The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver

Published in 2009. 507 pages.


I have been a fan of Barbara Kingsolver for twenty or so years, since I first fell in love with Taylor and Turtle in The Bean Trees. I have read all five of her previous novels, although I've yet to read her short stories or non-fiction books. And I had been wanting to read The Lacuna since its publication a year ago, but I was a little hesitant to jump right into it because of the length. (I've been feeling more reading satisfaction lately with short, quick reads.)

Because The Lacuna was the November pick for the Book Buddies, I started reading it in mid-November. It did prove to be a slow read for me - mostly because I was working on several non-reading projects during parts of November, but also, I'll assert, because it's a book that requires thought and time to process. I finished the book yesterday, after devoting a fairly large block of time on Thursday to it. In the end, I have to say that it's an amazing book!

la·cu·na n. \lə-ˈkü-nə, -ˈkyü-\
1: a blank space or a missing part : gap; also : deficiency
2: a small cavity, pit, or discontinuity in an anatomical structure

The Lacuna takes the reader on an epic journey from the Mexico City of artists Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo to the America of FDR and J. Edgar Hoover as it relates the poignant story of Harrison Shepherd, a man pulled between two nations as they invent their modern identities.

I think much of the overarching theme of the book - and certainly a partial explanation of the title - is illustrated by this passage:

I didn't say what Frida would have. That you can't really know the person standing before you, because always there is some missing piece: the birthday like an invisible piñata hanging great and silent over his head, as he stands in his slippers boiling the water for coffee. The scarred, shrunken leg hidden under a green silk dress. A wife and son back in France. Something you never knew. That is the heart of the story. [page 325]

I got a good sense of place from the novel, particularly the sections set in Mexico. I have only visited Mexico once, but I could vividly picture some of what I saw there as I read about Harrison and Frida visiting an archeological dig and about Harrison and Violet visiting Chichén Itzá.

In a hearing before the Committee on Un-American Activities, Harrison Shepherd comments, "Art takes its meaning in the eye of the beholder" [page 488]. In that spirit, I took away many political messages from Kingsolver's tale. In my opinion, there are, sadly and frighteningly, so many similarities between the fear- and hate-filled atmosphere of the anti-Communist McCarthy era and the fear- and hate-filled rhetoric I hear in many places today. I recently read the following in an essay about faith:

There is nothing that will tear the fabric of society more quickly in a crisis than fear and panic.

That was followed, appropriately, by this quote from Franklin Delano Roosevelt:

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself - nameless, unreasoning, unjustified, terror which paralyzed needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.

It's too bad that the country didn't remember FDR's statement long past his death!

I've read two other works of historical fiction recently, one I loved and one I didn't. As with The Day the Falls Stood Still, I learned a lot from The Lacuna - both about history and about myself. I guess I found The Lacuna to be the kind of historical novel that I had wanted The Postmistress to be - multi-layered but cohesive, meaningful, beautiful, and satisfying!

2010.80

What's On Your Nightstand?

Hosted by 5 Minutes for Books
I haven't done as much reading in the past few weeks as I expected I would, so right now I still have many of the same books as my nightstand as I did at the end of October, including North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell, which is the pick for my "book lunch girls" meeting in December.

I'll be wrapping up my reading for the Fall into Reading challenge by December 20. As of today, I've read only seven of the 26 books on my list - with two more in process - so lots of those books are on my nightstand.

The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa is the Book Buddies choice for December, so I need to get it on my nightstand soon.

Matched by Ally Condie will be released on November 30, and I'm looking forward to having it on my nightstand shortly thereafter! (Matched is the book for my January "Teaching Through Literature Discussions" class, and I'm eager to hear Condie speak.)

Check out what other people have
on their nightstands here.

The Postmistress by Sarah Blake

Published in 2010. 326 pages.


I wanted to love this book. A historical fiction novel. Set during World War II. With not just one but three female protagonists. Each revealing part of the story from her own perspective. The Postmistress had all the elements of a great read! Alas ...

