I LOVE Wishbone. I used to watch it with my grandpa when I stayed with him and my grandma every summer. They only had basic cable so I watched a lot of reruns of I Love Lucy and PBS. I wish they would release the series on DVD so I wouldn't have to save all the episodes on my TiVo.

Also, Happy Halloween!!!

New Challenge?

I'm thinking of joining this challenge. I currently am challenging myself to read the books I own but haven't read. I'm going to wait until closer to the end of the year to sign up (if I do decide to sign up). That way I can see how many books I read this year and gauge my level according to that.

In other news my body has been rebelling these last few days. I don't know what's up. Probably an allergic reaction to something. It's not fun though. Luckily it hasn't happened while at work (knock on wood).

And I started reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, I'm only 13 pages in. This is one of my first crime fictions. I hope I like it because I already bought the other two.

“All good books have one thing in common - they are truer than if they had really happened.”
–Ernest Hemingway.

An open question from The View from Saturday: 

"If you could live one day of your life all over again, what day would it be? And why?"

I don't know what day I would live over again. I think I focus on bad things much more than good things, so most of the days that really stand out in my mind don't seem that great. I might relive a day from when I was living in the UK, or a day in Hawaii.

Also, my choice depends whether that day would be exactly the same (in which case I would choose a good day) or if I could change anything (in which case I would pick the worst day of my life).

However, I think if it were a good day, I would be alone (make of that what you will) and if it was the worst day of my life, I would try to correct my one regret.

And what I'm reading now: I started rereading A Horse and His Boy (my least favorite of the Chronicles of Narnia) but I might give up and reread Lamb by Christopher Moore or The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold instead. Or perhaps something else will become my next read by tomorrow. We'll see.

I've been writing lame reviews of books as I finish them here, but I think I'm going to stop that. I already write lame reviews on my goodreads account. If you're interested, there's a link in this post and on my page. If I ever get better/have the sudden desire to post the same thing in two places on the internet (it's been known to happen occasionally here and on my tumblr), I might start up again.

However, I do want to put the books I am reading up here still. It gives my "what I'm reading" tag a purpose. Also, I care more about what everyone else is reading than about what they think about it (I'm shallow like that).

Today I finished Ruby Holler by Sharon Creech and started The View from Saturday by EL Konigsburg. I'm trying to decide what to read after I finish this. I had an epiphany this weekend but did not write it down so I of course promptly forgot it. Here's to hoping it returns soon (along with my ability to construct a readable sentence).

Meme Monday

36. How many books do you usually have checked out of the library at any given time?
I hate the library at home. At school last year, anywhere between one and ten.

37. How often have you returned book to the library unread?
Sometimes. I tried to only check out books I knew I would read.

38. Favorite fictional character?

I don’t really have favorite characters in books. If I had to pick, I’d say Lyra Silvertongue from HDM or Hermione Granger from Harry Potter.

39. Favorite fictional villain?

See above.

40. Books I’m most likely to bring on vacation?
Whatever I'm reading at the time, YA novels, rereads.

41. The longest I’ve gone without reading.
I have no idea. I go through phases where I'll read like mad for a while then not read at all.

42. Name a book that you could/would not finish.
The Lord of the Rings, but I'm going to finish The Return of the King one day, if only to say that I did it. 

43. What distracts you easily when you’re reading?
Too much noise around me, especially conversations. I'll often find myself eavesdropping instead of concentrating on what I'm reading.

44. Favorite film adaptation of a novel?
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe or Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (tentatively... I've only seen this one once).

45. Most disappointing film adaptation?
Almost every other film adaptation of a book I've read (there are lots of movies made from books I've never read and I don't really care about those). The Golden Compass and Disney's The Bridge to Terabithia are high on the list though. They looked so awful from the trailers that I didn't see either of them. 

I've been on a mini-vacation this weekend and am so happy to be back home sleeping in my own bed. It's been a lot of fun, but I can't wait for my schedule to go back to normal.

Image from Jacobsen Architecture

This photo combines my love of white bedrooms with my love of bookcases. Perfection.

Today, in place of a book quote, I give you the words of Sarah Silverman.

"Dear America, 
When you tell gay Americans that they can’t serve their country openly, or marry the person that they love, you’re telling that to kids, too. So don’t be fucking shocked, and wonder where all these bullies are coming from that are torturing young kids, and driving them to kill themselves because they’re different. They learned it from watching you."

