My Challenges (timed)


See my list here
Completed 8 of 9



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Completed 2 of 3



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Completed 2 of 4



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Completed 71 of 81



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Completed 9 of 10


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Completed 34 of 50



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Completed 1 of 2



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Completed 1 of 2



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Completed 1 of 5



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Completed 3 of 5



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Completed 5 of 100

My Challenges (perpetual)

100 SHOTS OF SHORT
See my list of stories read here

CHECKIN’ OFF THE CHEKHOV
See my list of stories read here

THE COMPLETE BOOKER
See my list of books read here

MARTEL-HARPER CHALLENGE
See my list of books read here

MODERN LIBRARY'S 100 BEST NOVELS

See my list of books read here

NATIONAL BOOK AWARDS
See my list of books read here

THE PULITZER PROJECT
See my list of books read here

TAMMY'S BEYOND BOOKS CHALLENGE

New York Times Book Review: 6/40
New Yorker: 0/36
New York Review of Books: 0/20
Vogue: 1/16
Email: 841/1373

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Booking Through Thursday -- March 20



"You’ve just reached the end of a book . . . what do you do now? Savor and muse over the book? Dive right into the next one? Go take the dog for a walk, the kids to the park, before even thinking about the next book you’re going to read? What?

(Obviously, there can be more than one answer, here–a book with a cliff-hanger is going to engender different reactions than a serene, stand-alone, but you get the idea!)"

I usually need a little time to reflect before I jump into the next book. Depending on the type of book I just finished, that can be a couple of hours to a day or more. It's hardly ever more than 2 days, though, because I can never wait to get started on the next one:)

Most of the time, I start thinking about what I'm going to read next before I've finished the one I'm on -- since I've started doing challenges, I pull all my challenge books out of my bookcases and put them in a separate bookcase in another room, so I know which ones to focus on. I have to be in the right mood to start a new book, so I like having them all in one place when it's time to pick the next -- I can contemplate my choices much easier being able to see them all.

Generally speaking, I will reflect longer and more intensely on a fiction book than a nonfiction. I'll also sometimes do a little outside research (SparkNotes, academic papers focused on the book) because I want to make sure I understood the different layers of the story and connected with what the author was trying to say. (I'll also do this sometimes for plays or movies based on plays -- for example, I don't know if I would have figured out on my own that "The Crucible" was a reaction to McCarthyism.)

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Another challenge!!

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I was so excited to read about the Non-Fiction 5 Challenge over on Stephanie's blog. I'm a big non-fiction fan, so you know I can't pass this one up. The idea is pretty simple -- just read 5 non-fiction between May and September. One of the 5 has to be a different genre from the rest. For example, you could have 4 histories and 1 art critism. I couldn't pick just 5, so I have 5 and 3 extras. And, I only let myself pick books that are on my home bookshelf, instead of picking from my library TBR like I've done for other challenges. So, without further adieu, here's my list:

Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris

How to Be Idle: A Loafer's Manifesto by Tom Hodgkinson

The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir by Bill Bryson

The Trial of Queen Caroline: The Scandalous Affair that Nearly Ended a Monarchy by Jane Robins

What Southern Women Know (That Every Woman Should): Timeless Secrets to Get Everything you Want in Love, Life, and Work by Ronda Rich

And my extras:

Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert

Night by Elie Wiesel

Running with Scissors: A Memoir by Augusten Burroughs

Saturday, March 1, 2008

101 in 1001 - Goal #54 complete


Goal #54 -- listen to at least 1/2 of current podcasts.
Whew, 480 podcasts listened to in 2 months, my ears are tired! And the thing that frustrates me a little is that I've only made a dent, since new ones are constantly being added. It doesn't help that several of the podcasts that I subscribe to add a new one each day. But I'm going to keep plugging away until I get through the backlog. My new podcast goal is to get to where I'm caught up completely, so that the only ones I have are the newest for each show. And I'm constantly learning new things, which has got to be a good thing.