The book started slow for me, but I kept going because it was both a Book Buddies pick and a Salt Lake County Reader's Choice nominee. I kept hoping that something would happen that would captivate me - or at least let me see what the author was trying to tell her readers. Unfortunately, that never happened - even as I neared the end and just "knew" that I would finally be happy with the tale. The more I hoped for the book to come together in a way that I'd find satisfying, the more irritated I got ... and then I just got crabby.

• If I had read "he leaned in to light her cigarette" one more time, I would have screamed.


• What was with the weird, unrelated scenes of sexuality and discussions of women's reproductive health issues?


• The plot was not cohesive. There were several "short stories" that I quite enjoyed, but as a novel it just didn't come together.


• Even the title misrepresents the content, as "the postmistress" is only one of three female protagonists.

For a more thoughtful and positive review, check out Dawn's thoughts at She Is Too Food of Books.

What's On Your Nightstand?

Hosted by 5 Minutes for Books
Right now - just in time for Halloween - I'm finishing up The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe. It is a Salt Lake County Library Reader's Choice nominee, and it will also be the November/December read for my long-time book club.

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell is the next pick for my "book lunch girls" meeting, so it is on my nightstand, as is The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver, which is the Book Buddies selection for November.

In the next few weeks I'm hoping to read two non-fiction books on women's issues to complete the Women Unbound challenge by November 30. The two I'll likely read:

• The Curse of the Good Girl by Rachel Simmons


• Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her by Melanie Rehak

I'll also be continuing work on my Fall into Reading list all through November and into December. (Since I've only read four of the 26 books so far, I've got a long way to go!) Among the titles I'm most excited to read in the next few weeks:

• The Compound by S. A. Bodeen


• Deception by Jonathan Kellerman


• If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson


• Losing Faith by Denise Jaden

Check out what other people have
on their nightstands here.

The Wives of Henry Oadesby Johanna Moran

Published in 2010. 367 pages.


I read The Wives of Henry Oades with the Book Buddies online book group in August. Although I hadn't heard of the book before it was suggested for the group, the premise intrigued me. From the publisher's website:

When Henry Oades accepts an accountancy post in New Zealand, his wife, Margaret, and their children follow him to exotic Wellington. But while Henry is an adventurer, Margaret is not. Their new home is rougher and more rustic than they expected—and a single night of tragedy shatters the family when the native Maori stage an uprising, kidnapping Margaret and her children.

For months, Henry scours the surrounding wilderness, until all hope is lost and his wife and children are presumed dead. Grief-stricken, he books passage to California. There he marries Nancy Foreland, a young widow with a new baby, and it seems they’ve both found happiness in the midst of their mourning—until Henry’s first wife and children show up, alive and having finally escaped captivity.

Narrated primarily by the two wives, and based on a real-life legal case, The Wives of Henry Oades is the riveting story of what happens when Henry, Margaret, and Nancy face persecution for bigamy. Exploring the intricacies of marriage, the construction of family, the changing world of the late 1800s, and the strength of two remarkable women, Johanna Moran turns this unusual family’s story into an unforgettable page-turning drama.

Like Shanghai Girls and The Help - both of which the Book Buddies read and discussed just prior to reading The Wives of Henry Oades - this is a novel about women and their stories. I found myself identifying with both wives, unable to take sides. In the end, I think the theme of the book is the power of women's connections, a theme foreshadowed early in the novel:

Margaret tried, but she couldn't make [Henry] understand an affection forged in a single morning. The small transactions between women, particularly mothers, cannot adequately be explained to a man. Some, like hers with Mrs. Randolph, will bind women for life.

For more information, check out Johanna Moran's website - I particularly enjoyed "The Story Behind the Story" - and reviews by Becky of Becky's Book Reviews and Amy of My Friend Amy.

2010.45

Shanghai Girls by Lisa See

Published in 2009. 314 pages.


The historical fiction novel Shanghai Girls tells the story of sisters Pearl and May. They flee Shanghai in 1937 as it is being invaded by the Japanese and settle in Los Angeles into marriages arranged to settle their father's gambling debts.

