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UPDATE #7 (and final): Summer Reading Challenge
Happy fall, followers and readers! My Summer Reading Challenge timeline has met its end, much more quickly than I expected and hoped. Here is a summary of my progress with the Penguin 80 and Challenge Your Shelf book lists: Total Number of Titles: 110 Number of Days: 89 (oh God why didn’t I make this 90?! Cue OCD freakout) Titles Read Before Challenge: 9 Titles Read During Challenge: 3 Titles in Limbo: 1 (I haven’t forgotten about you, Anna Karenina) Even I understand the math between the total number of titles and the number of days; I knew this from the beginning. Did I purposely set myself up for failure, you ask?…
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UPDATE #6: Summer Reading Challenge
Okay, so my Summer Reading Challenge did not turn out as successful as I hoped, but I’m not going to dwell on that now, because I want to talk about Early Warning, the novel I just finished. I was excited to read this, because Jane Smiley’s A Thousand Acres was, from what I remember, enjoyable. Early Warning, was different. Apparently, it’s the second book in a trilogy, which I was unaware of for maybe the first couple of chapters. When I began getting extremely confused at the sudden character “introductions,” and believe me, there are many, I realized they were not introductions, and as I looked back on the family…
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UPDATE #5: Summer Reading Challenge
I finished East of Eden last night, after making it through my first Fantasy Football Draft. That’s right, I FINISHED A BOOK ON MY LIST. Here are some quick thoughts, as I am already weaving the words together of a new post that I really want to get out. (I read from the Steinbeck Centennial Edition [1902-2002], 2002) Minor disappointment: Editing/proofreading errors. -While I did find more than the following, this is the only error I can pick out with a quick flip through of the pages (I always circle errors I find): “The others didn’t even know they needed him. he had the ability to get money and to…
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UPDATE #4: Summer Reading Challenge
Just a little over 200 pages stands between me and the next book on my list. 200 pages of eloquent, intriguing words from John Steinbeck stands between me and. . . finishing Anna Karenina and Early Warning, a novel by Jane Smiley. If you remember, I have been battling through Tolstoy’s novel since [what seems like] the beginning of time. Jane Smiley’s new novel is off of the Book Club Summer Reading Challenge list (#challengeyourshelf), which you can find here. I’m finding August is drawing to a close way too quickly, which has actually motivated me to crack down on myself and become more organized and deliberate with these challenges and goals I have…
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UPDATE #2: Summer Reading “Challenge”
This is going to be barely an update – more of a declaration of my excitement for the books I just purchased. I am still plugging away at Anna Karenina, but I’ve decided to take on the challenge of reading more than one book at once, especially since I’m moving at a snail’s pace towards my reading goal(s). Here’s an image of the books I have recently (today) added to my library: Besides the obvious reason – because I need/want to read them – here is why I chose these specific titles: On My Reading Challenge List(s) East of Eden – John Steinbeck [Penguin 80] Candide – Francois Voltaire [Penguin 80]…
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UPDATE #1: Summer Reading “Challenge”
I was hoping to be a little further along in my Challenge and the Penguin 80 list by the first update, but I’m not being too hard on myself for being behind. For my first read, I’ve chosen Anna Karenina – an advantageous first choice if I do say so myself. Or maybe I’m subconsciously hoping the rest of the list will go by quickly after I read one of the longest novels I’ve encountered in my life. My edition of Anna Karenina is 754 pages long. I am about 1/7 of the way through, which looks less impressive than it feels. Anyway, Anna Karenina is starting to become one of…
A blog about books and miscellany