I just finished The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin. Fun fact: Ellen Raskin illustrated the original book jacket of A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. It was really interesting. In the beginning I had trouble keeping all the characters straight (there are a lot of characters). But once I got into it, the mystery kept me reading. It's like Clue (the movie) with an element of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl thrown in.

This was the fiftieth book I read this year. I reached my goal of reading 50 books this year and 8 books this month. I read a lot of children's lit though (aka shorter books), so I'm a little more than a thousand pages short of my 15,000 page goal. Something to work on in November and December (not that I'll stop reading this month...). 

Another goal: to read a (preferably a new to me) Newbery Medal winner from every decade. When You Reach Me and The Westing Game get me started with... the 2010s (is that right?) and the 1970s.

It was that or to read every Newbery Medal winner from one decade. Maybe I'll tackle that one next year I only have to read three new books to complete the 1990s,* but I'll probably tackle the 2000s. I've only read one of those.**

*The three I haven't read are Maniac MaGee by Jerry Spinelli, Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, and Missing May by Cynthia Rylant.
** The one I have read is The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

Meme Monday

26. Favorite cookbook?
I do not cook and do not have a favorite cookbook.

27. Most inspirational book you’ve read this year (fiction or non-fiction)?
This Is Water by Davis Foster Wallace.

28. Favorite reading snack?

I don’t eat too often while I’m reading. I find it hard to hold the book and eat at the same time.

29. Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience.
Maybe The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien, but this doesn't happen much for me with books. Strange since it happens with movies all the time.

30. How often do you agree with critics about a book?
I rarely read book reviews.

31. How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews?
If I think a book deserves one star (on goodreads), I give it one star. I don’t feel bad about it.

32. If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you chose?
Japanese or French. Most of the translated books I own are Japanese (Murakami) or French (Dumas).

33. Most intimidating book you’ve ever read?
The Count of Monte Cristo, The Three Musketeers, or The Lord of the Rings.

34. Most intimidating book you’re too nervous to begin?
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, but I will conquer it one day.

35. Favorite Poet?
I like what I've read of Frank O'Hara. Also Shel Silverstein. 

I'm also going to a bookstore today. I was trying not to buy any more books for the month (ideally the year), but I have to give in and get my own copy of When You Reach Me. Hopefully I can resist the call of other books while I'm there.

This is a sickness

But the very best kind of sickness.

I just finished When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead and it is the most beautiful thing I've read in a while. I wish it had been written ten years earlier so I could have read it when I was 12. This book is like an old friend I've just met (to steal from Gonzo), and it's made me want to give five stars to every children's book I've ever read.

Even though I wasn't surprised by the ending, I'm confident I could reread this book many times and still take away something different, or notice something I missed the last time I read it. Also, it doesn't hurt that this book references A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle several times (I totally have a signed copy of A Wrinkle in Time that also says Tesser Well).

This book was also great because it broke me out of the reading slump I hit after the read-a-thon when I started Watership Down (aka Lord of the Rings with rabbits). Hopefully my next reads (probably Ruby Holler by Sharon Creech with some Watership Down thrown in with the hopes that I'll actually finish it) will keep this ball rolling. One more book to 50 for the year!

“I never deliberately learned to read, but somehow I had been wallowing illicitly in the daily papers. In the long hours of church—was it then I learned? I could not remember not being able to read hymns. Now that I was compelled to think about it, reading was something that just came to me, as learning to fasten the seat of my union suit without looking around, or achieving two bows from a snarl of shoelaces. I could not remember when the lines above Atticus’s moving finger separated into words, but I also stared at them all the evenings in my memory, listening to the news of the day, Bills to Be Enacted into Laws, the diaries of Lorenzo Dow—anything Atticus happened to be reading when I crawled into his lap every night. Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing.” –To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout Finch

Meme Monday

16. Do you ever dog-ear books?
Only when I am desperate and have no other way of marking the page.

17. Do you ever write in the margins of your books?
I used to when I was in school but I never write in my personal copies of books.

18.  Not even with text books?
See above.

19. What is your favorite language to read in?
English.

20. What makes you love a book?
I love a book when it teaches me something, anything. However, I also love books that simply entertain.

21. What will inspire you to recommend a book?

It depends. I have to have really enjoyed the book and I have to think the other person will enjoy it too.

