Kristen from We Be Reading on 20 Questions

Welcome back to 20 Questions, where we get to know our fellow book bloggers a little better!

Today I would like to present to you Kristen of the fab blog We Be Reading! Thank you, Kristen, for playing today!

20 QUESTIONS

1. Last book you bought: I'm about to put in a pre-order for The Weed That Strings The Hangman's Bag by Alan Bradley -- the follow-up to The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie.

2. Last book you got in the mail: An ARC of Heresy by S.J. Parris that I had forgotten I requested from Shelf Awareness. I think I asked for it months ago.

3. The first book you read over and over: Either The Wizard of Oz books or the Raggedy Ann and Andy books. I absolutely loved those ones and had copies at home which made it easy to read them as many times as I wanted.

4. Children’s book every child should read: The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf. Make love, not war!

5. Favorite place to read: Our new-ish couch has the chaise lounge on one side and it's a great spot but I also love to read in bed. And in the summer, I spend most evenings reading outside in the yard. This last week we had unseasonable warmth so I sat on the porch steps to read since our lawn furniture is packed away for the winter.

6. A book you bought just for the cover: I'm not really a cover-only shopper but I will pick up any book with the silhouette of a raven or an iron gate on it!

7. Scariest book ever read: The answer to this one is always The Dollhouse Murders by Betty Ren Wright. I read it when I was maybe ten or eleven and it was about dolls re-enacting a murder scene every night in their dollhouse and I accidentally left it on my dresser by my own dollhouse one night and, well, I'm sure you can guess the inevitable frightening thoughts that I had! I'm good at imagining things that go bump in the night.

8. Most romantic book ever read: I always thought it was Gone With the Wind until I matured and realized how terrible Rhett and Scarlett's relationship really is. So now I would say it's Possession by Jane Austen. I think Aarti quoted from it recently ... so romantic!

9. Book that changed your life in some way: Probably Atlas Shrugged or The Fountainhead -- not for the economic philosophies or the dysfunctional love stories but just for the "it's not wrong to be smart or original" themes.

10. Book you’ve re-read the most times: It used to be Gone With the Wind at eight or nine times but now I've probably read the first Harry Potter that many times too. I'm a huge re-reader so most of my favorites have at least two or three re-reads already -- if not more.

11. Book you needed the Cliff’s Notes for: None so far although if I ever actually start reading Joyce's Ulysses, I may go hunt them down.

12. Book you needed the dictionary for: I don't usually need a dictionary for English books but I'm obsessed with looking up French phrases when they show up in a book I'm reading. I hate not knowing what the little asides are!

13. Book you like that no one else seems to: A couple of Salman Rushdie books (The Ground Beneath Her Feet is one of my favorites),The Thirteenth Tale, The Historian. Those are the ones that come to mind right away. I know some people like them but others seem to strongly dislike them.

14. Book you don’t like that everyone else seems to love: Drood by Dan Simmons. I waited for the hate reviews to roll in but it was mostly just mine!

15. Number of books you own (you can guess): LibraryThing says 540 and then the husband has more and Z has maybe 150 already. Oh, and then we have text books and cookbooks and stuff. So probably around 1000. All I know is that we don't have anywhere near enough bookshelf space. Most of them reside in stacks around the house.

16. Number of books on your TBR list (that you have not acquired yet): Only 35 on my Amazon list that I want to buy for sure but my library list has just passed 200 that are just "to read" books. Yikes!

17. Must-have reading accessories: Definitely a blanket and slippers. I get cold when I read.

18. Literary Destination You Want to Go to: I think just finally getting to London would be the highlight of my life.

19. Top Three Favorite Authors: Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins, Agatha Christie, Gregory Maguire, Diana Wynne Jones, Jasper Fforde ... that's three, right?

20. Three Bloggers You Want to See Featured in the Future: I think some of my favorites have already been through here and these ones may have done this already but I'll say Lena (of Save Ophelia), Simon (of Savidge Reads) and Jemima (of The Reading Journey).

From Becca: I am trying to read The Historian right now and can't quite get into it. It is moving very slowly. And, how did I not know Raggedy Ann and Andy had books? I loved my dolls. I need to look into those books. I, too, enjoy reading outdoors when the weather is warmer. I am ready for that weather right now!

