Spring Reading Thing 2011

In the fall, I participated in the Fall Into Reading 2010 challenge – and did pretty well! I got 20 books off my To Read list. Granted, Miss C was still a little wee baby then, spending hours nursing and sleeping in arms, so I had a LOT of reading time… 🙂  It might be a bit different this time around! But I still like a challenge!

And so, here is my reading list for March 20th to June 20th. I may add or change up some books in this list as we go along, depending on my mood… 🙂

25 books, plus some magazines, in 3 months (or 12 weeks). Think I can pull it off?

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Books already finished

1. Vampireology: The True History of the Fallen Ones, by Archer Brookes

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Books to finish

1. New York, by Edward Rutherfurd (~70% done)
2. Green For Life, by Gillian Deacon (40% done)
3. Preparing my Heart for Easter, by Ann Marie Stewart (41% done – it’s a daily Bible Study, end date is May 1st, one week after Easter)
4. The Bible (~50% completed; my Bible in 90 days plan is scheduled to end on May 5th. I’m a bit behind at the moment, but I’ve mostly keep ahead so far, so I’m confident I’ll catch up 😉 )

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Books to read

1. Night World No. 1 (Secret Vampire, Daughters of Darkness, Spellbinder), by L. J. Smith (I already read Secret Vampire last May, so I guess this is technically a To Finish book… but anyway 🙂 ).
2. Night World No. 2 (Dark Angel, The Chosen, Soulmate), by L. J. Smith
3. Night World No. 3 (Huntress, Black Dawn, Witchlight), by L. J. Smith
4. Positive Discipline: The First Three Years, by Jane Nelsen, Cheryl Erwin, and Roslyn Ann Duffy
5. Positive Discipline for Preschoolers, by Jane Nelsen, Cheryl Erwin, and Roslyn Ann Duffy
6. Living Beyond Postpartum Depression, by Jerusha Clark
7. La tueuse de dragons, by Héloïse Côté
8. Revenir de loin, by Marie Laberge
9. Dancing With My Father, by Sally Clarkson
10. L’arbre de l’été: La tapisserie de Fionavar, Tôme 1, by Guy Gavriel Kay
11. Le feu vagabond: La tapisserie de Fionavar, Tôme 2, by Guy Gavriel Kay
12. La route obscure: La tapisserie de Fionavar, Tôme 3, by Guy Gavriel Kay
13. Angela’s Ashes, by Frank McCourt
14. East of Eden, by John Steinbeck
15. The Vampire Diaries, The Return Vol. 3: Midnight, by L. J. Smith (on hold at the library, I hope I get it before the end of the challenge!)
16. Dead Until Dark: Sookie Stackhouse Series, Book 1, by Charlaine Harris (also on hold from the library, but I’m next in line 😉 ).
17. The ADD & ADHD Answer Book, by Susan Ashley (also on hold, also next in line).
18. Wicked Lovely: Wicked Lovely Series Book 1, by Melissa Marr
19. Turned: The Vampire Journals Book 1, by Morgan Rice
20. Loved: The Vampire Journals Book 2, by Morgan Rice

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Magazines to cover

1. Today’s Parent: July 2010, August 2010, September 2010, October 2010, November 2010, December 2010, January 2011, February 2011, March 2011, April 2011
2. Mothering Magazine: March-April 2011 (their LAST issue!!! snif!!!)
3. Life Learning Magazine: whenever I get my first issue – it’s my replacement magazine Mothering gave me as a subscriber. I chose this one because it’s an unschooling magazine, looking forward to trying it out! (even if I’m still super bummed about Mothering…)

Booking Through Thursday – Reading Meme, Part V

This was posted a while ago on Booking Through Thursday – never a better time than now to answer it 😉
It’s long – 55 questions! – so I’ll be posting it 10-ish questions at a time, for the next few Thursdays.

