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July Book Blowout Wrap-up

So I joined the July Book Blowout Challenge to get through some of my mass market TBR pile. Instead, I read a lot of books by Erin Hunter. It’s worked out pretty well, though; I actually passed my goal of eight books this month, and I did manage to get through some of my MMTBRP (we are all about the acronyms in book blogging). If I do this again, I’ll probably want to concentrate more time on reading and less time online.

So here are the books I completed. Those with asterisks (*) were actually taken from my MMTBRP… So I did a decent job of getting through some of those.

1. The Castle in the Forest by Norman Mailer
2. Unbound by Julie Kaewert*
3. Warriors: Into the Wild by Erin Hunter
4. The Bonesetter’s Daughter by Amy Tan*
5. Warriors: Fire and Ice by Erin Hunter
6. Warriors: Forest of Secrets by Erin Hunter
7. Warriors: Rising Storm by Erin Hunter
8. Publish and Perish by Sally Wright*
9. Warriors: A Dangerous Path by Erin Hunter
10. Fatal Attraction by Alicia Fields*
11. Things My Girlfriend and I Have Argued About by Mil Millington*

The Castle in the Forest was started in June, so it only counts as a half book. If I wanted to count other “half books,” I could throw in The Meaning of Night by Michael Cox, Pursuit of Light by Sandy Brewer, and Confessions of a Book-Lover by Maurice Francis Egan, all of which I am still currently reading, but I’m not going to.

Did you discover a new author? A few, in fact, one of which I clearly enjoyed: Erin Hunter, Mil Millington, Amy Tan, Norman Mailer, Alicia Fields, and Sally Wright.

Where was the most unusual place you found yourself reading? I wouldn’t call it unusual to find oneself reading in a bookstore, but it was unusual that I traveled 35 minutes to read in this particular bookstore. Granted, I’d had a job interview that day, but I then stayed nearly four hours in the city just to read this book, which I could have read perfectly well at home.

Did you read more than usual? Oh yes, definitely. Unfortunately, I also picked up more books to read at once than I usually do: I’m a one-book kind of gal, but at the moment I’m reading three, maybe four.

Did you give up anything in order to read more? Until the end of the month, when I slacked down a bit, I gave up a lot of Internet time. This I found very rewarding and will try to do it again soon… If I spent less time online, I’d probably read 10 or more books every month.

If you won the Amazon voucher, what would you spend it on? Books, but more specifically, Pride and Predator by Sally Wright (which I can’t seem to find in bookstores), then I’d hold on to it until November to purchase Conspirata by Robert Harris. Anything left over would graciously be spent on Christmas gifts, I imagine.

Would you like to see a 2009 Book Blowout? Definitely. And I would like to see more people participate.

Japanese Literature Challenge

What? Another challenge? Well, I get sucked in easily. This is actually Japanese Literature Challenge #2, but it’s #1 for me because I missed the first one. I get to pick three books and read them between July 30, 2008 and January 30, 2009. No biggie, right? Well, I’m going to stay away from making them all Haruki Murakami books, because it’s more fun that way. So here are my three, plus some alternatives:

1. Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
2. Modern Japanese Literature, an anthology of works from 1868-present day (which is actually 1981)
3. The Laws of Evening by Mary Yukari Waters

Alternates:

• Rashomon and 17 other stories by Ryunosuke Akutagawa
• When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro
• Dance Dance Dance by Haruki Murakami
• The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu (or at least part of it!)
• Barefoot Gen by Keiji Nakazawa (manga)

Wish me luck, and I also hope that more people will join in this challenge!