This is the third of Lisa See's novels that I have read. The first, which I read many years ago, was Flower Net. (Apparently, it was the first in a series - but I didn't know that until today.) The second was Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, which I read with my book club last year. I still haven't read See's family history On Gold Mountain, although it's been highly recommended to me.

As I did with Snow Flower, I learned some things about history in reading Shanghai Girls, most notably the existence of Angel Island, about which I'd like to learn more.

Angel Island has been designed like Alcatraz, the island we passed on our way here. That too is an escape-proof prison. Those foolish or daring enough to swim for freedom are usually found days later washed up on a shore far from here. The difference between us and the inmates on the neighboring island is that we've done nothing wrong. Except that we have in the eyes of the lo fan. [page 109]

I can't help but think of the current political rhetoric on immigration when I read these words:

Naturally, there are the predictable comments about Joy being a girl, but most people are delighted to see a baby - any baby. That's when I realize that the majority of the guests are men, with very few wives and almost no children. What we experienced on Angel Island begins to make sense. The American government does everything possible to keep out Chinese men. It makes it even harder for Chinese women to enter the country. And in a lot of states it's against the law for Chinese to marry Caucasians. All this ends in the desired result for the United States: with few Chinese women on American soil, sons and daughters can't be born, saving the country from having accept undesirable citizens of Chinese descent. [page 131]

I'd like to think that Americans are better at human rights than we were in 1937 - and than we were in 1942 - but I'm afraid that we are not.

On a more positive note, I love this exchange between Pearl and her husband Sam:

"I've been smeared with mud that I'll never be able to wipe clean," I tentatively begin, hoping that what Mama said about the Ox is true: that he won't abandon you in times of trouble, that he'll stick by you faithfully, and that he is charitable and good. Don't I have to believe her now? Still, the emotions that play across his face - anger, disgust, and pity - don't make it easy for me as I tell my story.

When I'm done, he says, "You went through all that and still Joy came out perfectly. She must have a precious future." He puts a finger to my lips to keep me from saying anything more. "I would rather be married to broken jade than flawless clay. And my father used to say that anyone can add an extra flower to brocade, but how many women will fetch the coal in winter? He was talking about my mother, who was a good and loyal woman, just as you are."

We hear the others enter the apartment, but neither of us moves. Sam leans close and whispers in my ear. "On the bench in Yu Yuan Garden, I said I liked you and I asked if you liked me. You only nodded. In an arranged marriage this is more than we can hope for. I never expected happiness, but shouldn't we try to look for it?" [page 171]

While Sam is an Ox, Pearl is a Dragon, strong and stubborn, and May is a Sheep, adorable and placid. Like Pearl, I am a Dragon, and I found myself identifying with Pearl throughout the novel.

Pearl's daughter is a Tiger. Because she is born at Angel Island, Pearl and May get the task of naming her. "Naming is important, but it doesn't belong to women. Now that we have the opportunity to name a child - a girl at that - we find it's a lot harder than it seems" [page 121]. Jade - "because it conveys strength and beauty" - is suggested by a fellow detainee. Another likes the flower names - Orchid, Lily, Iris. A third insists on Mei Gwok, which means Beautiful Country and is the official Cantonese name for the United States. Finally May says, "Only one name is right for this baby. She should be called Joy. We're in America now. Let's not burden her with the past" [page 122].

In the end, Shanghai Girls is the story of two women - and women's stories, like the process of naming, are important. (I posted some thoughts on that topic on the Book Buddies blog.) I really enjoyed the story of Pearl and May, and I'd love to read more about Joy's story, if Lisa See would provide me with that opportunity.

2010.33

Windfalls by Jean Hegland

Published in 2004. 338 pages.


Windfalls - the second novel of American writer Jean Hegland - was the Book Buddies pick for May. This was my first exposure to Hegland's work. (Although I have had my mom's copy of Into the Forest on my bedside table for several years, I've yet to read it.) I found Windfalls to be a meaningful, emotional analysis of what it means to be a mother.