Check below to see who is appearing on 20 Questions next! There's a great lineup!:

~Jill of Fizzy Thoughts (3/4)
~Michelle of Galleysmith (3/11)
~Trisha of eclectic/eccentric (3/18)
~Natasha (aka Vasilly) of 1330v (3/25)
~Staci of Life in the Thumb (4/1)
~Kathleen (Callista) of SMS Book Reviews (4/8)
~Michelle of The True Book Addict (4/15)


Do you want to be featured on 20 Questions? Send me an e-mail (which you can find on my Blogger profile!) with your answers to the questions! Please include questions and answers together, which makes it easier for me to post, plus a photo if you want me to put a different one than your blog's profile picture. I will then e-mail you and let you know when you will be featured! Thanks!

Book List: Books That Should Be Made Into Movies

The Book List is just a short and fun meme that allows you to share books and make a list of books!

The way you do this meme is simple:

• There is a different topic each week, which will be posted here.
• You write a post on your own blog about the topic.
• The post will be a list of 3 books pertaining to the topic.
  
• You may include photos with your lists, especially if that helps illustrate your point.
  
• You link back to the week's post here on Lost in Books in your post so if someone else wants to play, they can find their way here.
• Then you come here and leave your link in the Mr. Linky so other people can find your post and your list!
• There is no obligation to post every single week. Participate when you can!
  

Sound fun? Then join in!

This Week's Topic is:

3 Books That Should Be Made Into Movies

My List:


1. The Thriller/Drama: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson






2. The Drama/Foreign Film: A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini





3. The True Story/Dramedy: The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls



Play along by posting to your blog or, if you don't have a blog, play along in the comments. Here is the Mr. Linky for your blog post. If it does not work for you, you may leave your link in the comments section, too. I am currently working on making the master list for all of the books we list!




Upcoming Topics:
~3 Best/Worst Sidekicks to a Hero in a Book
~3 Books That Take You Back to High School
~3 Books That You Loved as a Child

What I'm Reading Plus Fabulous Commenters

This meme is hosted by J. Kaye at J. Kaye's Book Blog.


Books I completed the past week are:
1. Chinese Landscape Painting by Sherman Lee
2. Maximum Ride 3: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports by James Patterson


Books I am working on:
Fiction:
1. The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova (pg. 58 of 704) I'm having trouble getting into this story but I am determined to give it more time. (for a challenge)
2. The Writing on My Forehead by Nafisa Haji (ARC for March tour) (pg. 51 of 320)

Nonfiction:
1. Serious Doubts: Why People Marry When They Know It Won't Last by Carl Weisman (pg. 76 of 170) (ARC)
2. Searching for Whitopia by Rich Benjamin (pg. 200 of 368) (ARC)
3. Bright Lights, Big Ass by Jen Lancaster (pg. 64 of 380) (just because I like her)
4. The Art of Gaman: Arts & Crafts from the Japanese American Internment Camps by Delphine Hirasuna (pg. 10 of 124) (for a challenge)
5. The Complete Book of Natural Pain Relief by Richard Thomas (pg. 27 of 154) (just because)

ARCs and Other Books For Review Coming Up Next (I'm So Behind):
1. Best Friends by Jennifer Weiner
2. Scared by Tom Davis
3. Recovering My Voice by Aruni Nan Futuronsky
4. The Truth Lies in the Dark by Kristen Callender
5. Children of Dust: A Memoir of Pakistan by Ali Eteraz

Reviews posted past week:
1. Maximum Ride 3: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports by James Patterson
2. A Lucky Child: A Memoir of Surviving Auschwitz as a Young Boy by Thomas Buergenthal
3.Chinese Landscape Painting by Sherman Lee


Books still needing to have reviews written or posted:
1. Stepmonster: A New Look at Why Real Stepmothers Think, Act, and Feel the Way We Do by Wednesday Martin (ARC)

Current giveaways on this blog:
none

Posts with the Most Comments:
1. REVIEW: A Lucky Child: A Memoir of Surviving Auschwitz as a Young Boy by Thomas Buergenthal (15 comments)
2. Reading on Monday Plus Fabulous Commenters (12 comments)
3. Book List: Books That Make Me Long for Warmer Weather (12 comments)
4. 20 Questions with Susan of The Book Chook (12 comments)


Most Fabulous Commenters of February 15-22:
1. Bermudaonion (Kathy) of Bermudaonion's Weblog - 7 comments'
2. Heidenkind of Heidenkind's Hideaway - 6 comments
3. Jenners of Find Your Next Book Here and Staci of Life in the Thumb - 5 comments
4. Jeanne of Necromancy Never Pays and Susan of The Book Chook - 3 comments


Thank you for your comments! They make me want to write and blog more!

