The Book Stacks

Well, since last week I have joined the two challenges I mentioned. The From the Stacks Challenge will be easy, as it’s any five books as long as they’re from my TBR shelf. Eeaaaasy. The second one - What’s in a Name 2 - will be a bit more difficult:

*This is a challenge that anyone can join, no matter what types of books they like to read. You should be able to find books from any genre that will work.

*Dates: January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2009

*The Challenge: Choose one book from each of the following categories.

1. A book with a “profession” in its title. Examples might include: The Book Thief, The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Historian

2. A book with a “time of day” in its title. Examples might include: Twilight, Four Past Midnight, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

3. A book with a “relative” in its title. Examples might include: Eight Cousins, My Father’s Dragon, The Daughter of Time

4. A book with a “body part” in its title. Examples might include: The Bluest Eye, Bag of Bones, The Heart of Darkness

5. A book with a “building” in its title. Examples might include: Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Little House on the Prairie, The Looming Tower

6. A book with a “medical condition” in its title. Examples might include: Insomnia, Coma, The Plague

*You may overlap books with other challenges, but please don’t use the same book for more than one category.

~

So, yes, it’s going to be interesting, but I’m looking forward to the challenge of it. Heck, I might even find some books I wouldn’t have normally read.

What challenges are you in?

Hello everyone!

It’s Sunday already, is it? Wow. Time certainly flies when you’re having fun (hehe). On Saturday the husband and I had a busy day, but we did finally get to relax and have a boring ol’ day Sunday. This week is going to be a bit weird, as my husband is off to Tasmania again for work. Sigh. I guess that means I have more time to read, huh?

Lately I have been thinking about book challenges and how I should join a couple. They look like so much fun (I subscribe to A Novel Idea - a great spot for starting to check out challenges) and some of them are definitely things I can do with my limited reading time.

The first one I’m thinking about joining is the What’s in a Name (2) challenge. This one not only sounds like fun but there is the added challenge of finding titles that fit into the categories.

I’m also thinking about the From the Stacks challenge which will help me clear off my to-be-read shelf which hasn’t been getting any smaller lately… (I don’t even count how many are on there anymore. I don’t want to think about it.)

So what do you think? Do you participate in reading challenges? Do you find them helpful and fun? What challenges are you currently participating in?

Eventually I would create a reading challenge of my own, but I figure it would be best for me to get to know other people and their challenges first. (And to actually think of a challenge idea first, hm?)

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and have a wonderful week ahead.

Today’s post is brought to you by Internet Explorer…

I’m a Firefox kind of woman, but for some reason, my Wordpress dashboard for this site (but not any of my other ones) in Firefox just plain doesn’t want to cooperate. “Well, fine!” I say. “I’ll just take myself over to Internet Explorer.

I then do something suave and mature like stick my tongue out at Firefox while hoping it didn’t really notice me because I truly love it so.

So, yes, this post would have come sooner, but I was having all sorts of computer difficulties last night and just plain did not feel like messing with any of it any longer.

…About the title.

I love Australia. Everyone knows I love Australia. However, it is not a wonderful eutopia in a few ways, one being that books are so bloody expensive. I wish they weren’t because I love books and I consider part of my role in ‘discovering’ Australia to be reading up on Aussie authors.

Yes, I can and do go to the library, but what about all the times when I love a book so much I want a copy of my own?! What then, I ask you!

I’m very happy to announce that I made a wonderful friend at Conflux who has happily volunteered to help me feed my addiction to books. Nyssa from A Boy Goes on a Journey has set me up as one of her reviewers. Whee! While I will be helping out with some shipping expenses, it’ll still help a lot in the end for getting great books to read.

I know, I’m not talking about a specific book this Sunday, but I’m a bit scatterbrained this round, so you’ll have to forgive me. (Please?) I’m just so happy about being able to get and read books despite the crazy prices in stores.