The following passage about the character Anna's feelings following her second daughter's birth powerfully describes the burdens of motherhood:

And suddenly a million threats suggested themselves to her. It was as though she were still dilated, still open and unfiltered, as though she were a lens that admitted all possible light, and every shadow. She thought of SIDS and AIDS and hidden heart defects, of strange viruses and untended swimming pools, of childhood cancers and E. coli-laden hamburgers. She remembered all the appalling numbers that filled the newspapers, the thousands of extinctions and billions of pounds of toxic chemicals that threatened the world. She thought of global warming, nuclear winter, and silent spring. Clutching the windowsill and staring down on the city stewing in all its ugly light, she wondered how she could ever feel safe again. [p. 146]

What I loved best about Windfalls was its depiction of motherhood as the truly tough, gritty, and on-our-own thing it is. Anna talks about this idea:

"We're all so alone, in mothering," Anna went on, her voice low and raw. "We can talk about how our lkids are doing in school and the cute things they say. We can even complain about how they're driving us nuts. But we can't talk about how much it terrifies us to love them as we do, or talk about how much we scare ourselves, trying to stay sane while we raise them. We can't talk about how much they teach us, how much they cost us, how much we owe to them. Or- " She shrugged. "Maybe it's just me." [p. 297]

There is a Book Group Guide here and a Q&A with the author here.

If you have reviewed Windfalls, please let me know. I'd love to link you here.

2008.30

April's Reading in Review

Total Books Year-to-Date: 27
(With a goal for the year of 104, I'm seven or eight books behind schedule. That's fewer than I feared, before I did the math, but I'm not sure whether I'm going to be able to make it up.)

April: 5 books


The Camel Bookmobile (for Book Buddies)
Someone Like Summer
Change of Heart
Flowers for Algernon
Speak (for my IRL book club)

March: 5 books
February: 7 books
January: 10 books

Challenges Status:

Expanding Horizons Challenge - 2/4 (ended April 30, but I'm going to keep going until I finish it; I'm part way through A Thousand Splendid Suns right now, which will be my third book).

Series Challenge - 2 completed (ends May 31).

Spring Reading Thing - 5/13 (ends June 19).

Book Awards Reading Challenge - 8/12 (ends June 30).

Themed Reading Challenge - 2/4 (ends June 30).

342,752 Ways to Herd Cats - 0/3 (ends November 30; I haven't yet decided what three books I'm going to read).

Chunkster Challenge - 1/4 (ends December 20).

TBR Challenge - 3/12 (ends December 31).

Young Adult Challenge - 9/12 (ends December 31).

What's in a Name? - 1/6 (ends December 31).

In Their Shoes - 1/8 (ends December 31).

Back to History Challenge - 2/12 (ends December 31; I was trying to finish Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History in March, but I'm still working on it).

Every Month is a Holiday - 3/12 (ends December 31; I need to finish March's pick, but I've already read November's, so maybe it'll all work out).

1st in a Series - 0/12 (ends December 31).

Celebrate the Author - 2/12 (ends December 31; I've skipped March and April, but I'll keep going and see if I can make those up later).

Printz Award Challenge - 2/6 (ends December 31).

Graphic Novels Challenge - 2/6 (ends December 31).

Man Booker Challenge - 0/6 (ends December 31).

In the Pub - 4/8 (ends December 31).

Reading Full Circle Challenge - 2 completed (ends December 31).

Triple 8 (or 888) - 24/56, with four overlaps (ends December 31).

A~Z Reading Challenge - 23/52 (ends December 31; I was hoping that I'd be able to fit almost everything I read, but I'm starting to get some overlaps on the letters.).

Suspense & Thriller Challenge - 4/6 for 2008 (challenge continues into 2009).

Cardathon - 3 completed.

Plans for May:
Ideally I'll read ten books this month, but if I can get at least these seven done, I won't be too disappointed in myself.

• Windfalls (for Book Buddies)


• Picture Perfect (for my IRL book club)


• Don't Know Much About the Universe for Astronomy Day (May's holiday for the Every Month is a Holiday Challenge); I started this one quite a while ago, so it would be nice to finish it.