The Littlest Bookworm Newsletter- Debut

The Littlest Bookworm Newsletter

I am beginning this newsletter to bring literacy and educational resources and articles to parents, families, educators, and librarians. It is a passion of mine to showcase and promote literacy enrichment for young children in and out of the classroom. If it is a success, then I will continue to publish this newsletter once a month.

Literacy News and Interesting Posts....

ActivityVillage.com has a great article on Ideas for Sharing Stories with Children. Do you do these tricks while you are reading to a child?

Do you have a home library? How is it organized? Can your child reach his/her books? Check out how Susan organizes her home library on the Booklights site.

Booklights also features another article by Susan in which she questions- When should you read Charlotte's Web to your children? Some of the themes in the book are heavy so it is a delicate issue of when your child is mature enough to handle them. Every child is different.

Check out HarperCollins Children's Video Player to hear Neil Gaiman read his new book, Blueberry Girl, and to see new book trailers and meet the authors of The Thirteenth Princess, The Wonder Book, and Omen of the Stars.

Jen Robinson has some tips for growing a bookworm- Be selective in your television watching.

Pam Allyn has written a fantastic piece on The Value of a Picture Book: 5 Life-Lessons Your Child Gets from Picture Books. Link thanks to the Scrub-a-Dub-Tub blog, which promotes children's literacy.

Forbes has highlighted librarian Betsy Bird as the "most powerful blogger in kids' books." How can you not check that out? Link thanks to Jen Robinson.

Literacy News has an interesting post on making language easier by using rhymes as a technique.


What Do I Have Going On?

The blog tour for Share a Story-Shape a Future is coming up in two weeks, March 8-14, 2010. If you haven't heard of this tour, it is an annual Literacy Blog Tour and it is based on the principle that "It takes a village to raise a reader." Susan from The Book Chook is hosting the tour on Day 2, with the theme of Literacy My Way/Literacy Your Way. I am very excited to be contributing 2 posts to Day 2 of the tour. Please be sure to check out my and all of the contributions for this wonderful tour!

I also have a Review Smash coming up this week with some Children's book reviews. Be sure to keep an eye out for it!

And Finally...

Although this is out of the realm of young readers, I also had to include this powerful and well-written response by author Sonya Sones on an attempt to have her book, One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies, banned in a Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin high school. I would like to inform that mother that banning her book will only make it that much popular and send the kids everywhere looking for it to see what the "big deal" is. Have people learned nothing from all of the previously banned books?? Will they ever learn? Probably not. They don't read books.

Thanks for reading my debut Little Bookworms Newsletter. Please leave me even the briefest comment to give me your feedback. Thanks!

A Lucky Child: A Memoir of Surviving Auschwitz as a Young Boy by Thomas Buergenthal

BOOK #: 9
REASON READ: arc/are, ARC Reading Challenge, 100+ Challenge
PUBLISHER: Little, Brown and Company
GENRE: Nonfiction, Memoir, History, Jewish Culture, War
FORMAT/PAGES: Hardcover/225
RATING: 4.5 Stars

The story of Thomas Buergenthal's childhood is one that will be surprising, surreal, and a tearjerker.

Thomas was a young boy of six when he and his parents were forced into a Jewish ghetto in Poland. Thomas watched as German soldiers came and took men and community leaders away and noticed they never returned. He watched the raids from his window. He heard the whisperings of his parents about the newest developments.

The family stayed in the ghetto for a couple of years and then worked in labor camps for a couple of years before they were sent to Auschwitz. Thomas was separated from his parents so the ten-year-old "lucky child", as the fortune-teller told his mother many years ago that he was, used his wits and charm, as well as some luck, and managed to survive Auschwitz. By some stroke of luck, after three years of many different adventures, Thomas was reunited with his mother and in 1951 he moved to America.