Today is an interesting Sunday as I’m going to be typing with one hand. I wonder how fast I can go… Of course, if I hadn’t said anything you wouldn’t know the difference… I just thought I’d share anyway. Hee!

I was going to let it go for another week, but I think I’ve missed too much already with the writers conference and whatnot.

I’m so excited about the books I bought at Conflux. Just to name a couple: Old Man’s War by John Scalzi and The Opposite of Life by Narrelle M. Harris. I’ve also won The Accidental Sorcerer by K.E. Mills.

As if I didn’t have enough books to read already. Ha!

I’m currently reading Holler for Your Health by Theresa Holler which is a nonfiction about the government and your food (and water, etc). That’s the simple description, of course. It’s only since I’ve come to Australia that I really have begun paying attention to what I put in my body, so I wish I could have read this book while I was still in the States.

Bottom line: If you think that the government and FDA are going to take care of you and make sure you only get good things to eat, then you are sadly mistaken. You are likely ingesting or otherwise exposing yourself to chemicals and toxins on a daily basis.

It’s sad stuff but true.

Talking about books (from a different perspective), I have a new book idea in the works and I need to take some time to start writing it.

That’s all I have going on in my literary life at the moment. I hope all of you are having a wonderful weekend.

Woohoo! This is technically my second Sunday Salon, but it’s my first one where I’m actually discussing books.

Very exciting, I know.

Because I’m going on vacation this week (this Thursday, to be precise), I’m thinking about what books I’ll take with me. Of course, like any vacation, I don’t know how much – if any – actual reading time I will get, but I must have books on hand just in case a stolen moment can involve reading.

As you can see from my reading list, I’m reading a few books at the moment and have quite a few more on my TBR pile (which has now turned into an entire shelf – eesh). I’m almost done with Sabriel, so I don’t think I’ll be bringing that one with (having finished it before I leave). I should really bring Xenocide. Savage Survival is unbound and would be a bit of hassle to bring with. In Bad Dreams is another one I should bring, especially considering that they are launching In Bad Dreams 2 at the writer’s conference I’m going to…

Do any of you bring books with you on vacation? Do you ever get hassled about it?

I’m going to a writer’s conference, so I’ll hardly get hassled. Even if I decide to take a rest from the conference and take some reading time. Ideally, I should take along books that are smaller and easier to tuck away into bags.

Decisions, decisions.

I’m sure I’ll have it all worked out before I leave.

I hope you all are having a wonderful weekend.

Yes, that’s right, I’m joining up with Sunday Salon.

For those of you who aren’t familiar…

What is the Sunday Salon? “Imagine some university library’s vast reading room. It’s filled with people–students and faculty and strangers who’ve wandered in. They’re seated at great oaken desks, books piled all around them, and they’re all feverishly reading and jotting notes in their leather-bound journals as they go. Later they’ll mill around the open dictionaries and compare their thoughts on the afternoon’s literary intake….

That’s what happens at the Sunday Salon, except it’s all virtual. Every Sunday the bloggers participating in that week’s Salon get together–at their separate desks, in their own particular time zones–and read. And blog about their reading. And comment on one another’s blogs. Think of it as an informal, weekly, mini read-a-thon, an excuse to put aside one’s earthly responsibilities and fall into a good book. How to join the Salon.”

I decided that, while my Tuesday book list is all fine and good, I don’t actually talk about what I’m reading there. Hence, the Sunday Salon so I can talk about what I’m reading, talk to others about what they are reading and have a good time.

So today is just my introduction of sorts and to let you know that if you are participating in the Salon, let me know! I’d love to get to know you (if I don’t already) and talk about books with you.

I’m quite looking forward to this and talking more about what I’m reading.

I’ve just finished up with Shobhan Bantwal’s The Forbidden Daughter and the review will go up Friday. I haven’t yet been able to start the next book, so this will have to do for now for my Salon. Next week I’ll have more to say!