Literary News Fit to Share

1. Two-thirds of Britons have not set foot in a library in the past year - Telegraph
But 77.9 percent of five- to ten-year-old's have visited in the past year. Apparently they are going by themselves?

2. Perhaps the answer to the vacant libraries in the U.K. are combining them with pubs? - BBC News
I could get used to that. Books and beer? Why isn't this everywhere already?

3. Lisbeth Salander's IKEA shopping list - Apartment Therapy
I haven't read the 2nd book in the Millennium Trilogy, but I will be looking for this bit of "consumerist poetry" when I do.

4. New book on Alexander the Great's childhood gets banned in British Columbia, Canada for a racy cover - The Guardian
It's the backside of a naked man on a horse. Scandalous.

5. Google's early start on its book search has secured itself as a monopoly on the digital library - The Chronicle for Higher Education
No matter what happens with the book settlement, Google Books should be adequately available to scholars, the journal says.

6. Beijing International Book Fair: E-Publishing boosts China's booming book market - Publishing Perspectives
The book fair, which runs August 30 through September 3, is attracting an increasingly global audience with sales of e-books way up. In fact, Shanda Literature Group- the country's largest digital publisher- now has their own e-reader, the Bambook.

7. Keith Richards, Jay-Z to give talks at NY Public Library this fall - Yahoo! News
Toni Morrison will be there, too, but that doesn't garner quite the same number of clicks I suppose.

BLOG TOUR: The Unexpected Son by Shobhan Bantwal

I <3> India.

That is the truth. I have been in love with India ever since I had my first Indian curry, since I first got to know my brother-in-law (who is from India), since I watched my first documentary on Indian culture and life, since I first studied Hinduism and Buddhism, since I first laid my eyes on and set my feet down in Mumbai last October.

I am what you could call obsessed with India.

I love reading and learning about all cultures across the world but India holds a special place in my heart. I love the culture- it is rich and vibrant, laid-back yet hard-working, steeped in tradition yet constantly evolving and embracing new technology and a global society. I love the saris, I love the history, I love the spirituality, I love the sense of community, I love the food, I love chai tea the way I first had it when it was prepared for me by my brother-in-law's aunt. I just love everything.

So when Nikki Leigh asked me if I wanted to participate in a very small blog tour for Shobhan Bantwal's new book, The Unexpected Son, even though I wasn't taking review books, I jumped at the chance. I love reading about Indians. (Okay, okay, I know you get the point.)

The Unexpected Son is dubbed by Bantwal as an Indian romance novel. As you know, I don't usually go for romance or chick-lit. But once again it is India. I found the book to be amazing in its references to Indian culture. I loved discovering new terms I could use with my new family there. I loved learning about the Hindu ritual of bhau beej, that Arre Deva! means Oh God! (so using that), about bahsundee (a dessert) and kheema samosas (deep-fried turnovers stuffed with spicy minced meat), and I learned that "Bus kara, baba" means "Stop it, fellows." I also loved recognizing Indian names, as a few of the ones in this book are also the names of friends of mine.

I also loved that I felt connected to Vinita. Poor Vinita who went against everything she believed in and held dear and had a teenage fling. Vinita who got completely screwed by the boy- Som Kori- who was the object of her affection in said fling. Vinita who got pregnant by Som Kori in said fling and who was left alone to deal with the problem. Vinita who was whisked away by her brother to Bombay to have her baby and then told by her family the child died when it really did not so she and her family would not have the stigma of an unwed mother following them around forever. (Note: Vinita had pneumonia when her baby was delivered and did not wake up for I believe it was several days following the birth so it was plausible that the baby died and was already cremated by her family.)

However, thirty years later Vinita, who is now living in the U.S. with her husband and daughter, receives a mysterious letter from an anonymous person in India telling her that her son that she had so long ago is sick with leukemia and that Vinita's brother, Vishal, would have answers. She calls Vishal who has to break the news to her- her son did not die that day. Her son was hidden from her and then given up for adoption to a family that Vishal selected. The shock of learning her son was alive was enough but then to realize you have a son who is dying must be unbearable. She hasn't even told her husband about having a baby before they met and he retreats into a shell as she flies to India to see if she can meet her son and be a possible candidate for a bone marrow transplant.

And she must bravely confront the past she had thought she had put behind her- her son, Som Kori, the stigma for her and her family, the deceit and lies from her family, the violence between the Marathis and Kannadas, two language-based factions vying for control in her town of Palgaum, and she has to deal with whether her husband will ever forgive her and talk to her again after she kept the secret for so long.

I think this book was a very fascinating look into Indian society and culture. It really takes a look at the differences between traditional Indian values, the more modern outlook on life in India, and modern American life. I cared about the characters and about the outcome of the story. I will be looking to read Bantwal's other books.

THE STATISTICS:
BOOK #: 52
RATING: 4 Stars
FOR CHALLENGES: Countdown Challenge, Twenty Ten Challenge, A to Z, New Authors, 100+ in 2010
GENRE: Indian Romance
PUBLISHER: Kensington Books
FORMAT/PAGES: Paperback/326
HEY, FCC!: I received this book for review from Nikki Leigh.