I liked the way Buergenthal wrote his story. I liked his choices of anecdotes. I liked his use of clever phrases and carefully selected adjectives and adverbs. I liked that there were photos of him and his parents, he as a small boy, and then later, after Auschwitz.

I was very touched by his movement and determination to spread the word about human rights violations. He is now a judge at the International Court of Justice in the Hague. Even though I know children are very resilient, I was still stunned by this child's resilience in the face of such adversity and horror. He witnessed things no person, let alone a child, should ever have to witness.

While The Diary of Anne Frank is a wonderful story about the discrimination and hatred of the Jewish people and what hiding out for years to escape death was like during WWII, Buergenthal's story is told from right there in the thick of everything. He was not hidden, he was there in the camps. He was there escaping the gas chambers only to bear witness to horrible beatings, hangings, and shootings. I think that this book could seriously be the next great book about the Holocaust. I highly recommend it.

Some passages from the book:
"Every so often, we heard that this or that community leader or some other person had been picked up by the Gestapo, never to be seen again. My father and mother would discuss these events in whispered tones. Then I would hear one of them say that the victims must have been denounced to the Gestapo by our own people and that one had to be very careful what one said and to whom. 'Yes, the walls have ears..."

"The bodies of the prisoners were left hanging for a few days near the entrance to the barrack as a warning against further escape attempts. There were to be other executions in Henrykow. As time went on, they became routine; but I remember only the first."

"While I do believe that I survived the Holocaust in order to devote my life to the protection of human rights, I believe that, having survived, I have an obligation to try to do all I can to spare others, wherever they might be, from suffering a fate similar to that of the victims of the Holocaust."

Other Reviews of A Lucky Child:
Rhapsody in Books
Jo-Jo loves to read!!!
If you have reviewed this book, leave me a comment with the link to your review and I will post it here.

Time for 20 Questions with Susan of The Book Chook!

Welcome back to 20 Questions, where we get to know our fellow book bloggers a little better!

Today I would like to present to you Susan of the awesome kidlit blog, The Book Chook! Not only is Susan a passionate book blogger, but she also puts out the Literacy Newsletter, Literacy Lava, which has great tips for parents and very interesting articles. Be sure to check it out!

20 QUESTIONS

1. Last book you bought: Writing Picture Books by Ann Whitford Paul

2. Last book you got in the mail: Gone Away Lake by Elizabeth Enright (Recommended by Jen Robinson)

3. The first book you read over and over: The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann R. Wyss.

4. Children’s book every child should read: I don't believe in "should" with reading. Choosing their own material will motivate kids far more than telling them what they should read.

5. Favorite place to read: a shady place by the water where I can stretch out.

6. A book you bought just for the cover: People really do that? Seriously? The closest I would get is picking up a book because of an intriguing title. But it is most likely I will buy only after reading the blurb, and dipping into the book. Most of the books I read, and all of the books I review, I research thoroughly first. I LOVE writers with an online presence who let me read a first chapter or peek inside.

7. Scariest book ever read: Insomnia by Stephen King. I loved it, but most of his horror is just too scary for me.

8. Most romantic book ever read: I love all of Georgette Heyer's historical romances. If I had to choose one right now, I guess it would be The Grand Sophy.

9. Book that changed your life in some way: The first book I read that changed my life was Riders in the Chariot by Patrick White. I was in a train, and I remember looking out the window and really "seeing" grass as if for the first time. It was like I'd taken some hallucinatory drug, and I still have no idea why.

10. Book you’ve re-read the most times: Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome.

11. Book you needed the Cliff’s Notes for: Not sure who Cliff was.

12. Book you needed the dictionary for: I tend not to read any book I will need a dictionary for. The fictive dream is very important to me, and a dictionary would throw me out of it.

13. Book you like that no one else seems to: I haven't met anyone else who adores Three Men in a Boat, mentioned above in 10.

14. Book you don’t like that everyone else seems to love: I have skimmed a lot of reviews about vampire books, but nothing has made me want to read any.

15. Number of books you own (you can guess): Probably only about 1500. I try to give them away. Some won't let me.

16. Number of books on your TBR list (that you have not acquired yet): hundreds! Mostly these are books for adults that I read about in the bookblogosphere. Because I review children's books, I so rarely get the time to read adult books.