Part I
Part II
Part III
Part IV
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46. The most money I’ve ever spent in the bookstore at one time?
Ahem… Too much.
Ok so went I went to Portland, OR in April 2006 for an undergraduate symposium in Art History in which I was presenting, I was directed to Powell’s Bookstore. Oh my gasp – what a bookstore!! It’s HUGE! It’s themed room is about the size of a Chapter’s, it’s a whole city block square, with multiple stories. I spent a whole evening in there – and left with many, many new (and gently used) books. I don’t remember the amount, but I do remember it became problematic when I packed my luggage – it didn’t fit! It was packed to exploding, and the clerk at the airport check-in wasn’t sure it wouldn’t just literally burst open. So a fellow presenter I had met at the conference, a local, who had kindly given me a ride to the airport, rummaged through his car to find plastic bags, and I carried-on part of my purchases. I love that story 🙂
More recently, I went to a Book Show with my sister for my birthday. I had about $120 spending money, my sister and her boyfriend gave me ~$30 as a gift, and my parents $60. Yea, I had nothing left.
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47. How often do you skim a book before reading it?
Always – I skim the table of content, and get a grasp of what each chapter is about, for textbooks, or how the chapters/parts of the story are divided, for novel. I have a very organized mind: I like to know how long is a chapter, how many there are, how the book is divided. When I start a new chapter, I often look to see at which page it ends – not that I can’t wait to get through it, but I like to know what to “expect”, so to speak. I don’t usually skim the book itself though, when it’s a novel – but I might do it for a textbook.
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48. What would cause you to stop reading a book half-way through?
Pretty much nothing, although, again, I’m re-evaluating that, as mentioned in question #37.
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49. Do you like to keep your books organized?
Yes – I’m an organization junkie! Right now, they are roughly organized by type, mostly by size (I’m visual – the look of books organized by size trumps the by type/subject) in my bedroom bookshelf. On my Nook, they are organized by type/genre.
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50. Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once you’ve read them?
Keep. Although I’m starting to have a lot, and I’m actively trying to reduce my clutter. So those I know I’ll never re-read (mostly novels, that were good, but not memorable), I put in my Book Exchange bin, and I regularly host Book Exchange playdates with my various playgroups. Worst-case scenario, I can always rent them back from the library 😉
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51. Are there any books you’ve been avoiding?
Not really. I avoided reading Twilight until I had all 4 books in trade paperback – I prefer that format, and I hate starting a series and not being able to continue it (unless it’s because the following book is not out yet). Then again, I might wait until all books are out too 😉
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52. Name a book that made you angry.
Chat : -), Connect }:-), and Crash ; -), by Nan McCarthy – the ending pretty much killed it for me. I talk about it here.
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53. A book you didn’t expect to like but did?
The Book of Negroes, by Lawrence Hill, and Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books, by Azar Nafidi, which were both Book Club selections. They were so uninteresting to me, that, after reading their synopsis, I didn’t even vote for them in the selection poll. But I’m glad I read them, they were both very good indeed!
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54. A book that you expected to like but didn’t?
Brick Lane, by Monica Ali, another Book Club selection, which I had that time voted for, and was looking forward to read. It just – didn’t like. I’ve linked to my review in an earlier question, here it is again.
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55. Favorite guilt-free, pleasure reading?
Twilight Saga 😛
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The End.

Booking Through Thursday – Reading Meme, Part IV

This was posted a while ago on Booking Through Thursday – never a better time than now to answer it 😉
It’s long – 55 questions! – so I’ll be posting it 10-ish questions at a time, for the next few Thursdays.

