Winter Reading Challenge Wrap-Up

This is my first time participating in this challenge and I really enjoyed it!!
I want to thank Robin from My Two Blessings for hosting this challenge!!

I wanted to read 29 but only completed 19 books.

Here is the list of the books that I did finish:

Sonata for Miriam by Linda Olsson- I absolutely loved this book. A favorite for this year for sure. I will be posting my thoughts later this week and offering up my gently-read copy as a giveaway!!

Who By Fire by Diana Spechler- This was a great read which came highly recommended by several fellow bloggers. I will post my thoughts about this one later this week too.

Laika by Nick Abadzis- graphic novel about the first dog sent into space by the Soviet Union. Thanks to Nymeth for reviewing this book on her blog a while ago. It was so moving and it made me cry. Another book that I need to post my thoughts about!!

Skim by Mariko Tamaki- another graphic novel that I really enjoyed. I was intrigued by the cover art and had to take this book home with me from the library. I wasn't let down!!

Love and Other Natural Disasters by Holly Shumas- even though the subject matter (husband has emotional affair while wife is 8 months pregnant) left a bad taste in my mouth, the book was well written and there was a lot to talk about in regards to the subject matter. Thanks Mel at Lit*Chick for suggesting this one.

Still Alice by Lisa Genova- this book made me an emotional wreck. I highly recommend this to everyone!! A must read for 2009!!!

Bliss by Lauren Myracle- a great YA book that is very, very dark, sinister and creepy!!

The Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby- this book was hazardous to my TBR list!! And now I can't wait to read the other 2!

The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton- not a bad book but not a great one either. Just so-so for me.

The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen- I really enjoyed this book but I loved her first one more!! Still, I can't wait until her 3rd novel is released later this year!

The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister- I adored this book!! Everything about it was wonderful and for those that love food and books about cooking, food, and relationships...this one is for you!!

Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel- this is a superb graphic novel! I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a great graphic novel read, and especially to those that have never tried reading a graphic novel.

Interpreter of Maladies byJhumpra Lahiri- her first collection of short stories and my first foray into reading a book of short stories. Wonderful experience.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen- I'm so glad that I read this. I've watched the movie versions so many times that the words in the book came alive for me!!

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle: A Novel by David Wroblewski- I never did post my thoughts about this and I think I really should because this book really touched me. I loved the entire story even though I didn't make the connections with Hamlet/MacBeth (whatever!!) I just enjoyed this book immensly...when it ended the tears were rolling down my checks.

Cross Country by James Patterson- yes, I know a lot of people diss Patterson but I love Alex Cross so I won't say I'm sorry for reading this series...I like it!

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer- told in letter form much like 84, Charing Road, this book was simply marvelous!! One of the best of the year for me!

A Mercy by Toni Morrison- very deep and emotionally raw book. One that I feel I should re-read some day.

Sweet Life by Mia King- another book with food as a key element and a great storyline!

The Books I didn't finish:

• The Lady Elizabeth
• The Jane Austen Book Club
• The Heretic's Daughter
• Confessions of a Shopaholic
• Cellist of Sarajevo
• God of Animals
• Anna Karenina
• Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell

But I have every intention of reading them sometime this year...
Thanks for reading to the end of this extremely long post!

Interpreter of Maladies - my thoughts

Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
Large Print Version
311 pages

From the back cover:
This stunning debut collection has won almost every award bestowed on a first book of fiction, including the Pulitzer Prize. Nine stories unerringly chart the emotional journeys of characters seeking love beyond the barriers of nations and generations. With accomplished precision and gentle eloquence, Lahiri traces the crosscurrents set in motion when immigrants, expatriates, and their children arrive, quite literally, at a cultural divide. Imbued with the sensual details of Indian culture, these stories speak with passion and wisdom to everyone who has ever felt like a foreigner. Like the interpreter of the title story, Lahiri translates between the strict traditions of her ancestors and a baffling new world.


I have not read a book of short stories ever. But one day as I was reading Mel's blog Lit*Chick, I came across her review about Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri and was quite taken by her thoughts on this particular collection of short stories. I am always open to new ideas so this year I decided that I was going to read many, many collections of short stories. I actually started with an Audio version of Unaccustomed Earth, but the CD was so damaged in spots I just turned it in to the library and picked up Interpreter of Maladies instead. I am so glad that I ventured out in the short-story world. Each one of these stories were gems. I can say that I liked all of them but there were a few that I liked more. The first story, A Temporary Matter, was very well written. The two characters in the story are married, but they couldn't be more further apart than if they lived in two different hemispheres. What you don't know is that they suffered a horrible loss that effectively destroyed any connection they may have had. Lahiri writes their story centered around a scheduled power outage that takes place at the same time every night for one week. During this time, the two use the darkness to be speak truths to each other that ultimately led to an end of their marriage. Each of her stories encompasses the Indian culture, norms, food, and homeland. I have always been intrigued by India, one of my very favorite books, A Fine Balance, was located in India. I'm drawn to the beauty, the culture, the exotic foods and smells, but am also acutely aware of the poverty, the caste system and the low regard for women. I found myself laughing and wanting to be friends with Twinkle from This Blessed House. The newlyweds buy a house and find all kinds of Christian paraphernalia hidden in strange locations all over the house. Twinkle's desire to showcase these found objects and her husband's adamant exclamations of "we're not Christian!" battle against each other to a very satisfying conclusion. My favorite story of them all was the final one, The Third and Final Continent. This centered around a young man who has arrived in America to study at MIT and he's renting a room from a woman who is 103 years old. Before he came to America he went to home to Calcutta to marry a young lady he had never met. When she arrives in America they are strangers to each other but it is the visits to his old landlady that begin to bring them together as husband and wife. I found this story very satisfying because you learn that they ended up being happily married. I found this passage to be very endearing:

I wanted somehow to explain this to Mrs. Croft, who was still scrutinizing Mala from top to toe with what seemed to be placid disdain. I wondered if Mrs. Croft had ever seen a woman in a sari, with a dot painted on her forehead and bracelets stacked on her wrists. I wondered what she would object to. I wondered if she could see the red dye still vivid on Mala's feet, all but obscured by the bottom edge of her sari. At last Mrs. Croft declared, with the equal measures of disbelief and delight I knew well:
"She is a perfect lady!"
Now it was I who laughed. I did so quietly, and Mrs. Croft did not hear me. But Mala had heard, and, for the first time, we looked at each other and smiled.


This is easily a 4 stars out of 5 book!!

Saturday 9 and I finished another book!!

Saturday 9: The Phone is For You

1. Your phone rings. Who is the most likely caller?

Some girl for our son!!! and if it isn't a girl then it is one of his buds. The phone never rings for the big people!!

2. How long to you chat on the phone each day?

Not a lot. Just to my hubs when he's working!!

3. Who do you speak to the most?

My husband is the one I talk to the most and runner-up would be my cousin Renee

4. Do you often not answer if a certain person comes up on your caller id?

I don't have caller id on the house phone but I've been known to let the answering machine pick it up. I do have that feature on my cell. I usually pick it up.
5. Do you phone friends at work?

Nope!

6. Do you make personal calls at work?

Very rarely and if I do I use my cell.

7. Who do you always say “I love you” at the end of the call?

My hubby!!

8. Do you use a landline or cell more often?

My cell, it just seems easier

9. Who in the blogosphere that you haven’t chatted with but would like to?

I'm not sure but I'm always looking to make new connections and friends via the blogosphere. It keeps life fun!



I almost always get up with my husband when he works days so after he left this morning I curled back up in bed with latest book and here are my thoughts.
Cross Country by James Patterson

From the inside jacket:
When the home of Alex Cross's longtime friend, Ellie Cox, is turned into the worst murder scene Alex has ever seen, he is devastated. The destruction leads him to believe that he's chasing a horrible new breed of killer. As Alex and his girlfriend Brianna Stone begin the hunt for the villain responsible for the killings, they quickly find themselves entangeled in the deadly Nigerian underworld of Washington D.C.. What they discover is shocking: a strongly organized gang of teenage thugs headed by a powerful, diabolical man-The Tiger.
As the killing spree escalates, Alex and Brianna realize they are not dealing with any ordinary killer, but one who has brought his personal war of vengeance to America's capital. But just when the detectives think they're closing in on the elusive murderer, the Tiger disappears into thin air. Unable to let the killer get away with this narrow escape, Alex makes it his duty to bring the brutal butcher to justice. He knows that he must follow The Tiger. Alone.

When Alex arrives in Nigeria, he discovers a world where justice is as foreign as he is. Unprotected and alone in a strange country, bombarded on all sides by the murderous threats of The Tiger, Alex must draw on his fiercest instincts just to survive in a lawless world.



My Review:

Well, what can I possibly say about this book except that I've been in love with Alex Cross from the very first book I read ages ago. Saying that, whenever a new Cross book comes out I read it no matter what. I really like the short chapters. I don't read it for the amazing dialogue, complex story plot, or the top-notch writing. Yes, I'm being a little sarcastic here :). I read them because I am a passenger on Alex Cross's bus of life. I want to see where he goes, what he does, and if he will ever be happy with what he has. Another reason that I read these is because I'm always satisfied with the story, I don't set myself up for being disappointed, and I never have to invest more than a day or two reading them. So now I sit here eagerly awaiting the next Cross book because I have a feeling our old twisted buddy, Kyle, is coming back into the picture!!!

A book review and why I'm so late writing this!

We were invited to our neighbors house for their annual New Year's party. I was all ready to go and have a great time ringing in the new year. I made a crock-pot of meatballs for our passing dish, put on my makeup, and raced out to the truck. So every time my husband and I go out I try to call dibs on being the person that gets to drink. I wish that Matt would've beat me to the punch last night!! As soon as we got there we found out that they were waiting for us so that the drinking of Lemon Shots could commence. Me, I am a sucker!! I love Lemon Drop shots!! But I'm also quite the flyweight when it comes to alcohol. That did not matter last night. I was determined to get a good buzz no matter what. I'm a fool!! Just writing this is making my stomach queasy!!!