17. Must-have reading accessories: my glasses/spectacles.

18. Literary Destination You Want to Go to: I have fantasized about tracing all the places Peter Mayle talks about in A Year in Provence.

19. Top Three Favorite Authors: I think you don't mean children's authors, which is just as well, as I'd never be able to narrow it to three. Here are three adult authors I turn to if I am ill, and need a read to comfort and distract me: Bill Bryson, Dick Francis, Barbara Kingsolver.

20. Three Bloggers You Want to See Featured in the Future: any three children's book bloggers. They are such a fascinating bunch!

I love your answers, Susan! And, you could have answered that with children's or adult's authors. It is up to you always! I also think the sights from A Year in Provence would be lovely. I haven't read the book yet, but I am in love with Italy. You have made me want to pick up Riders in the Chariot so I can look at grass in a whole new way. :)

Check below to see who is appearing on 20 Questions next! There's a great lineup!:

~Kristen of We Be Reading
~Jill of Fizzy Thoughts
~Michelle of Galleysmith
~Trisha of eclectic/eccentric
~Natasha (aka Vasilly) of 1330v
~Staci of Life in the Thumb


Do you want to be featured on 20 Questions? Send me an e-mail (which you can find on my Blogger profile!) with your answers to the questions! Please include questions and answers together, which makes it easier for me to post, plus a photo if you want me to put a different one than your blog's profile picture. I will then e-mail you and let you know when you will be featured! Thanks!

Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports by James Patterson

BOOK #: 8
REASON READ: James Patterson Challenge, 100+ Challenge, YA Reading Challenge, RYOB Challenge
PUBLISHER: Hachette Book Group
GENRE: Fiction, Fantasy, YA
FORMAT/PAGES: Hardcover/405
RATING: 4/5 Stars


I just read the 2nd book in the Max Ride Series (which I reviewed here) and I liked it so much I dove right into the 3rd book in the series, which is this one. I have to say I agree with the reviews I have seen on GoodReads that this was the best book of the three.

This one was more action-packed, had clever plot twists, and the emotional depth between the characters was intensified so that you cared about them even more.

Some loose ends and questions were answered at the end of this one. Some I saw coming and a couple I didn't guess at all. I was pretty impressed with the Itex Headquarters and the details about what they were up to. So very Orwellian of Patterson.

I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series, The Final Warning. I don't have that one (although I do have the one after it. Go figure.) so I am going to have to check it out from the library. The books are quick reads but with a nice balance of action, intrigue, and fantasy without being too over the top. And, no, I am still not feeling the Kristen Steward/Robert Pattinson duo for these movies. Such a bad idea.

Art Book: Chinese Landscape Painting by Sherman Lee

(The front of the book was just a basic black hardcover with no sleeve so I photographed the title page.)

BOOK #: 7
REASON READ: Art History Challenge, 100+ Reading Challenge, Support Your Local Library Challenge
PUBLISHER: Harper & Row
GENRE: NF, Arts, Art History
FORMAT/PAGES: Hardcover/133
RATING: 3.5 Stars

The earliest landscape paintings in China can be dated back to the Late Chou period, which was between 5th and 3rd centuries B.C. The Chinese landscape is primarily a series of brushstrokes strategically arranged to create nature. I learned a lot about the progression of landscape painting throughout the different periods of Chinese history, which the book separated by dynasties that were in power.

There were more conservative movements and more experimental movements. There were periods when paintings were more detailed and periods when they were more suggestive. There was a time when paintings were closely related to the writing and poetry of the time. There was a time when the paintings reflected parts of the political and social aspects of the government of the time. There were paintings of exaggeration and paintings of simplicity.

There were several schools of thought that Lee covered, from the Wu School to the Individualists. Lee covers the boldness (or lack thereof) of the compositions, the refinement, the placement of objects, the mixtures of color (which I couldn't see since the book was in black & white), the use of shadows, the amount of space used (as in how much of the paper was taken up with the painting and how much was left blank), the textures, the various brush strokes, the wet or dry ink. I learned a lot about the different techniques the Chinese artists used throughout history.