Part I
Part II
Part III
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36. How many books do you usually have checked out of the library at any given time?
2 to 3, on average. Plus the ones I own that are on the go too…
Yes, I manage to follow the plot line/argument of each of them 😉
No, it doesn’t take me months to finish each. A few weeks. If I’m reading just one book at a time (rare, but it happens), it’s a few days to maybe a week – unless I’m REALLY busy.
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37. How often have you returned book to the library unread?
Almost never – I like to finish what I’ve started. Call it a perfectionist thing.
Although one of my friends pointed out in the comment how she used to be like that, until she decided that life was too short to waste on boring books… she does have a point…
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38. Favorite fictional character?
Hmmm…. I like quite a few of them.
To the risk of being sappy and conventional – I like Bella and Edward (yes, I like Jacob too)
I really enjoyed Ronan O’Mara in Frank Delaney’s Ireland.
Oh yes, Rebecca Brandon née Bloomwood (the Shopaholic herself) is classic. Luke is cool too.
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39. Favorite fictional villain?
Erm… no one comes to mind. Well I guess Damon in The Vampire Diaries is somewhat of a villain – and quite charming.
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40. Books I’m most likely to bring on vacation?
A bi of everything – just in case I feel like reading this and not that. That was one of the sellers for me to get an e-reader 😉 Much lighter to pack!
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41. The longest I’ve gone without reading.
A day or two. But even then, I probably read a few blog posts or part of an ongoing magazine (snippet reads, as I call them – perfect for slotting in a free 30-seconds time slot).
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42. Name a book that you could/would not finish.
Currently, I’m having issues with Don Quixote. Part of me wants to finish it, because it’s supposed to be entertaining, and maybe it gets better later on (frankly though – if it isn’t good by page 220…)? And because it’s a classic and it would be trendy to say I’ve read it. Part of me, though, feels like the answer to question #37 – life is too short to waste 1000 on a book that draaaggggsssss.
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43. What distracts you easily when you’re reading?
Kids. Then again, I don’t usually read when I’m with the kids LOL  But say my husband is watching/playing with them, I go upstairs or – luxury! – in the bath to read… Yea, never really lasts for long.
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44. Favorite film adaptation of a novel?
The Lord of the Ring are EXCELLENT adaptations. I enjoyed Eat, Pray, Love too – I only saw the movie, but it didn’t have a draggy, cut cut cut feeling of an adaptation. And the TV version of The Vampire Diaries is EXCELLENT – completely different plot line than the books, and far better in my opinion.
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45. Most disappointing film adaptation?
Almost all of them. Films and books just don’t have the same flow. But sometimes it’s nice to watch the movies anyway, just to see what they did with it, who they chose to act out the characters (and visualize them – I’m a visual), and maybe get a detail or two you missed in the books. Most are watchable, if not all that good 😉
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to be continued…

Booking Through Thursday – Reading Meme, Part III

This was posted a while ago on Booking Through Thursday – never a better time than now to answer it 😉
It’s long – 55 questions! – so I’ll be posting it 10-ish questions at a time, for the next few Thursdays.