22. Favorite genre?
Fiction?

23. Genre you rarely read (but wish you did?)
Biographies

24. Favorite biography?
I read Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin this year. It's technically a memoir, but it was very good.

25. Have you ever read a self-help book?
No

PS Happy Canadian Thanksgiving everyone! (I celebrated by watching HIMYM. Sadly, this week's episode didn't mention Canadian Thanksgiving.)

from tumblr

Read-a-thon Wrap Up

I fell asleep. But that's actually good. I'll be able to function today (mostly).

I squeezed in a little more reading. I got 110 more pages read from 1:20am to 1:55am.

Here are my totals for the read-a-thon:
Title of book(s) read since last update: I finished Fantastic Mr. Fox and started Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator both by Roald Dahl
Number of books read since you started: 5.5 plus part of a Harry Potter audiobook and 20 pages of Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator
Pages read since last update: 110
Running total of pages read since you started: 1,018
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 35 min
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 12 hr
Mini-challenges completed: 4

It was fun. Hopefully next time I won't have so much to do around the read-a-thon and I'll be able to read more. Still, I'm pretty happy with how this one went.

One last huge thanks to all the cheerleaders. You all did such a great job motivating me to keep going. Whenever I felt tired, I'd come reread a cheer. It was great that even though I was reading alone for most of the day, it never felt like I was alone.

And thanks to the organizers and mini challenge hosts, everyone who helped put the read-a-thon on. It was great! I can't wait for April.

(If the 24 Hour Meme ever gets posted, I'll add my answers to this post.)
(Ask and you shall receive. These showed up right after I posted the above. )

1. Which hour was most daunting for you? Probably Hour 1 (I had trouble choosing what book to start with) and Hour 21 (when I fell asleep)
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? I enjoyed rereads from my childhood. They went pretty quickly because they're short, the language is easy, and I already knew the story. I also thought Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day was a good read-a-thon book.
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? Nope. I think it went great.
4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon? I thought everything went really smoothly. The Cheerleaders were probably my favorite part (I know I've gushed about them a lot over the last 24 hours, but it's all deserved).
5. How many books did you read? 5.5 plus part of a Harry Potter audiobook and 20 pages of Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator
6. What were the names of the books you read?
* Animorphs 10: The Android
* Burning Bright (started before the read-a-thon)
* The Secret Lives of People in Love
* Animorphs 11: The Forgotten
* Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
* Fantastic Mr. Fox
* Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator (partially read)
* Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (partially listened to) 
7. Which book did you enjoy most? Of the new reads (aka excluding the Animorphs books) I enjoyed Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day most
8. Which did you enjoy least? I enjoyed all of them. If I hadn't liked any, I would have stopped reading that book and started another.
9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders? I was not a Cheerleader, but might sign up to be one next time. 
10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time? I'm very likely to participate again if I'm free on that weekend in April. If I can participate for the full 24 hours, I might just read (just to see how much I can read if I fully devote myself to the 24 hours). If that read-a-thon is like this one though (with lots of interruptions throughout the day) I might sign up to read and be a cheerleader. Either way, I'm excited for the next read-a-thon!

Hour 19

Title of book(s) read since last update: I'm just finished Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson. Number of books read since you started: 4.5 plus part of a Harry Potter audiobook
Pages read since last update: 77
Running total of pages read since you started: 908
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 1hr  5 min
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 11 hr 25min
Mini-challenges completed: 4

My eyes are feeling very tired. It is time for a nap for reals. If there are no more updates from me, it means my nap turned into sleep. Here's to hoping that doesn't happen. To anyone still awake and reading/cheering, I applaud you.

Hour 18

Title of book(s) read since last update: I'm still reading Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson. I would highly recommend this book for the read-a-thon. It's very entertaining and a quick read.
Number of books read since you started: 3.5 plus part of a Harry Potter audiobook
Pages read since last update: 74
Running total of pages read since you started: 831
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 1hr 
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 10 hr 20min
Mini-challenges completed: 4

I ended up not taking a nap. That will come later. I really want to push and finish this book before midnight. I think I'm just going to miss that mark. We'll see.

Hour 16

Title of book(s) read since last update: I started Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson
Number of books read since you started: 3.5 plus part of a Harry Potter audiobook
Pages read since last update:  83
Running total of pages read since you started: 757
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 1hr 15 min
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 9 hr 20min
Mini-challenges completed: 4

I think I need to take another break, chill out, move around, maybe nap a little. I think most of my updates have either involved taking a break or food. I promise I'm reading too, that's just not as interesting to write about.