BLOG TOUR: Guest Post by Shobhan Bantwal: A Window on Indian Culture

I am happy to have Shobhan Bantwal, author of The Unexpected Son, here as a guest poster today. Bantwal has also written three other novels- The Dowry Bride, The Forbidden Daughter, and The Sari Shop Window.

A Window on Indian Culture

By Shobhan Bantwal - author of The Unexpected Son

As an Indian-American woman, I straddle two distinctly diverse cultures, both equally rich and equally intriguing. And despite my arranged marriage and conservative upbringing, I am hopelessly addicted to fiction with romantic elements.

For years one of my chief complaints had been that while there are so many American and European romance authors who wrote such captivating and heartwarming stories, no Indian author dared to write romantic fiction. Sadly romance novels are dismissed by intellectual snobs as either frivolous or trashy—fodder for lesser minds.

In the land of Bollywood, where movies are prolific, and practically every movie has a romantic theme that hinges on forbidden love and either a happy or hopeful ending, it was a disappointing fact that no one wanted to write romance.

After waiting for many long years, I gave up waiting for an Indian romance author to emerge and decided to take on the task myself. Believe me, it was no easy task. Writing an entire book that has to capture first the attention of a literary agent and then a reputable publisher is a major challenge. But I managed to accomplish both with hard work and dogged determination.

Since my stories are very ethnic in nature, naturally I put in lots of cultural details like Hindu religion, spicy curries, colorful saris and even slang words from India. I like to think of my books as windows that offer a tantalizing glimpse into Indian culture.

All my novels are what I call "Bollywood in a Book''—stories filled with emotion, drama, vivid characters, and a romantic thread running through their fabric. My latest book, THE UNEXPECTED SON, is brimming with cultural trivia.

This tale is partly set in New Jersey and partly in India. My heroine's cozy life turns upside down when an anonymous letter tells a shocking truth: she has a grown son in India, a child she was told was stillborn 30 years ago. Now she must return to her battle-scarred town in India to meet her unknown son. But in doing that she could lose her happy marriage and family.

A Note From Shobhan - Information about my books, video trailers, contact, photos from India, reviews, contests, and recipes is available on my website: www.shobhanbantwal.com. All my books can be purchased at any retail bookstore or online bookseller. For more information about The Unexpected Son virtual tour, visit http://bookpromotionservices.com/2010/07/02/unexpected-son-virtual-tour/

Woman's Book of Creativity by C. Diane Ealy

From learning to use the power of imagery to using humor to warm up our mental flexibility for creative processes, The Woman's Book of Creativity has many ways to harness your inner creator.

This book, while not quite a creatively made book, does have good, solid suggestions for understanding what Ealy calls "feminine creativity," the difference from "masculine creativity" is apparently that the female comes away from the process changed. If this was, indeed, what Ealy was trying to say, I don't agree with it. However, like I said, there are solid suggestions for tapping into your creativity, no matter what gender it may happen to be.

The section I found most useful was that on overcoming blocks, procrastination, and dealing with "quieting the inner critic." My inner critic never seems so loud as when I sit down to create art of some kind. Whether it is painting pottery or filling a scrapbook or drawing a picture I find myself critiquing myself harder than I ever would a friend. I become a sort-of perfectionist. While I will accept that I made whatever it is, I will always find the million and one flaws that it has and depreciate the beauty and artistry of it, as well as the fact I took a chance and tried my best. It is like when a woman looks in the mirror and she sees everything that is wrong with her while someone else looking at her wouldn't even notice that dot of a blemish by her nose or the wrinkles when she smiles. The other person notices the whole face or the fact that she is smiling. The inner critic is definitely a hard one to silence.

If you are looking to discover your inner creative spirit and overcome your own roadblocks to creativity, then this book is worth reading. Here's to finding our creative selves!

THE STATISTICS:
BOOK #: 51
RATING: 3 Stars
FOR CHALLENGES: ThemeQuest Challenge, New Authors, 100+ in 2010
GENRE: Nonfiction
PUBLISHER: Beyond Words Publishing/1995
FORMAT/PAGES: Paperback/249
HEY, FCC!: Borrowed from library.

20 Questions with Ryan from Wordsmithsonia

Today I want to welcome Ryan of Wordsmithsonia to the blog. He has graciously let us get to know him better by answering my 20 Questions. He wanted to send in a photo, but needs a camera. :(

After reading Ryan's well thought out answers, please leave a comment letting Ryan and I know you were here. If you would also like to ask Ryan a question, please feel free to do so in the comments section.


20 QUESTIONS

1. MY EARLIEST MEMORY OF READING:

I had to think about this one for a while as I've always been a reader. I was trying to think back and pinpoint when my life long habit started but all I could think of were some of my favorite books when I was a wee little tyke. I loved the Sweet Pickles books, the Amelia Bedelia books, Harry the Dirty Dog, Curious George, I could go on and one but mostly the books we all grew up with and loved. I also remember loving my copy of My Book Of Bible Stories, the yellow cover with red lettering.

2. THE FIRST BOOK I READ OVER AND OVER:

I think it would have to be My Book Of Bible Stories. I was never able to get enough of Samson, David, and Daniel.

3. A CHILDREN’S BOOK EVERY CHILD SHOULD READ:

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, still a beautifully done story with wonderful illustrations. Skip the movie though, not one of my favorites and my son didn't like it all that much either.