• I'd like to finish A Thousand Splendid Suns and Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History within the next few days.


• My church women's group book club is reading The Kite Runner, which I read quite a while ago. But I am hosting the meeting, so I thought I'd make a point of seeing the film version and maybe picking a clip or two to show. Since I'm also currently reading A Thousand Splendid Suns, it'll be nice to be able to make a recommendation to the group about that one.


• The GoodReads YA Book Club is reading Uglies this month. I read it last year and loved it. I'm not going to re-read it, but I plan to join in the discussion. I might also finally get to Extras - the fourth book in the "trilogy." (Extras would count for Celebrate the Author, since Scott Westerfeld's birthday is in May.) I'd like to read The Book Thief too, which is what the group read in April but I just didn't get time to read.

The Camel Bookmobileby Masha Hamilton

Published in 2007. 308 pages.


First sentence: The child, wide-legged on the ground, licked dust off his fist and tried to pretend he was tasting camel milk.

Last sentence: And then she couldn't speak for a moment; her throat constricted as Matani's fresh water dampened her cheeks before evaporating in the merciless, thristy air.

Basic premise (adapted from the book jacket): American Fiona Sweeney goes to Africa to help start a traveling library, taking books to settlements where people have never even held a book in their hands. Though her motives are good, Fi doesn't understand the people she seeks to help. Encumbered by her Western values, she finds herself in the midst of several struggles within the community of Mididima.

Why I read this book: The Camel Bookmobile was the April pick for Book Buddies.

Where else I get credit for having read this book: After picking it up at the library, I realized that it is also one of the current Salt Lake County Library's Reader's Choice picks. So in addition to remaining a member-in-good-standing of Book Buddies, I've completed the first of my Triple 8 "Reader's Choice" category. I'm counting this one for the Themed Reading Challenge as well - since my theme is "Books About Books."

Some concepts explored in the book: Cultural differences. The importance of literacy and education. The role of women in society. Making a contribution to the world. Interpersonal relationships. Marching to a different drummer.

Three favorite passages:

It was more than a hope; it was an intuition now, or maybe a vow. [page 132]

There were limitations to language, even when it was shared. Sometimes words were not sturdy enough to hold all the needed meaning. She'd discovered that as a child, when she sought to find her mother in the harried and unreachable widow, and she felt it again now. [page 156]

Jwahir's father shook his head. "Those are words from your husband, not you. The issue is values. Ours are not theirs. We respect our ancestors' lessons. I know the name of my father's father's father's father. Do they in the city with their books know this?"

Here, Jwahir was tempted to interrupt, to ask whether he could recall the name of his mother's mother's mother's mother. She knew the answer, though. She'd heard this litany before, along with the recitation of the endless list of male preceded by male preceded by male. As if the women did not exist, except as containers shaped by others' visions, holders of the dreams of fathers, husbands, sons. She felt a surge of irritation coupled with resolve. Like her father, she was traditional. But her father's words fed her conviction that she had to break with tradition on some matters at least. It was right to risk everything to do what she believed, what she desired and needed - as a woman. [page 163]

Something else I liked: Fiona applies the metaphor of being "a zebra among giraffes" to herself and her situation in African. This idea comes from something she has seen on the African plains - a small herd of giraffes with one zebra among them. "He follows them everywhere," she is told. "Dreaming of being a giraffe?" she asked. "I imagine he lost his family somehow and he's longing to find another one to fit into" is the response.

One last thought: Fiona tries to learn some of the colloquialisms of the African community she visits. A final one she learns is "fresh water on your cheeks" - expressed to her as part of a good-bye and thank you. I find the phrase endearing.

2008.27

People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks

Published in 2008. 372 pages.


People of the Book was March's selection for Book Buddies. I was not familiar with either the book or the author before this, but I am very glad that I participated!

The novel, by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of March, is an imagined history of the Hebrew codex known as the Sarajevo Haggadah. A story about Aussie book conservator Hanna Heath is interspersed with five stories about the Hebrew manuscript itself, moving backward through time from World War II to 1480.

