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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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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 #3: Summer Reading “Challenge”
It can’t be August already, it just can’t. I have just finished Candide, and am happy to say I will be reading it again. It’s a story surrounding the ideas of “the grass is always greener on the other side,” “someone else in the world is worse off than I am,” “perfection does not always mean ultimate happiness,” and “if I search long and hard enough for something I will [hopefully] attain it, because all happens and is for the best.” It’s also a story full of pillaging, war, gore, rape, pirates, death and other disheartening acts – so it’s not for the faint of heart. However, these trials and…
A blog about books and miscellany