Hour 14

Title of book(s) read since last update: I finished The Forgotten (Animorphs 11)
Number of books read since you started: 3.5 plus part of a Harry Potter audiobook
Pages read since last update: 127
Running total of pages read since you started: 674
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 55 min
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 8 hr 5min
Mini-challenges completed: 4

I'm starting to get tired. It's time to rally (and possibly caffeinate a little). Thanks for all the encouraging comments! They're helping a lot.

Hour 13

I just got home and I'm feeling pretty good. Here's what I accomplished reading-wise while at work.

Title of book(s) read since last update: I finished The Secret Lives of People in Love and started The Forgotten (Animorphs 11)
Number of books read since you started: 2.5 plus part of a Harry Potter audiobook
Pages read since last update: 109, plus I listened to the equivalent of 33 pages
Running total of pages read since you started: 547
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 1hr 40min reading, 55 min listening
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 7 hr 10min
Mini-challenges completed: 4

Now I'm off to eat dinner and read some more!

Mid-Event Survey

 1. What are you reading right now? Animorphs 11: The Forgotten

2. How many books have you read so far? 2.5 (plus some of an audio book)

3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon? Not sure yet. I don't have a list and didn't pick out anything ahead of time. I'm just reading as the spirit moves me.

4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day? Unfortunately I had to work, so I haven't been reading all day.

5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those? I had to work, but I tried to read as much as I could (I was babysitting) while away from home.

6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far? How not daunting it's been. Maybe it's because I just had a huge break (we'll see how I'm doing in the early hours of the morning), but it hasn't been as challenging as I thought it would be.

7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? Nope. I might at the end though. We'll see.

8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year? If I were able to participate for the full 24 hours, I might sign up as a Reader and a Cheerleader. 

9. Are you getting tired yet? Not yet.

10. Do you have any tips for other Readers or Cheerleaders, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered? For me, I've read one YA title, one novel and a book of short stories. I think variety is the key. Also, even though I have a complex about finishing every book I start, for the read-a-thon, I would say if it doesn't interest you, pick up something else.

Hour 7

I've gotten no reading done this hour.

Instead I took a nap, ate lunch and rehydrated. Now I am about to change (I'm still in my pajamas) so I can go to work. This means no updates for a few hours. And by a few I mean six or seven. I'm going to try to keep reading while I'm gone and will post an update as soon as I get back to my computer.

Happy reading everyone!

PS And here's another shout out to the cheerleaders. I haven't responded to too many of you individually, but I have read all your comments/cheers/encouragements. Thanks so much! You're all awesome!!!

Hour 6

Title of book(s) read since last update: Still reading The Secret Lives of People in Love
Number of books read since you started: 1.5
Pages read since last update: 63
Running total of pages read since you started: 405
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 55min
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 4 hr 35min
Mini-challenges completed: 3

Show Me the Books Mini Challenge

It's not a very good photo (I'm not a very good photographer), but this is one of my many TBR shelves. I own a ton of books that I've never read. Hopefully I'll get through a few of these today!

Hour 5

Title of book(s) read since last update: I finished Burning Bright by Tracy Chevalier and started The Secret Lives of People in Love by Simon Van Booy
Number of books read since you started: 1.5 (I started Burning Bright before the read-a-thon)
Pages read since last update: 45
Running total of pages read since you started: 342
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 30 min 
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 3hr 40 min
Mini-challenges completed: 2

I took a little break from reading to eat a proper breakfast (bagel with cream cheese and lox) and watch this week's episode of The Big Bang Theory. Now I'm ready to read some more.

And I want to say thanks to all the cheerleaders! You're all doing a great job. I love seeing all your encouraging comments when I come here to post a new update.

Hour 3

Title of book(s) read since last update: I'm finishing Burning Bright (~30 pages to go)
Number of books read since you started: 1 finished, 1 almost finished (that I started before the read-a-thon)
Pages read since last update: 127
Running total of pages read since you started: 297
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 1hr 40 min
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 3hr 10 min
Mini-challenges completed: 2 (if you count the introduction meme) 

Back-in-the-Day Children’s Book Mini-Challenge

What were some of your favorite children’s books when you were younger? I mentioned in my first Monday Meme that I loved series as a child. One series I didn't mention is Harry Potter, but that might be because I read that series from childhood (age 11) to young adulthood (19). 