4. THE BOOK I HAVE RE-READ THE MOST TIMES:

Gosh, I'm not sure I can really answer this one as I tend to reread a lot. I've read The Last Herald Mage trilogy by Mercedes Lackey too many times to count though. Atlas, Shrugged by Ayn Rand, quite a few books by Agatha Christie, The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, and The Thief of Always by Clive Barker would all be on the list as well. And to be honest if I had to list all the books I've read more than 5 times, I would be answering this question for quite a while.

5. MY FAVORITE PLACE TO READ:

Curled up on the couch with a glass of water in the Summer and a cup of hot tea in the Winter.

6. MY MUST-HAVE READING ACCESSORIES:

Pillows, blanket, drinks (see above), popcorn or hard salami with some type of cheese, and anything else I feel like having around me.

7. THE NUMBER OF BOOKS I OWN (YOU CAN GUESS):

According to Goodreads I have 341 books. That should be a close number as I only put in books I own, don't include ARCs, and remove books if I get rid of them. The actual number may be a few books more, but 341 should almost be accurate.

8. MY BOOKSHELVES ARE:

Are full but could always use new books to grace their shelves. The other books tend to get lonely and bored with eachother unless they have new playmates to get to know, and being me, I'm always ready to accomodate them.

9. THE NUMBER OF BOOKS ON MY TBR LIST (THAT I HAVE NOT AQUIRED YET):

Uhmmmm..........Can I get back to you on that. I don't think I'm able to count that high and my brain just hurts thinking about it.

10. THE WAY I KEEP TRACK OF BOOKS I WANT TO READ:

Pretty haphazardly actually. I'm pretty bad about jotting down book titles then misplacing them. I do tend to have a great memeory for the books that really intrigued me so I normally don't have that big of an issure remembering them if I need to.

11. THE LAST BOOK I RECEIVED/BOUGHT:

I just bought 4 paperbacks and 2 hardcovers form the Friends of the Library Book Store that is located at the Central Branch of our public library system. Of those 6 book the last one I picked up for purchase was a old paperback of Games Killers Play edited by Alfred Hitchcock.

12. A BOOK THAT HAS CHANGED MY LIFE IN SOME WAY:

I could say Atlas, Shrugged by Ayn Rand because in college it made me look at life a bit differently but in the end it really didn't change my politics or overall though processes too much (I still love the book though). The Last Herald Mage trilogy by Mercedes Lackey (so three books), helped me get through some personal issues in my head, and for that I'll always be grateful.

13. A BOOK I LIKE THAT NO ONE ELSE SEEMS TO:

I don't know that it's really about books I like that others don't, but more about books I like that nobody else seems to have read (at least people I know). The Devil's Auction by Robert Weinberg being a great example. I love pulpy horror novels from the 60s through the 80s and I never get enough of them. I'm getting ready to read The Sentinel by Jeffrey Konvitz and I really want to read The Exorcist by William Peter Blatly and Burnt Offerings by Robert Marasco.

14. A BOOK I DON’T LIKE THAT EVERYONE ELSE SEEMS TO LOVE:

Can I start with the Twilight books? I can't stand them and I know I'm not the only one who feels that way, but at times I feel like I'm standing amongst a sea of crazy people who forgot what good writing was. Then I would have to throw Jane Austen books in for good measure. I know I just annoyed a lot of people so I'm sorry for that.

15. A BOOK THAT INTIMIDATES ME:

Anything that eveyone tells me I have to read because it's a classic. Most of the time I find them boring and can never get through them. I tend to find myself thinking that I must be too dumb to see what all these others are seeing, because I don't get it. I could give you lots of examples but I will just name Moby Dick by Herman Melville and Ulysses by James Joyce.

16. IF I COULD GO TO ANY LITERARY DESTINATION I WOULD CHOOSE:

If I coul name any place, real or fantasy, it would have to be the Kingdom of Valdemar that Mercedes Lackey has brilliantly created throught numerous books. If it had to be a real place I would pick the Salem, MA that is depicted in The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry.

17. THREE OF MY FAVORITE AUTHORS:

Agatha Christie, Mercedes Lackey, Daryl Gregory

18. I HAVE BEEN BLOGGING ABOUT BOOKS SINCE:

July of 2009

19. MY BOOK BLOG STANDS OUT FROM THE CROWD BECAUSE:

I keep my fingers crossed everytime I post and pray that someone, anyone will read it. Honestly, I'm just thankful that anyone takes their time and reads what I choose to put out there. I'm always surprised by the response I get on posts and I'm grateful for everyone who chooses to read my blog.

20. THREE BOOK BLOGGERS I WOULD LIKE TO SEE FEATURED IN THE FUTURE:

I had to go through the entire list of those who have already done it so I could make all 3 suggestions count. I will go with Melissa of My World... In Words And Pages, Cathy of Kittling: Books, and Stephanie of Misfit Salon. I could have named quite a few more, but the question called for only 3. If you need more suggestions though, I'll be glad to help out (especially with some more male bloggers).

Thanks for sharing today, Ryan! I forgive you for your Jane Austen comment. Maybe. ;)

Do you have any questions or comments for Ryan? Leave one below!