Other than some mild disappointment by the ending of the book, I enjoyed this novel greatly. To me the message both of People of the Book and the Sarajevo Haggadah is summarized well by Ozren, one of the book's characters:

You know I am not a religious man. But Hanna, I have spent many nights, lying awake here in this room, thinking that the haggadah came to Sarajevo for a reason. It was here to test us, to see if there were people who could see that what united us was more than what divided us. That to be a human being matters more than to be a Jew or a Muslim, Catholic or Orthodox. [p. 361]

You can see my responses to some of the Book Buddies discussion questions about People of the Book (and some of our other reads too) here. But be forewarned: there are spoilers there, as the discussion is based on the premise that the participants have already read the book.

2008.22

Some Ramblings about Reading

It's been an extremely busy few weeks with not much book blogging and not even much reading. But I do have several books on my mind!

First of all, I promised to give away my copy of An Absolute Gentleman! I had my daughter randomly choose a number from those who commented on my review by February 29, and the winner is (drumroll, please) Naida! (If you'll email me your snail mail address, Naida, I'll send the book to you as soon as I can.)

I've also got to mail two books that have been requested of me via BookMooch and PaperBackSwap - Barbara Vine's Gallowglass and Anne Tyler's Celestial Navigation, respectively. Getting to the post office is a challenge for me at times, but it'll happen soon!

In addition to needing to send books out, I've received a few books lately!

The Book Buddies pick for March is People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks. I've only been reading the group pick about every other month and really hoped to participate in March, but since the book is a new release, there are a lot of holds on it at the library. Realizing that I probably wouldn't be able to get it from the library until the end of the month, I decided to order it from amazon.com. They had it at a decent price, and thanks to Christine, I had a $10 gift card I could apply to the order. The book was delivered early this week, and that is what I've been reading a few pages from this week. I made some progress on the book this morning and have just finished posting a few of my thoughts over at the Book Buddies blog.

I also recently received in the mail a package from Florinda. She'd read Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah and generously offered to pass her copy along to me. It'll probably be a few months until I get to it, but once I read it, I'd love to pass it along to someone else.

Thursday one more book package arrived. This one was from Susan, who had held a drawing for a copy of The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Seierstad. My friend Cynthia had previously recommended the book to me - and I included it on my "What's in a Name?" challenge list - so when I saw that Susan was going to give her copy away, I hoped that I would get it. And I did!

One last book note for today! We visited the PTA book fair after the kids' parent-teacher conferences Thursday night. Sugar Bear got some Avatar: The Last Airbender books, Sugar Plum got Becoming Naomi León, and I got Poor Pluto!, a book written and illustrated by third-grade students of Tokay Colony Elementary School in Lodi, California.

Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff

Published in 2002. 166 pages.
2003 Newbery Honor Book.


First sentence: This picture has a dollop of peanut butter on one edge, a smear of grape jelly on the other, and an X across the whole thing.

Plot summary: Hollis Woods is a twelve-year-old girl who, abandoned as a baby, has spent her life running away from foster homes. Two recent placements find special spots in the pictures she draws - and in her heart - and Hollis will never be the same.

From the book jacket: Patricia Reilly Giff captures the yearning for a place to belong in this warm-hearted story, which stresses the importance of artistic vision, creativity, and above all, family.

Why I read this book: Pictures of Hollis Woods was the January pick for Book Buddies. My daughter Sugar Plum had already read it; in fact, it was the pick for our mother-daughter book club a couple of years ago. For some reason, I didn't have a chance to read it then, so I jumped at the opportunity to read it now. Additionally, it is perfect for my "Oh, To Be Young Again" category for the 888 Challenge. Of course, I'm also counting it for the Winter Reading Challenge.

What I thought: Pictures of Hollis Woods is a sweet and tender story, creatively told. I highly recommend it for older children as well as for adults!

2008.4

The Boy in the Striped Pajamasby John Boyne

Published in 2006. 218 pages.