The writing in this book got tedious at times and I skimmed over some of the more tedious parts. But I did find a lot to be interested in, from the "fade out" technique of Yao T'ing-mei on his painting The Scholar's Leisure, to the unusual techniques of Ch'eng Cheng-kuei on his handscrolls. I thought the paintings included in the book (which were numerous) were very beautiful and I would have loved to see the color of the ones not done in ink.

Here are some of the paintings included in the book:

(Above: Seasonal Landscape by Hsiao Yun-ts-ung)

(Above: Bamboo Grove and Distant Mountains by Wang Hui, hanging scroll)

(Above: Lee compares the staccato effects via the reed pen of the great artist Van Gogh (whose painting View of Arles is on the left), to the staccato effects of the brush used by Shen Chou (whose painting Scenes at Tiger Hill: Oak and Hammocks with Three Figures at a Well is on the right.)

(Above: The Scholar's Leisure by Yao T'ing-mei, handscroll)(mentioned above)

BookList: Books That Make Me Long for Warmer Weather

So, the way you do this meme is simple:

• There is a different topic each week, which will be posted here.
• You write a post on your own blog about the topic.
• The post will be a list of 3 books pertaining to the topic. So, for example, if the topic were, say, 3 Books That Make You Want to Go Shopping, you would write a list of 3 books that when you read them made you want to max out your credit card. I have no idea what those books would be, but you get the picture.
• You may include photos with your lists, especially if that helps illustrate your point.
  
• You link back to the week's post here on Lost in Books in your post so if someone else wants to play, they can find their way here.
• Then you come here and leave your link in the Mr. Linky so other people can find your post and your list!
• There is no obligation to post every single week. Participate when you can!
  

Sound fun? I hope so!

This Week's Topic is:

3 Books That Make Me Long for Warmer Weather

1. Summer Sisters by Judy Blume

When Victoria Leonard answers the phone in her Manhattan office, Caitlin's voice catches her by surprise. Vix hasn't talked to her oldest friend in months. Caitlin's news takes her breath away--and Vix is transported back in time, back to the moment she and Caitlin Somers first met, back to the casual betrayals and whispered confessions of their long, complicated friendship, back to the magical island where two friends became summer sisters. Caitlin dazzled Vix from the start, sweeping her into the heart of the unruly Somers family, into a world of privilege, adventure, and sexual daring. Vix's bond with her summer family forever reshapes her ties to her own, opening doors to opportunities she had never imagined--until the summer she falls passionately in love. Then, in one shattering moment on a moonswept Vineyard beach, everything changes, exposing a dark undercurrent in her extraordinary friendship with Caitlin that will haunt them through the years. As their story carries us from Santa Fe to Martha's Vineyard, from New York to Venice, we come to know the men and women who shape their lives. And as we follow the two women on the paths they each choose, we wait for the inevitable reckoning to be made in the fine spaces between friendship and betrayal, between love and freedom.

2. Hello Ocean by Pam Munoz Ryan

I share this book with my students whenever we study water or the ocean or seasons.

Spend a day at the beach, and take in the ocean through the senses of sight, hearing, feeling, taste, and smell in this lively romp through sand and waves. Glorious illustrations of water, sun, and sky accompany brief, evocative verses, making this a perfect keepsake of a seaside vacation or a striking introduction to the pleasures of a day by the ocean.

3. Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell

The Newberry Medal-winning story of a 12-year old girl who lives alone on a Pacific island after she leaps from a rescue ship. Isolated on the island for eighteen years, Karana forages for food, builds weapons to fight predators, clothes herself in a cormorant feathered skirt, and finds strength and peace in her seclusion.

What books bring you back to a nice summer day?

Play along by posting to your blog or, if you don't have a blog, play along in the comments. Here is the Mr. Linky for your blog post. If it does not work for you, you may leave your link in the comments section, too. I will be making a master list for all of the Book Lists eventually.





Upcoming Topics:
~3 Books That Should Be Made Into Movies
~3 Best/Worst Sidekicks to a Hero in a Book
~3 Books That Take You Down Memory Lane to High School

Reading on Monday Plus Fabulous Commenters

This meme is hosted by J. Kaye at J. Kaye's Book Blog.