She's So Dead to Us by Kieran Scott

Cattiness, revenge, anger, pride, resentment, and a "forbidden" teenage romance make this book an interesting read. Ally's mother has moved them back to the same town that they just fled from only a couple of years ago after Ally's father lost a lot of money for a lot of people in a bad investment. And no one is ready to forgive- even if Ally's father is no longer in the picture because he left her and her mother never to be heard from again.

The one bright side for Ally is two new friends she makes- Annie and David- and then there is Jake- the really hot guy who moved in to Ally's old house. He is in with her old friends but he doesn't hold the resentment and need for revenge that his friends do. He is actually a pretty nice guy. He makes mistakes, he goes along with his friends too much (like on pranks), but deep down he has a conscience. Now the question is will Ally be able to handle all the drama that she has been thrust back into? And will Jake be able to stand up to his friends for Ally? It's hard to go against your friends in high school. Plus, there is David who Ally is kind of dating. Should she stay with David, who is sweetheart and genuinely cares about her, or go for Jake, who gives her butterflies? Decisions, decisions. And it doesn't help her mom started dating again and it looks like it is getting serious. She doesn't want a new family, she wants her dad to realize he made a mistake leaving and to come home. Why hasn't he contacted her? Where is he? The answer to that is kinda crazy for Ally.

I thought this book was very well-written and that the characters were pretty well-fleshed. While a lot of the story was very predictable, there were funny moments and I cared about the characters. Plus, I know I will be looking for the next book from this author because she totally left a cliffhanger! Aggghh! When is the next book, Kieran Scott? Because I need it, like, yesterday.


THE STATISTICS:
BOOK #: 50
RATING: 4 Stars
FOR CHALLENGES: YA Reads, CC for 2010, New Authors, 100+ in 2010
GENRE: YA Fiction
PUBLISHER: Simon & Schuster
FORMAT/PAGES: Paperback/275
HEY, FCC!: I was sent this book for review. I was not monetarily compensated.

Persepolis I and II by Marjane Satrapi, or How I Came to Love the Graphic Novel

I am standing on the threshold of a whole new world. Yes, that's right- the world of graphic novels. Yet another book world opened to me by book bloggers.

I had picked up random graphic novels in the bookstore and thought this is just a glorified comic strip. But it wasn't graphic novels I didn't like. It was just the ones I kept choosing.

I have been reading bloggers go on and on about Persepolis and so when I saw it by chance at the library, I picked it up and read a few pages. How different it was!

It had an intriguing story. It wasn't about superheroes or pirates or androids. (These have their place, but they aren't for me.) It was a memoir about growing up in Iran during the 1970s. It was about war, it was about family, it was about rebellion, it was about finding out who you are and what you really believe in a world where what you are and what you believe could literally be your death.

It had funny parts and serious parts. I loved learning about the culture and the transition from traditional ways to more modern ways and back again in Iran. I was absolutely surprised by how much I loved Persepolis I. So much so that I went and got Persepolis 2 the next week!

I have to thank you, my lovelies, for introducing me to yet another genre (format?) I would have skipped altogether if it were not for your passion and enthusiasm about these books. Thank you for recommending this to me. Now, I need more. :)

"We can only feel sorry for ourselves when our misfortunes are still supportable...once this limit is crossed, the only way to bear the unbearable is to laugh at it." -from Persepolis

See Influences:
The Boston Bibliophile's Graphic Novel Monday- What Is a Graphic Novel?
One Literature Nut- Review
Serendipity- Review
A Striped Armchair- Review
Fizzy Thoughts- Review
The Zen Leaf- Review (as you can see they've had to work on me for a while!)
Nymeth of things mean a lot has influenced me too. :)

Recently Reviewed by:
Laughing Stars
BookNAround


THE STATISTICS:
BOOK #: 48, 49
RATING: 4 Stars
FOR CHALLENGES: Take Another Chance Challenge, New Authors, Support Your Local Library, 100+ in 2010, Young Adult Reads
GENRE: YA Graphic Novel
PUBLISHER: Pantheon
FORMAT/PAGES: Hardcover/352
HEY, FCC!: Borrowed from the library.

20 Questions with Steph Su

Steph of Steph Su Reads has graciously shared her answers to the 20 Questions today. I enjoy Steph's blog and if you haven't been there, you should! Thanks for participating today, Stephanie!

1. MY EARLIEST MEMORY OF READING:

Board books borrowed from the public library! I remember my favorite was one in which an airplane flew over a town, and my parents and I picked out the house that was ours. :)

2. THE FIRST BOOK I READ OVER AND OVER:

I'm sure I reread books all the time because I had nothing else to do, but the first book I really remember actively rereading was Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine. Still one of the best books of all time, in my opinion.

3. A CHILDREN’S BOOK EVERY CHILD SHOULD READ:

The Phantom Tollbooth!

4. THE BOOK I HAVE RE-READ THE MOST TIMES:

Well, judging by the fact that my copy of Ella Enchanted is in pieces, probably that one, right?

5. MY FAVORITE PLACE TO READ:

On a comfy surface with plenty of back support, so that my arms are not strained holding the book, and with lots of comfy stuff, like blankets or pillows, nearby. :)

6. MY MUST-HAVE READING ACCESSORIES:

Water!