Do you have any new favorites now that you’re an adult? I recently read Ella Enchanted and am pretty sure I would have loved it as a kid. I enjoy rereading children's books I loved more than reading new ones though. I can't help but love them now because I loved them then. There's not that nostalgic element with children's books I read now. 

Have you included any children’s or YA titles in your Read-A-Thon stack this year? I have included some YA titles in my read-a-thon plans. I started with an Animorphs book and might break out a few more when I get tired.

Hour 2

Title of book(s) read since last update: Animorphs 10: The Android
Number of books read since you started: 1
Pages read since last update: 170
Running total of pages read since you started: 170
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 1 hr 30 mins
Running total of time spent reading since you started: (keep track of this one to be eligible for a prize!) 1hr 30 mins
Mini-challenges completed: 1
Other participants you’ve visited: 0 (I probably won't visit too many blogs this read-a-thon)
Prize you’ve won: 0

And now I'm going to make myself some tea and get something to eat. Then more reading!

Hour 1

Let the read-a-thon begin!

Where are you reading from today? From home and where I'll be babysitting later today (all in the Bay Area)
3 facts about me...  1. This is my first read-a-thon. 2. I'm a really good whistler. 3. I also love to knit.
How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours? I didn't make a pile. I'm just going to grab another book from my shelf as I finish one. I tried to make a pile, but it was going to be about 20 books big, which is overwhelming for one day.
Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon (i.e. number of books, number of pages, number of hours, or number of comments on blogs)? I just want to participate for as long as I can and read as much as I can. But I have to do some things today (which will cut into my reading time) and I have a lot of commitments tomorrow morning/afternoon (which require that I get some sleep tonight).
If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice for people doing this for the first time? This is my first read-a-thon. I hope some others out there have good advice!

"I can never read all the books I want; I can never be all the people I want and live all the lives I want. I can never train myself in all the skills I want. And why do I want? I want to live and feel all the shades, tones and variations of mental and physical experience possible in life. And I am horribly limited."

-Sylvia Plath

I finished The Great Gatsby today. I'm not very good at book reviews, so instead I'm posting a few paintings by Jack Vettriano that make me think of The Great Gatsby.

Narcissistic Bathers

The Waltzers

The Letter

Amateur Philosophers

Meme Monday

I bumped the number of questions up from 5 to 10. That way I should finish within the month. Also, the questions all came from here.

6. Do you have an e-reader?
Nope, but I sometimes read e-books on my computer. 

7. Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once?
I usually read a book quickly enough that there's not a lot of time to read another one at the same time, but even when I read one more slowly, I still usually only read one at a time.

8. Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog?
Well, I just started this blog, so no.

9. Least favorite book you read this year (so far?)
My friend recommended a book by Cassandra Clare to me. I didn't get past the first chapter. And I usually finish every book I start.

10. Favorite book you’ve read this year?
To Kill a Mockingbird  by Harper Lee was excellent. It was my first time reading it. I had read parts of it freshman year in high school, but never read the whole novel until this summer.

11. How often do you read out of your comfort zone?
Not too often.

12. What is your reading comfort zone?
Novels.

13. Can you read on the bus?
Yes.

14. Favorite place to read?
In bed.

15. What is your policy on book lending?
Depends on the person. My biggest pet peeve is when someone breaks the spine of one of my books. I don’t really mind other damage (as long as it’s minor). I'll lend a book to anyone once, but if it comes back broken I'm not likely to let them borrow another one.

from tumblr

It's National Book Month. One of my goals for the month is to try and finish at least 7 books (that will bring my total to 50 books read this year). Definitely doable with the read-a-thon coming up.

I finished The Catcher in the Rye by today. It was OK. It took me four days to finish though. When I was reading it, it was easy to read. When I wasn't reading it, it was hard to pick up.

Also, when I started reading it I realized I knew NOTHING about the plot. No one really talks about what happens in the book (maybe because not much happens in the book). People always talk about how much they love or hate Holden Caulfield. At times I thought he was a genius and at times I thought he was the most annoying character ever.

I'm off to start The Great Gatsby now. I read parts of it when I was a junior in high school (I think I even wrote a paper on it), but I've never read it all the way through.

And just for a laugh, here's the Book-A-Minute summary for The Catcher in the Rye:

Holden Caulfield Angst angst angst swear curse swear crazy crazy angst swear curse, society sucks, and I'm a stupid jerk.