Books I completed the past 2 weeks are:
1. Maximum Ride 2: School's Out--Forever by James Patterson
2. Maximum Ride 3: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports by James Patterson
3. A Lucky Child: A Memoir of Surviving Auschwitz as a Young Boy by Thomas Buergenthal (arc/are)
4. Stepmonster: A New Look at Why Real Stepmothers Think, Act, and Feel the Way We Do by Wednesday Martin (arc/are)


Books I am working on:
Fiction:
1. The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova (pg. 58 of 704)

Nonfiction:
1. Serious Doubts: Why People Marry When They Know It Won't Last by Carl Weisman (pg. 34 of 170)
2. Searching for Whitopia by Rich Benjamin (pg. 117 of 368)
3. Bright Lights, Big Ass by Jen Lancaster (pg. 64 of 380)
4. Chinese Landscape Painting by Sherman Lee (pg. 65 of 133)

ARCs and Other Books For Review Coming Up Next (I'm So Behind):
1. Best Friends by Jennifer Weiner
2. Scared by Tom Davis
3. Recovering My Voice by Aruni Nan Futuronsky
4. The Truth Lies in the Dark by Kristen Callender
5. Children of Dust: A Memoir of Pakistan by Ali Eteraz

Reviews posted past 2 weeks:
1. Maximum Ride 2: School's Out--Forever by James Patterson
2. The Art of Tantra by Philip Rawson
3. A Painter's Life by K.B. Dixon


Books still needing to have reviews written or posted:
1. Maximum Ride 3: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports by James Patterson
2. A Lucky Child: A Memoir of Surviving Auschwitz as a Young Boy by Thomas Buergenthal
3. Stepmonster: A New Look at Why Real Stepmothers Think, Act, and Feel the Way We Do by Wednesday Martin (arc/are)

Current giveaways on this blog:
none

Posts with the Most Comments:
1. YOU Ask the Questions (20 comments)
2. Heather of Tales of a Capricious Reader Answers 20 Questions (16 comments)
3. Deb of Bookmagic Answers 20 Questions (14 comments)
4. Going Above and Beyond in the Classroom (12 comments)
5. BookList: 3 Books I Read When I Need a Good Cry (12 comments)
6. Bookish Discoveries for 02-05-10 (12 comments)

Most Fabulous Commenters of February:
1. Tasha (Heidenkind) 15 comments
2. Jenners 11 comments
3. Stephanie (The Stark Raving Bibliophile) 8 comments
4. Bermudaonion 7 comments
5. Staci (Life in the Thumb) 7 comments
6. Deb (Bookmagic) 6 comments
7. Lisa (Lit and Life) 6 comments
8. Stephanie D (Misfit Salon) 6 comments
9. Jeanne (Necromancy Never Pays) 5 comments
10. jennysbooks 5 comments
11. thekoolaidmom 4 comments
12. Tif (Tif Talks Books) 4 comments

A Painter's Life by K.B. Dixon

BOOK #: 5
REASON READ: ARC/ARE, ARC Reading Challenge, Indi Authors Challenge, 100+ Reading Challenge, RYOB Challenge
PUBLISHER: Inkwater Press (inkwaterpress.com)
GENRE: Fiction/Arts/Epistolary
FORMAT/PAGES: Paperback/143
RATING: 3.5 Stars

A Painter's Life is a quirky little book that is a mixture of journal entries, review excerpts, and interviews of the artist Christopher Freeze. It takes you inside the art world and puts the reader in the shoes of a struggling portraitist. It focuses on the struggle of one artist to make something both beautiful and personally satisfying.

The quirkiness of the book comes in the format. Each chapter begins with a paragraph or two of background information. It then moves on to "Excerpts from the Unpublished Journals of Christopher Freeze", which I thought was the most entertaining section of each chapter. The chapters then end with either a review blurp by some art critic of a painting he had done or with part of an interview Freeze was having with a journalist.

I think that this book is probably an acquired taste in that not everyone will appreciate the format that the book is written in. However, I did like the epistolary/random style. It was challenging to get into the first couple of chapters, and then I easily slid into appreciating the different style of writing of Dixon in this book.

I would recommend this book to anyone who appreciates irony, small snarky jokes, and anyone who is interested in what the life of a struggling artist really entails.