7. THE NUMBER OF BOOKS I OWN (YOU CAN GUESS):

According to LibraryThing, close to 1000. *gulp*

8. MY BOOKSHELVES ARE:

Inadequate. :( I like the ones I have in my apartment at school: 3 of the cheapest kind from Ikea. But at home I have most of my books stored in boxes. The books I DO have on shelves are double-shelved, which is really upsetting for my bookshelf-lusting self.

9. THE NUMBER OF BOOKS ON MY TBR LIST (THAT I HAVE NOT AQUIRED YET):

Oh goodness, I have no clue, probably in the hundreds.

10. THE WAY I KEEP TRACK OF BOOKS I WANT TO READ:

Goodreads!

11. THE LAST BOOK I RECEIVED/BOUGHT:

I bought two books at Borders over the weekend: The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa and Discord's Apple by Carrie Vaughn. Can't wait to dive into both.

12. A BOOK THAT HAS CHANGED MY LIFE IN SOME WAY:

I guess I'd have to say Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery. Reading that book makes me look at life differently, focusing more on the small, beautiful things and my surroundings. It makes me believe in the power of being surrounded by beauty and inspiration.

13. A BOOK I LIKE THAT NO ONE ELSE SEEMS TO:

It's more like no one knows about this book, but I loved The Number Devil by Hans Magnus Enzensberger. It was one of the defining books of my childhood. I'm always sad that not more people know about it.

14. A BOOK I DON’T LIKE THAT EVERYONE ELSE SEEMS TO LOVE:

I guess I'd have to say Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater. Maggie's a talented writer, and I'm definitely up for reading more of her work... but Grace and Sam's story just didn't do it for me.

15. A BOOK THAT INTIMIDATES ME:

Ulysses by James Joyce. I think it would be a trip reading it. A really long, arduous, difficult, frustrating, incomprehensible trip.

16. IF I COULD GO TO ANY LITERARY DESTINATION I WOULD CHOOSE:

The UK. Plenty of magical places to explore there, both rural and urban. I feel like the whole country is rife with possibilities for inspiration.

17. THREE OF MY FAVORITE AUTHORS:

Megan McCafferty, Sarah Dessen, Maria Snyder. I like my favorite authors tried and true. :)

18. I HAVE BEEN BLOGGING ABOUT BOOKS SINCE:

January 2009 - around the same time two of my favorite bloggers (Adele from Persnickety Snark and Jenny from Wondrous Reads) also started!

19. MY BOOK BLOG STANDS OUT FROM THE CROWD BECAUSE:

I think that my ongoing education in literary analysis, writer's view, and public education definitely contribute to the tones of my posts and what I focus about on my blog. That's alongside a large dose of self-deprecation and my romantic side, I like to think. ;)

20. THREE BOOK BLOGGERS I WOULD LIKE TO SEE FEATURED IN THE FUTURE:

Oh, whoever really wants to! Though I'd like to see Lenore's answers to these questions. :)

Cool! I started blogging in January 2009, too! I am with you on Ulysses. And I can't believe you have 1000 books! Have you read them all? I haven't read most of the books on my shelves. I seem to trade most of them in for other books I want to read as soon as I'm done with them!

NOTE:

I am re-organizing my 20 Questions feature. I am brainstorming about this and one of my ideas is to let YOU ask the featured blogger questions, too. Perhaps tell you who is coming the next week and you pose questions for him/her and then they answer the following week. What do you think?

30 Books Everyone Should Read Before Age 30- And What Of That I've Read at Age 30.5

I saw this list via StumbleUpon. The list was on the site Divine Caroline and was written by Marc and Angel of Marc and Angel Hack Life (love them). They have come up with a list of 30 books you should read before you are thirty. The reasoning behind their choices:

"The Web is grand. With its fame for hosting informative, easy-to-skim textual snippets and collaborative written works, people are spending more and more time reading online. Nevertheless, the Web cannot replace the authoritative transmissions from certain classic books that have delivered (or will deliver) profound ideas around the globe for generations. The thirty books listed here are of unparalleled prose, packed with wisdom capable of igniting a new understanding of the world."

You can read the reasons behind each of their thirty choices in detail here.

Okay, so I am already thirty but I have at least read some of these books. What do you think? Would these books make your list of 30 before 30? How many have you read?

1. Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse
2. 1984 by George Orwell
3. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
4. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
5. For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
6. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (Honestly will probably never read this book. I want to, but I couldn't even get through the movie.)

7. The Rights of Man by Thomas Paine
8. The Social Contract by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
9. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
10. The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin
11. The Wisdom of the Desert by Thomas Merton
12. The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
13. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Graham
14. The Art of War by Sun Tzu
15. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
16. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

17. Four Quartets by T.S. Eliot
18. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
19. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
20. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
21. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (Attempted in 2007 and 2008 but didn't finish either time. Will go back to it.)
22. The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli
23. Walden by Henry David Thoreau

24. The Republic by Plato
25. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
26. Getting Things Done by David Allen
27. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
28. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
29. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
30. The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov

So only 10 out of 30. I have One Hundred Years of Solitude, The Prince, and Crime and Punishment on my bookshelf. I have added The Master and Margarita after reading about it. I confess I had not even heard of it (or a couple of others, actually.) So what about you? How many have you read? Do you agree or disagree with this list?

I personally would want to see Silent Spring by Rachel Carson on the list, especially before putting The Lord of the Rings on it. What do you think?