I had The Boy in the Striped Pajamas on my to-read list earlier this year, so I jumped at the chance to read and discuss it with the Book Buddies. I knew the basic premise of the book - a young boy whose father is a commandant at "Out-With" befriends a Jewish boy of the same age on the other side of the fence - but I was completely unprepared for how profound I would find it to be.

The subtitle of this book is A Fable. It can be read as a simple young adult historical fiction novel, but I think that it is much more. My thesaurus says that fable, allegory, and parable are synonyms, each meaning "a story intended to teach a basic truth or moral about life." To me, that is what this book is. I do not think the book was intended to be read literally - although the setting and situation are historical. It is because the book is a fable that it has great power - power to make us contemplate its message, power to alter our thinking, power to stay with us for a long time.

(You can read more of my thoughts about the book in my posts on the Book Buddies blog here and here. But be forewarned: there are spoilers there, as the discussion is based on the premise that the participants have already read the book.)

2007.68

A Status Report on Challenges

These are the challenges in which I'm currently participating, in order of completion date, with my current status:

• 2007 R.I.P. Autumn Reading Challenge, hosted by Carl.
  Links to reviews are posted here.
  Time remaining: Negative two days, and counting ...
  Current status: Completed two of three on original list; added an additional selection; about 100 pages (of 650ish) to go in The Historian.


• Book Buddies, hosted by Bonnie Jacobs.
  Discussion of monthly selection is posted on the group blog.
  For November: I picked up The Boy in the Striped Pajamas from the library, but I haven't started reading it yet. I'm supposed to have the first half read by the 8th.


• Book to Movie Challenge, hosted by Callista.
  Links to reviews are posted here.
  Time remaining: 29 days.
  Current status: Completed one of three required.


• Fall into Reading 2007, hosted by Katrina.
  Links to reviews are tracked at Callapiddar Days.
  Time remaining: About seven weeks.
  Current status: Completed two of six on my original list.


• Newbery Challenge, in memory of Nattie.
  Time remaining: Almost two months.
  Current status: Finished two of six required.


• "Something About Me" Challenge, hosted by Lisa.
  Time remaining: Almost two months.
  Current status: Finished five of original five-plus-five, with one additional selection completed; about 100 pages to go in The Historian. After that one, I'd at least like to read Marley & Me and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn before the end of the challenge.


• Reading the Author Challenge, hosted by verbivore.
  Time remaining: Almost two months.
  Current status: Finished one of the required minimum of three; checked out several others from library.


• 2nds Challenge, hosted by Joy.
  Links to reviews will be tracked on Joy's blog.
  Time remaining: Almost two months.
  Current status: Still haven't started any of the three required.


• The Unread Authors Challenge, hosted by Pour of Tor.
  Reviews are posted to the challenge blog.
  Time remaining: Four months.
  Current status: Finished two, but still constructing the list of at least six required.


• Book Awards Reading Challenge, hosted by 3M (Michelle).
  Reviews are posted to the challenge blog.
  Time remaining: Eight months.
  Current status: Finished two of twelve required.


• "In Their Shoes" Reading Challenge, hosted by Vasilly.
  Reviews are posted to the challenge blog.
  Runs: January to December 2008.
  Current status: Posted "long list" of my picks.


• Cardathon Challenge, hosted by Becky.
  Reviews are posted to the challenge blog.
  Official starting date: January 1.
  Continuing for: "A year to whenever."
  Current status: Thinking about which of Card's books I'd like to read this year. Enchantment has been highly recommended. I'm also interested in Invasive Procedures.


• The Newbery Project, hosted by Alicia.
  Reviews are posted to the challenge blog.
  Ongoing.
  Current status: Still trying to figure out which ones of the eighty-six (to date) I've read recently enough to count as "already read".

I'm still thinking about the other challenges in which I'd like to participate in 2008. There are just so many fun, interesting possibilities! I've almost settled on my eight categories for the Triple 8 Challenge. Besides those fifty-six to sixty-four books, how many more do you think I can read in one year?