Post Your Reviews for The Colorful Reading Challenge

A Colorful Reading Challenge

Hey guys! I have to admit I have been slack about getting this Mr. Linky up for the Colorful Reading Challenge reviews. Please accept my apology for my forgetfulness. Hopefully you know that it is because I have the attention span of a gnat and not because I don't want to be a good hostess!

So, please use this Mr. Linky to link to any and all reviews for January and February. I can't wait to see what you have been reading! I am working on my first book for the challenge now.





When you are finished linking your own reviews, please visit the reviews of fellow participants! You never know, you might find the next book you want to read!

Heather of Tales of a Capricious Reader Answers 20 Questions!

Welcome back to 20 Questions, where we get to know our fellow book bloggers a little better.

Today I would like to present to you Heather of A High and Hidden Place: Tales of a Capricious Reader (sorry for earlier confusion.) Heather's blog is one of my favorites. I got the opportunity to meet Heather in person and she is just as sweet in real life! Thank you, Heather, for answering the questions and sharing with us today!

20 QUESTIONS

1. Last book you bought:

The Game On! Diet because I needs to be shrinking the butt!

2. Last book you got in the mail:

I just got a little book called Fireworks over Toccoa.

3. The first book you read over and over:

The Chimp That Wentto School by Peggy Parish, I was 4 and had memorized it I heard it so much!

4. Children’s book every child should read:

It is a tossup between The Chronicles of Narnia and the Little House books. Both are essential reading.

5. Favorite place to read:

A nice, warm, bath or the couch.

6. A book you bought just for the cover:

The Wayward Muse by Elizabeth Hickey

7. Scariest book ever read:

Misery by Stephen King

8. Most romantic book ever read:

OMG what does it say about me if I say The Notebook? I hate to confess I read it, let alone that it was romantic and made me cry like a hot summer rainstorm was falling from my weepy eyes!

9. Book that changed your life in some way:

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. It changed the way my family eats for life.

10. Book you’ve re-read the most times:

The Princess Bride!!! Best book ever!!!

11. Book you needed the Cliff’s Notes for:

Shakespeare! Dude gives me a headache.

12. Book you needed the dictionary for:

Hmmm....most literary fiction probably.

13. Book you like that no one else seems to:

Waiting for Columbus by Thomas Trofimuk. Come on people, give it some love! It's gorgeous!

14. Book you don’t like that everyone else seems to love:

Like Water for Chocolate. I despise that book!

15. Number of books you own (you can guess):

Uh...(mouth hanging open, fingers flaying around like I'm counting) uh... a bunch?

16. Number of books on your TBR list (that you have not acquired yet):

Millions.

17. Must-have reading accessories:

Water, snacks, pillow and blanket. Sometimes reading glasses (shhhhh...)

18. Literary Destination You Want to Go to:

Mr. Darcy's bedroom.

19. Top Three Favorite Authors:

This is hard. This is really, really hard. Okay, here goes. At this very moment:

Elizabeth Kostova (She stole my heart with The Historian, she broke it with The Swan Thieves)

Bill Willingham

and.....

uh....

Wilkie Collins

20. Three Bloggers You Want to See Featured in the Future:

Andi at Tripping Toward Lucidity

Amanda at The Blog Jar

You Rebecca! Have you ever answered your twenty questions? Huh, huh? Have ya? Try sitting in the hot seat! ;)

*gasp* Heather! Oh no! Don't say ME!!! No one wants to get to know little ol' me, now! (Pass that around. Yeah.)
I love that you said Mr. Darcy's bedroom. I am right there with you on that account. I think I am the only one in the world for whom Animal Vegetable Miracle did not profoundly affect my life. I think it has something to do with my aversion to cooking....

Check below to see who is appearing on 20 Questions next! There's a great lineup!:

~Susan of The Book Chook (2-18)
~Kristen of We Be Reading (2-25)
~Jill of Fizzy Thoughts (3-1)
~Michelle of Galleysmith (3-8)
~Trisha of eclectic/eccentric (3-15)
~Natasha (aka Vasilly) of 1330v
~Staci of Life in the Thumb


Do you want to be featured on 20 Questions? Send me an e-mail (which you can find on my Blogger profile!) with your answers to the questions! Please include questions and answers together, which makes it easier for me to post, plus a photo if you want me to put a different one than your blog's profile picture. I will then let you know when you will be featured! Thanks!