My Reading Agenda

Books I Reviewed This Past Week:
1. Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Vigler
2. Push by Sapphire
3. Maximum Ride: The Final Warning by James Patterson

Books I Completed This Week:
1. She's So Dead to Us by Kieran Scott
2. Persepolis 2 by Marjane Satrapi

Books I'm Currently Working On:

1. The White Tiger by Avarind Adiga
(pg. 30 of 276) (for Colorful challenge)

2. The Impulse Factor: Why Some of Us Play it Safe and Others Risk It All (An Innovative Approach to Better Decision Making) by Nick Tasler
(pg. 188 of 272) (for ThemeQuest challenge)

3. The Woman's Book of Creativity by C. Diane Ealy, Ph.D.
(pg. 127 of 249) (for ThemeQuest challenge)

4. The Unexpected Son by Shobhan Bantwal (pg. 20 of 326) (for book tour)

ARCs Coming Up Next:
1. She-Rain by Michael Cogdill
2. Sweet Dates of Basra by Jessica Jiji
3. Keeper by Kathi Appelt

Books For Challenges Coming Up Next in the TBR Pile:
1. Uglies by Scott Westerfield
2. Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (re-read for Flashback Challenge)
3. The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig
4. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Books Still Needing To Have Reviews Written or Posted:
1. Persepolis: The Complete Story by Marjane Satrapi
2. She's So Dead To Me by Kieran Scott
3. 10-10-10 by Suzy Welch

Current Giveaways on this Blog:
Currently none

Take Me Away to Canada, Eh?

Take Me Away Saturday

For those of you unfamiliar with Take Me Away Saturday: I started it because I love books that take place in different cultures and are about different cultures. Take Me Away is a way to share with other readers books that can transport them into another culture. Each week I feature a different country or culture (ex. Cherokee, Jewish, etc. that do not have a specific country per se) and list some books that can transport you there. (Note: ex. not necessarily books by a German or an Australian, but books set in Germany or Australia.) I try to provide a variety of fiction genres as well as nonfiction selections.

I am keeping a map of the countries we visit, which you can see at the bottom of this post. There is also a list of both countries and cultures visited in past Take Me Away posts. Check them out and discover some good books to read and recommend some, too!


This week we are visiting the North American country of Canada:


Click on the titles of the books below to read reviews and/or purchase the book. Disclaimer: I do not receive commissions if you purchase a book through the link I provide, whether from Amazon, Indiebound, or otherwise.

Beauty Tips from Moose Jaw: Travels in Search of Canada by Will Ferguson

Canada's number one humorist delivers a funny, idiosyncratic, and warmly humane book full of sly observations and witty stories culled from his travels among the people and places of his homeland.

Hatchet (Brian's Saga Series #1) by Gary Paulsen

Brian Robeson, 13, is the only passenger on a small plane flying him to visit his father in the Canadian wilderness when the pilot has a heart attack and dies. The plane drifts off course and finally crashes into a small lake. Miraculously Brian is able to swim free of the plane, arriving on a sandy tree-lined shore with only his clothing, a tattered windbreaker, and the hatchet his mother had given him as a present. The novel chronicles in gritty detail Brian's mistakes, setbacks, and small triumphs as, with the help of the hatchet, he manages to survive the 54 days alone in the wilderness.
Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood

In Alias Grace, bestselling author Margaret Atwood has written her most captivating, disturbing, and ultimately satisfying work since The Handmaid's Tale. She takes us back in time and into the life of one of the most enigmatic and notorious women of the nineteenth century. Grace Marks has been convicted for her involvement in the vicious murders of her employer, Thomas Kinnear, and Nancy Montgomery, his housekeeper and mistress. Some believe Grace is innocent; others think her evil or insane. Now serving a life sentence, Grace claims to have no memory of the murders. Dr. Simon Jordan, an up-and-coming expert in the burgeoning field of mental illness, is engaged by a group of reformers and spiritualists who seek a pardon for Grace. He listens to her story while bringing her closer and closer to the day she cannot remember. What will he find in attempting to unlock her memories? Is Grace a female fiend? A bloodthirsty femme fatale? Or is she the victim of circumstances?

The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney

The frigid isolation of European immigrants living on the 19th-century Canadian frontier is the setting for British author Penney's haunting debut. Seventeen-year-old Francis Ross disappears the same day his mother discovers the scalped body of his friend, fur trader Laurent Jammet, in a neighboring cabin. The murder brings newcomers to the small settlement, from inexperienced Hudson Bay Company representative Donald Moody to elderly eccentric Thomas Sturrock, who arrives searching for a mysterious archeological fragment once in Jammet's possession. Other than Francis, no real suspects emerge until half-Indian trapper William Parker is caught searching the dead man's house. Parker escapes and joins with Francis's mother to track Francis north, a journey that produces a deep if unlikely bond between them. Only when the pair reaches a distant Scandinavian settlement do both characters and reader begin to understand Francis, who arrived there days before them. Penney's absorbing, quietly convincing narrative illuminates the characters, each a kind of outcast, through whose complex viewpoints this dense, many-layered story is told.
Mercury by Hope Larson

In 1859 French Hill, Nova Scotia, Josey Fraser has just met handsome Asa Curry — a man with a mysterious and traveled past. While quickly winning young Josey's heart, Asa reveals a secret ability to locate gold on the Frasers' farm. But there is darkness in the woods...and in Asa. In the same town one hundred fifty years later, Tara Fraser is dealing with the aftermath of her house burning down; a house that has been in her family — and Josey's — for generations, when Tara discovers a pendant that turns out to be much more than a simple heirloom. As Josey's story plunges into tragedy, Tara's emerges with the promise of gold. A compelling combination of history and romance, marked with Larson's signature touch of magical realism, Mercury is a remarkable depiction of two girls tied by blood and separated by time.