If you’re browsing challenge pages looking for suggestions on your reading selection (for this challenge or any other that involves Japanese lit), here’s what I recommend:

• xxxHolic by Clamp (manga)
• Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
• Ghosts And The Japanese: Cultural Experience in Japanese Death Legends by Barre Toelken (for you folklore-y types)
• Path of the Assassin by Kazuo Koike (manga)
• Gon by Masashi Tanaka (manga)

July Book Blowout Challenge

I’m joining the July Book Blowout challenge because it only lasts for a month and I’m going to be reading a lot in July anyway. Why not feel some accomplishment among a group of people? The point of this challenge is to read as many books as you can in July. Reviews not required, which is a big plus, as I don’t generally review every book I read. Sometimes I get into what I call “mass market reads,” books in genres I don’t normally enjoy as much as others (paranormal romance, for example - I love select few, but I’m not about to go diving through the entire section of the store), and it takes me perhaps a day or two to get through those books. For some reason, I don’t find them particularly interesting enough to write up reviews.

In any case, I have a lot of those on my TBR pile so why not kick them out in July, rather than continuing to hold them off?

So, let’s see. July hasn’t generally been a good month for reading it seems. In 2005 and 2007, I only read 4 books; in 2006, there were just the 3. This year I am reading a lot more anyway, but as July seems to be a particularly busy month for me, I’m going to set my goal to read at least 8 books. I know that doesn’t seem like a lot, especially to all you readers out there who generally get into 10 or 15 books per month, but I’m being realistic based on all the projects I have planned for next month! Anyway, it’s more than I’ve read any other month this year so far.

ARC Reading Challenge

I really probably shouldn’t be joining another reading challenge but I really like this one. And while most (if not all) of my ARCs are already released, I still haven’t read them, it’s really been that long. So I’m taking this opportunity to force myself to read at least some of them. This way, at least, I won’t have a “backup” for when/if I do get more!

*Note: Some of the books I’m reading for this challenge aren’t necessarily advanced readers copies; some are just “review copies” I’ve received. As I’d like to get through those just as much as the others, I’m including them.

The challenge will run from June 21, 2008 - September 21, 2008. It will be to help those of us with ARC’s to get in gear and read and review them.

7. Enjoy!

So here are my unread ARCs, or at least the ones I could find when I made this post (I’ll likely add the rest later).

1. Endymion Spring by Matthew Skelton
2. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing by M.T. Anderson
3. New Moon by Stephanie Meyer
4. Stranger Than Fiction by Chuck Palahniuk
5. The Shadow Catcher by Marianne Wiggins
6. Crashing Through by Robert Kurson
7. Screamfree Parenting by Hal Edward Runkel
8. Pursuit of Light by Sandy Brewer
9. Writing Romance by Vanessa Grant

After I finish reading the ones I’m going to read, I’ll probably give them away. Yes, that’s right folks, stay tight and you might just get a free book. (Possibly one you’ve already read, but maybe one which belongs to your favorite author!)

So of my seven (possible eight or nine soon!) I am choosing to give these priority for this challenge:

Edit: Updated my list on receipt of some newer ARCs.

Cat Herding Challenge

Hello, today, and for the next 6 months, I am a cat. Renay in her awesomeness is my herder. (She’s pointing me in the direction of AWESOME BOOKS but I hadn’t been listening to her until now.)

Here is a list of ten books I loved.

1. The Iliad by Homer
2. Lunar Park by Bret Easton Ellis
3. Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami
4. Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind
5. The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl
6. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
7. Lilith by George MacDonald
8. Fairy Tale by Alice Thomas Ellis
9. The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut
10. The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly

Here are three books from other lists I’m reading for this challenge.

1. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
2. Inkheart by Cornelia Funke ♥ ♥
3. The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera ♥

I’ll be reading and reviewing these books between May 1, 2008 and November 30, 2008. I know! It seems like a long time for three books, so I might just end up reading more from other lists after I finish these three.

PS: These are my book club selections through November so, uh, I’ll also be reading these.

1. Twilight by Stephanie Meyer ♥ ♥ ♥
2. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier ♥ ♥
3. The Princess Bride by William Goldman ♥ ♥ ♥
4. The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffeneger ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

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