Take this picture and multiply it by 8!!! I think...!! At midnight I wasn't feeling too good but I managed to make it outside and watch the awesome fireworks the guys put on for all of us!! Prior to that I was rockin' the house with Rock Band on the x-box 360. It is amazing how when I get a little, LOT, drunk I really think my voice is awesome. The kids seemed to love my version of Crazy Train by Ozzy!! Then of course I had to sing Hotel California, Joker, and some other oldie stuff. By 12:40 I was sitting on the couch with my 2009 tiara and trying harder than hell not to get sick. We got home around 2:00 and I took a long, hot bubble bath, climbed into bed, and managed to sleep until about 9 a.m. When I woke up I had the mother of all headaches!! Then after downing 3 Advil I fell back to sleep until 3:30!! What a loser!! It is now 10:23 pm and I'm still not feeling that great. I really did have a fun time last night but I'm mad about losing most of the day to my wonderful hangover!! I've already told my hubby to not let me drink again next year!!! We'll see if it works or not!!



My first book review of 2009!! It took me 2 hours to finish the last 15 pages!! It was my headache holding me up, not the book!

A Mercy by Toni Morrison
From the inside book cover: in the 1680s the slave trade was still in its infancy. In the Americas, virulent religious and class divisions, prejudice and oppression were rife, providing the fertile soil in which slavery and race hatred were planted and took root.
Jacob in an Anglo-Dutch trader and adventurer, with a small holding in the harsh north. Despite his distaste for dealing in "flesh," he takes a small slave girl in part payment for a bad debt from a plantation owner in Catholic Maryland. This is Florens, "with the hands of a slave and the feet of a Portuguese lady." Florens looks for love, first from Lina, an older servant woman at ther new master's house, but later from a handsome blacksmith, an African, never enslaved.
There are other voices: Lina, whose tribe was decimated by smallpox; their mistress, Rebekka, herself a victim of religious intolerance back in England; Sorrow, a strange girl who's spent her early years at sea; and finally the devastating voice of Florens' mother. These are all men and women iniventing themselves in the wilderness.

rating:
bookshelves:	read, must-read-in-2009, winter-reading-challenge-2009 (edit)
status:	Read in January, 2009
review:	I really did enjoy this book but I found Florens voice very hard to understand. I was very thankful that Morrison did not write the book entirely from her viewpoint. This is a story about slavery, and how women's lives are hugely impacted by their owners, which were almost always men. It wasn't until the ending did I realize what a Mercy was truly about. The final chapter is Floren's mother. It helps put all the pieces of the puzzle together. The character Jacob is central to the main story as e...more I really did enjoy this book but I found Florens voice very hard to understand. I was very thankful that Morrison did not write the book entirely from her viewpoint. This is a story about slavery, and how women's lives are hugely impacted by their owners, which were almost always men. It wasn't until the ending did I realize what a Mercy was truly about. The final chapter is Floren's mother. It helps put all the pieces of the puzzle together. The character Jacob is central to the main story as each woman's life revolves around him. He deplores slavery but finds it acceptable when he feels that he is saving someone from a miserable life. I truly loved the other voices in this book, Lina, Rebekka, and Sorrow. This is a story that will stay with me for a while as I contemplate what the conditions were for slaves being traded and sent to the colonies on ships with deplorable conditions. To know that most of them would rather jump ship and die a horrible death to the sharks is disturbing. I've never experienced such despair and lack of hope. Then to know that most all women regardless of their race were held hostage by the men in their lives. This is a very moving and powerful story.

It is a blustery day in the thumb...

The wind here has not stopped blowing since yesterday afternoon. The best part of all this strange weather that we've been having here in Michigan is that all 16 inches of snow is now gone! The bad part is that is has caused flooding in some areas and that is not good!! Yesterday the temp. got up to almost 60!!! We were loving the balmy temps but that has changed drastically today. That is the best part about living in Michigan, wait an hour and the weather will change. Whether you like it or not!! Most of the time I don't like it!!

Anyway, I'm just sitting here looking at blogs, watching a House Marathon with my hubby, and reading my book. I stumbled across a cool book challenge that I want to participate in, so I have to post the list of my books that I'm going to read.








The Winter Reading Challenge runs from December 21st, 2008 through March 20, 2009. There are 13 weeks in Winter and I will probably end up reading one to two books per week. Some of the books may cross over into challenges that begin 2009.



The rules are very flexible:

1) Choose any number of books you would like to read and post them on your blog.
Here are my selections:

• The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows
• Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
  
• Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
• Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
• Sweet Life by Mia King
  

2) They can be fiction and/or nonfiction including e-books and audiobooks

3) They can overlap with other challenges.

I'm excited about this challenge and I'm certainly going to be overlapping other challenges!! Winter reading is the best! Nothing to feel guilty about...let the games begin!!