So, You Want to be Canadian by Kerry Colburn and Rob Sorensen

So, you want to be Canadian? Who doesn't these days? Canucks are enjoying a major renaissance in attention, from their enlightened social policies to their wild and wooly pop culture. This playful, trivia-packed book is a long-overdue celebration of all things Canadian, from the mysteries of "eh?" to the difference between an Ogo Pogo and a Windingo to how to prepare moose stroganoff (mmm!). Featuring a dreamy list of Canadian hotties, a toe-tapping roundup of Canadian smash hit songs, a handy Canadian-American translator, and pointers on how to eat, dress, and apologize like a Canadian if you weren't lucky enough to be born a Canuck, So, You Want to Be Canadian demonstrates once and for all why Canada is so cool (formerly just cold).

Anne of Green Gables Series by L.M. Montgomery

Favorites for nearly 100 years, these classic novels follow the adventures of the spirited redhead Anne Shirley, who comes to stay at Green Gables on Prince Edward Island and wins the hearts of everyone she meets.

Do you want to recommend/share books that take place in Canada? Or do you want to share other thoughts? Please leave a note in the comments!

Be sure to check back for another trip in books! Here is what is coming up next:

August:
Amish Culture
African country of Morocco










Where we've been and the books that take us there:
The Americas and the Caribbean
Guatemala
Peru
Brazil
Chile
Haiti
Honduras
Europe
Triple Threat-Baltic States
Spain
Norway
Hungary
Middle East
Turkey
Yemen
Israel
Asia
Russia
Vietnam
India
Japan
Taiwan
Africa
Egypt
Sierra Leone
Kenya
Zimbabwe
Australia, Pacific Islands
New Zealand
Fiji
Cultures Across the World
Australian Aborigines
Sioux Nation
Inuit Culture

Hey Lady! Is That Trish on 20 Questions?

Okay, how about I am an idiot. I was thinking today was Thursday but CLEARLY it is Friday. I apologize for not having this done and ready to post so that it wouldn't matter if I knew what day it was!

Today I have Trish from Hey Lady! Whatcha Readin'? I think Trish is witty and interesting and I like the way her personality shines through her blog. Thank you, Trish, for sharing with us, and forgive me for not getting this up the correct day. :/

1. MY EARLIEST MEMORY OF READING: Reading children's rhymes out of a big yellow book that had lots of silly little rhymes. My favorite was: Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear / Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair / So Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn't fuzzy, was he?

2. THE FIRST BOOK I READ OVER AND OVER: See question above. I know that that rhyme isn't particularly hard to memorize, but I did flip through the book enough to memorize that rhyme.

3. A CHILDREN’S BOOK EVERY CHILD SHOULD READ: Walter the Farting Dog? I don't really know how to answer this since I don't have kids and don't read any kid lit. However, I think the illustrations in The Rainbow Goblins are just GORGEOUS. So maybe that one.

4. THE BOOK I HAVE RE-READ THE MOST TIMES: East of Eden by John Steinbeck. Guess how many times I've re-read that book. Five? Ten? Actually, only twice. I don't re-read books.

5. MY FAVORITE PLACE TO READ: Anywhere by myself. I started taking the bus so I can read, but I seem to have made friends on the bus and now I don't have a chance to read there. Is it rude to say, Sorry, I enjoy talking to you, but I'd really rather read.

6. MY MUST-HAVE READING ACCESSORIES: bookmarks.

7. THE NUMBER OF BOOKS I OWN (YOU CAN GUESS): Well, seeing as how I'm getting ready to get rid of about 175 books (I'm making room for MORE BOOKS!), I'd guesstimate the number of books to be...500-600. I know I should feel proud of that, but it just makes me want to crawl in bed and suck my thumb, since I know I'll never get to them all, and I still bring new books in. Oh, the futility!

8. MY BOOKSHELVES ARE: rude. I need to teach those shelves some manners! They don't get that it's RUDE to run out of room, or to let books fall off the shelves. I mean, REALLY.

9. THE NUMBER OF BOOKS ON MY TBR LIST (THAT I HAVE NOT AQUIRED YET): I don't keep a list because I'm convinced this number is infinite.

10. THE WAY I KEEP TRACK OF BOOKS I WANT TO READ: I put them on my Amazon wishlist, and then I acquire them some other way than Amazon, since I hate Amazon. But I have to admit, their interface is really quite nice. So I use their wishlist thingy but don't buy from them. This is me sticking it to the man.

11. THE LAST BOOK I RECEIVED/BOUGHT: This is hard to answer since I buy books on a fairly regular basis (even now, despite the fact that I'm only reading about 2 books a month, I'm continually bringing in 5+ books a month that I buy myself, not including review copies). So I'll tell you that the last few books I bought were: Mr. Peanut by Adam Ross, Unformed Landscape by Peter Stamm, and The Quickening by Michelle Hoover.

