitford Family, by Mary S. Lovell
3. Reading Lolita in Tehran, by Azar Nafisi
4. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, by Dave Eggers
5. A Thousand Days in Tuscany, by Marlena de Blasi
6. Angela’s Ashes, by Frank McCourt
7. Steinbeck: A Life in Letters, by John Steinbeck (edited by Elaine Steinbeck and Robert Wallsten)
8. Have You Found Her: A Memoir, by Janice Erlbaum (COMPLETED January 14, 2008; rated 4/5; read my review)

Kate’s Short Story Reading Challenge

Oct 23rd, 2008
by Wendy.
2 comments

January 1 – December 31, 2008

Could you resist this button? Come on, be honest. You couldn’t. And neither could I…that, and I love the art of the short story.

Kate at Kate’s Book Blog (and A Curious Singularity) has come up with the 2008 Short Story Challenge. And she’s made it flexible and individualized…AND she’s given it its own blog. So there you go. I’m in.

I’ve chosen option #5 – the custom option. And here is my plan:

I. Read six (6) individual short stories by authors I have not read before and  which I will choose as I go along.

1. Black Ice, by Cate Kennedy (finished January 21, 2008; rated 3.5/5; read my review)
2. The Overcoat, by Nikolai Gogol (finished March 1, 2008; rated 4/5; read my review)

II. Read a minimum of three (3) collections chosen from these books:

1. Selected Short Stories of William Faulkner, by William Faulkner
2. The Country of Pointed Firs and Selected Short Fiction, by Sarah Orne Jewett (let it be noted that I have already read The Country of Pointed Firs and won’t re-read it, but all the other stories in this collection are up for grabs)
3. Open Secrets, by Alice Munro
4. Tooth and Claw, by T.C. Boyle
5. A Private State, by Charlotte Bacon
6. Friend of My Youth, by Alice Munro
7. All Aunt Hager’s Children, by Edward P. Jones

I reserve the right to change the titles or add to them…but, I promise you I will read six (6) individual shorts, and three (3) collections!

Months and Seasons – Book Review

Oct 23rd, 2008
by Wendy.
6 comments

These were adults with too much time on their hands. And didn’t they know that the projector, sound system, and speakers were all Japanese? Their dancing shoes were probably from Mexico or China. America’s jobs were going elsewhere and Americans were just dressing up and playing like kids. Gas prices were high. General Motors was [...]

Mailbox Monday – October 20, 2008

Oct 20th, 2008
by Wendy.
9 comments

I love Mailbox Monday posts! What arrived in YOUR mailbox this week? Here’s what showed up in mine: Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World, by Vicki Myron. I won this book from Amy during Book Blogger Appreciation Week. It arrived directly from the Hatchette group and looks wonderful! The Weight of a [...]

Tomato Girl – Book Review

Oct 19th, 2008
by Wendy.
15 comments

Jars line my cellar shelves. Some are filled with fists of yellow-veined tomatoes. Others hold small onions and chopped leeks, white pearls floating in an opaque sea. Sometimes the light falls on a jar of boiled quail or the slick, dark meat of a rabbit. There are unexpected moments when I see the slit of [...]

The Brass Verdict – Book Review

Oct 19th, 2008
by Wendy.
10 comments

Everybody lies. Cops lie. Lawyers lie. Clients lie. Even jurors lie. There is a school of belief in criminal law that every trial is won or lost in the choosing of the jury. I’ve never been ready to go all the way to that level but I do know that there is probably no phase [...]

Read-A-Thon (October): Wrap Up, Fundraising, and Book Giveaway

Oct 19th, 2008
by Wendy.
19 comments

The Read-A-Thon wrapped up this morning at 5:00AM and I was sound asleep! I went to bed around 1:30AM (during hour 21) after participating for 18.5 hours (my down time was 1.75 hours and was mostly eating, showering and about a half hour of watching television). My informal goals were to read 500 pages (I [...]

Read-A-Thon: Hour 20

Oct 19th, 2008
by Wendy.
6 comments

The Readers of the hour this hour are: Mari Andi I visited them both and left comments to cheer them on … I’m not sure how many people are still up and reading at this hour! And I’m throwing in the towel. I finished my second book this hour -Tomato Girl, by Jayne Pupek. I’ll [...]

Read-A-Thon: Hour 19

Oct 19th, 2008
by Wendy.
3 comments

I am fading fast…there is a mini-challenge this hour, but I’m passing on it. I’ve reached my goal of reading 500 pages. I’d like to stay up for 20 hours, so I need to hang in there just a little longer. Update since my last post (or see it in a Google spreadsheet) Book I’m [...]

Read-A-Thon: Hour 18

Oct 18th, 2008
by Wendy.
5 comments

No mini-challenges this hour…but I DID win a prize (see below). And I spent some time responding to all the great comments people have left on my blog and updating my Google Spreadsheet which had gotten somewhat behind. Update since my last post (or see it in a Google spreadsheet) Book I’m reading: Tomato Girl, [...]

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