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Summer Reading Challenge 2016: The Pier Falls and Other Stories
There’s nothing better than a summertime read that so thoroughly describes the tragic, horrific event of an ocean pier falling and taking human life with it. The title of this short story collection by Mark Haddon (and consequently, the title of the first of these stories) is so simplistic, so matter of fact, yet no detail between the covers goes untouched. The first moments of the pier’s destruction to ten years after are well constructed, and while the scenes can be difficult to read, not reading is even more grueling.
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Word of the Moment: Detente
Happy Sunday friends! I’m starting today with Mark Haddon’s recently published short story collection, The Pier Falls, and I’m greatly enjoying it. Which is a little strange to say, because these stories are tragic and disastrous. Reading sorrowful stories and deciding whether to hate or empathize with characters who are fighting to survive situations they put themselves, or others in; or not allowing a work of fiction to turn common joys like entertainment on an ocean pier into fearful, avoidable activities because of the dangers you are now blatantly aware of, is uncomfortable. I suppose my enjoyment stems from the way the stories are told, and in Mark Haddon’s case, there are no if…
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Summer Reading Challenge 2016: An Introduction
Is summer my favorite season for reading? No. But it is one of four of my favorite seasons for reading; like the fall is for school, summer is for books. It calls for cleaning out To Be Read (TBR) lists, looking for what’s new on the shelves of bookstores (and in publishers’ calendars), and seeking out new and old favorite spots to spend time [reading]. There’s just something about the summer that makes me want to do all of these things, more so than in other seasons. Last year, I tried tackling the Penguin 80 Years of Bestsellers Reading Challenge, and came up quite short, even though I had already read…
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RC2015 – November II: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
I had hoped not to be so terrible with posting during the last few days, but alas, Thanksgiving festivities kept me from my blog duties. Thankfully a new month is starting tomorrow, which means time will be spent scheduling, goal making, and organizing within the next few days. For now, here is the wrap-up of my November Reading Challenge. Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is a mystery written by fifteen year old Christopher, who, although not specifically noted in the text, has Asperger’s Syndrome. The events within the pages made it hard to put the novel down, although by the conclusion I was left feeling shortchanged, or perhaps “grasping…
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RC2015 – November I: Why Not Me?
Good afternoon readers. Yes, I have completed the first half of my November Reading Challenge, and I am quite happy about it. I sipped on a Cappuccino while I lazily sat reading this morning as I finished Why Not Me?, and no, not a Cappuccino from a quaint, cozy coffee shop; a delicious powdered mix spooned into a mug of hot water I heated in a kettle on my stove. It was bliss. This book was a little different than Mindy Kaling’s first, and rightfully so I suppose since she’s not caught in a time warp where she just writes the same life stories over and over again. It focuses more on…
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RC2015 – November Intro
Good morning and happy Sunday! Also, happy Daylight Saving Time and first day of NaNoWriMo, NaBloPoMo, and all the other November Writing Challenges. I did have to manually set back one wall clock as well as the stove clock and my coffee maker clock, but of course my gadgets did it automatically. Oh, I need to remember to turn back my wristwatch… I spent the last couple of days (read: weeks) brainstorming NaNoWriMo ideas, and among doing laundry, cleaning my apartment, and keeping track of my Fantasy Football team today, I am expecting to pump out a wonderful array of words. Third paragraph in and I’m finally getting down to the…
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