12. A BOOK THAT HAS CHANGED MY LIFE IN SOME WAY: Most recently: The Unnamed by Joshua Ferris. From when I was younger: Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo.

13. A BOOK I LIKE THAT NO ONE ELSE SEEMS TO: Bel Canto by Ann Patchett. It's not that no one seems to like it, but more that it is a definite love or hate book.

14. A BOOK I DON’T LIKE THAT EVERYONE ELSE SEEMS TO LOVE: I would have thought this would be The Time Traveler's Wife, but when I posted my review about how I didn't like it, others who didn't like it came out of the woodwork. So.

15. A BOOK THAT INTIMIDATES ME: Ulysses. Or any other book that I feel should be read in an English class (and by that I mean, with someone who explains what you're reading the whole way through).

16. IF I COULD GO TO ANY LITERARY DESTINATION I WOULD CHOOSE: the laundromat that doubles as a greenhouse in Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire.

17. THREE OF MY FAVORITE AUTHORS: Tana French, Joshua Ferris, and Wally Lamb.

18. I HAVE BEEN BLOGGING ABOUT BOOKS SINCE: 2006

19. MY BOOK BLOG STANDS OUT FROM THE CROWD BECAUSE: it is easy to see from a distance.

20. THREE BOOK BLOGGERS I WOULD LIKE TO SEE FEATURED IN THE FUTURE: Jessica from Both Eyes Book Blog, Steph from Steph & Tony Investigate, and Zibilee from Raging Bibliomania.

Hopefully you can see what I mean about Trish's wittiness. I cracked up at #8 and #19! If you haven't been to Trish's blog, you need to go visit. All the cool kids are doing it. :)

Don't Miss Next Week:
Steph from Steph Su Reads

Push by Sapphire

What can I say about this book? Besides that it totally lives up to the hype.

In case you live under a rock and don't know the story already (grin), Push is the story of Precious Jones, an illiterate sixteen-year-old from Harlem, who has been beaten by her mother and raped by her father. Pregnant with her second child by her father, Precious is kicked out of school. With some help, she gets into an Alternative School and into a "pre-GRE program" to help her learn to read and write. The teacher she meets there, Ms. Rain, changes Precious' life. Precious begins a journey of determination, spirit, and hope as she learns how to write about her life and how to make it her own.

I love the title of the novel, Push. It is a metaphor for how Precious not only had to push and struggle through having her children, but also how she has to push forward through the crap that has been her life so far and towards a brighter future; how she has to push herself beyond what she thinks she can do in order to break the cycle of abuse and poverty she is in right now; how we as readers need to push our expectations of what we think a novel should read like (it reads like Precious' journal, so bad grammar/spelling, etc.) and what we think a typical teenager's life should be like.

I was very moved by Precious' story and also her spirit and determination to make a better life for herself. I really want to see the movie now more than ever. I am very happy that there are teachers out there like Ms. Rain (as few and far apart as they definitely and unfortunately are) that help children like Precious and the others in the class get out of the cycle and make a better life for themselves, to see themselves as more than a sum of the experiences in their life.

That is what I strived to do as a teacher working with disadvantaged children. Now that my fibromyalgia won't allow me to teach, I am going back to school to study sociology and cultural/global issues and work to find solutions to problems like these that children should never have to deal with. I can't just leave them to defend for themselves when they don't know how and don't have the resources. I hope only that I can make some kind of difference.

I really recommend reading this book. It definitely made a huge impact on me.

THE STATISTICS:
BOOK #: 47
RATING: 4.5 Stars
FOR CHALLENGES: YA Challenge, Support Your Local Library, New Authors, 100+ in 2010
GENRE: YA Fiction
PUBLISHER: Vintage Books of Random House, Inc.
FORMAT/PAGES: Hardcover/177
HEY, FCC!: I borrowed it from the library.

Maximum Ride: The Final Warning by James Patterson

The fourth book in Patterson's Maximum Ride series is just as good as the first three. This time the flock (made up of 5 winged kids with amazing abilities, led by Max, and who were taken as babies and genetically altered in a lab to possess avian DNA and have since escaped- whew!) are off to not only escape danger (yet again) but also to use their special abilities to help scientists research global warming in Antarctica. But even Antarctica is not far enough away from the Uber-Director, a human-robot hybrid of some sort whose main purpose in life is to capture them.

There is a brand new army of specialized soldiers made just to capture Max and the flock. If they are captured and their abilities are put to use for the wrong purposes, the whole world could be in danger. Mwahahahaha! But in the meantime, six-year-old Angel goes missing in an Antarctic storm that could kill her if she isn't found soon.

I enjoy this series. The books are quick reads and the characters are well-defined and continually evolving. I look forward to reading the next books in the series.


THE STATISTICS:
BOOK #: 46
RATING: 4 Stars
4 CHALLENGES: James Patterson Challenge, YA Challenge, 100+ in 2010, Countdown Challenge for '08, Support Your Local Library
GENRE: YA Fantasy
PUBLISHER: Little, Brown and Company
FORMAT/PAGES: Hardcover/256
HEY, FCC!: I got this from the library.