Part I
Part II
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22. Favorite genre?
Isn’t this awfully like question #12? In any case, you can find out the answer in question #12.
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23. Genre you rarely read (but wish you did?)
Mystery and crime investigation novels. Beurk. I don’t even wish I did. 🙂
(not saying they are bad – you can love them. I just don’t 😉 )
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24. Favorite biography?
Oh that’s another genre I don’t really read much of (but that one I wish I did).
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25. Have you ever read a self-help book?
Some, yes. Some were good, some were crap.
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26. Favorite cookbook?
Cook Once a Week, by Theresa Albert-Ratchford
Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker, by Robin Robertson
Vegetarian Cooking, by Emma Summer
Blender Baby Food, by Nicole Young
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27. Most inspirational book you’ve read this year (fiction or non-fiction)?
The Mission of Motherhood, by Sally Clarkson (2010)
Currently reading The Ministry of Motherhood, also by Sally Clarkson, and it’s just as inspirational.
Just love her work. She is such a great woman and mother, her values are so in line with mine and her family dynamic is a good example of what I want/hope to achieve with my girls, it is so refreshing to read her.
You can also read her blog at I Take Joy.
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28. Favorite reading snack?
Anything that can be munched on – chocolate chips are nice, though not the healthiest. 😉 Other good options would be grapes, pomegranates, pieces of cheese…
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29. Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience.
I can’t think of anything. I don’t really get influenced by hypes, or get bothered by them. If I like it, I like it; if I don’t, I don’t.
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30. How often do you agree with critics about a book?
I don’t read many book reviews – I tend to select my books because the cover is pretty (very legitimate reason, mind you), because the synopsis looks good, because it’s an author I enjoy, because someone recommended it to me, or because it’s a book club selection. I guess what I wrote above applies here too: If I like it, I like it; if I don’t, I don’t.
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31. How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews?
I have no problems with it. I still try and remain polite to the author – my taste might not be their or everyone else’s tastes, especially if the critic is purely on a preference & enjoyment level. If the critic is more about style, writing, plot, etc. – well it could still be just me 😉 So I’ll say what I don’t like and why – and then it’s up to anyone reading my review to make their choice.
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32. If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you chose?
Japanese – because it would be cool. When I studied it in university, I had hopes of reading mangas in Japanese. Although I have my minor… well I’m nowhere near a manga reading level 😉  And anyway, I forgot most of it since I graduated and never used it (because we all know that Japanese is one of the main spoken language in Canada, right?) No, really – I had plans to use it to do a PhD in Post-War Japanese Contemporary Art (in Japan), but that didn’t really quite work out, for a host of personal and logistical reasons. It’s ok – I love my SAHM daily grind. 😀
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33. Most intimidating book you’ve ever read?
La peau de chagrin, by Honoré de Balzac. Eeps!
Some of the bigger classics are intimidating too, just by their big sizes. Not that I mind big books – in fact, I enjoy them: more time to dive into the fictional world created, and to spend with the characters of the story.
Oh yes, and the Lord of the Ring trilogy is intimidating. Entertaining – but huge and VERY descriptive. But I’d read it again 🙂
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34. Most intimidating book you’re too nervous to begin?
None – I am afraid of NA-THING. Bhahaha. (seriously, I’ll read anything)
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35. Favorite Poet?
I don’t enjoy poetry. Tried, but it never did it for me. Sorry, poets!
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to be continued…

Booking Through Thursday – Reading Meme, Part II

This was posted a while ago on Booking Through Thursday – never a better time than now to answer it 😉
It’s long – 55 questions! – so I’ll be posting it 10-ish questions at a time, for the next few Thursdays.

Part I
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13. Can you read on the bus?
Absolutely. It’s the one most single thing I’d say I miss from working downtown and having a 1h bus ride mornings and evenings – uninterrupted reading time. 🙂
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14. Favorite place to read?
In bed, just before sleep, as well as nursing, once Baby C has fallen asleep and is calm and serene in my arms – so relaxing 🙂 (if I don’t fall asleep too…)
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15. What is your policy on book lending?
Pretty loose, I’ll lend to good friends I know well, and family. I keep a running list of who has what so I don’t loose track.
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16. Do you ever dog-ear books?
I’ve done so on SOME occasion… but I don’t really like to 🙂 Here is my take on it, answered during the Fall Into Reading 2010 challenge.
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17. Do you ever write in the margins of your books?
I don’t like to do that either, but I have done it when studying a book for a class.
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18. Not even with text books?
Yes, text books I will. 🙂
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19. What is your favorite language to read in?
The language it was written in – provided it’s in French or English, haha! I’m not proficient enough in any other languages to read them 😉 If it’s a translation from another language, I’ll usually lean toward to English translation. No reason other than it seems to be my preference!
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20. What makes you love a book?
A great, well-rounded story, with no loose ends or unfinished lot lines, with great characters who evolve and move forward through the story, and leave you feeling like something happened, a change of character (big or tiny) occurred, and that you are leaving some memorable friends behind. I always say that if you are either reluctant to start a new book until you’ve had a day or two of breather, or if you are still thinking of the characters a couple of days later, then it was a good book!
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21. What will inspire you to recommend a book?
If I feel moved by it, changed by it. Or, if I know that it would be right up the person’s alley!
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to be continued…