Emily's comments (member since Feb 08, 2008)

Emily's comments from the 50 Books A Year group.

4.) The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

3.) So Long, See you Tomorrow by William Maxwell

I am going to cheat and cheat hard. I had a rough year (personally) and a slow start (bookwise), so I'm starting over. I guess I'm not going to ask permission. There is no way I'm going to make 50 or even 30. So, now that I feel it is possible to push forward, I am starting anew. July to July. I ask for your support in this endeavor.

Here are my first two books:

1.) Blue Eyes, Black Hair by Marguerite Duras
2.) Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

Right now, I'm reading So Long, See You Tomorrow by William Maxwell

Again, I'm glad to be part of this group. Thanks, Danine.

8. Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer

Thanks for the suggestions! I was planning to read The Graveyard Book. Glad to hear you recommend it. As you can see (below), I am in the Saturday afternoon market.

7. The World's Shortest Stories of Love and Death by Steve Moss

Eh.

I thought that The Good Earth was pretty good. Definitely worth the read. I'm certainly not reading book a week. I just don't seem to hae thetime. But, I'm plugging along as best I can. A 50 book miracle could be in the works. We'll see. Good luck with your reading goals!

5.) The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
6.) Fables: Legends in Exile by Bill Willingham

4.) Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer

3.) Blue by Joyce Moyer Hostetter

Great YA novel. Hard to take at times, but definitely worth the read.

I, too, am having trouble getting reading in with a full time job and a toddler. Still, I'm a teacher, so I'm geared up for vacation time. I'm at least determined to read more than last year...

Thanks for the suggestions. Fall on your Knees is our current book club pick.

I have the good fortune-- considering the size of our home-- to have a "reading room". I dare not call it a library, but it is certainly not an office. The room is filled with books, and writing quills, and a Jane Austen figure doll, and a lovely day bed that can fold out flat or into a chaise lounge. Yeah, for a family on a moderate income, it's a real gem.

2.) A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

So, I'm already way behind, but I have a plan, so I'm still confident. I can't remember if I read this one as a kid. I thought it was decent. I'm about to teach it to my 6th grade language arts classes, so I hope it goes well. Has anyone out there taught it before?

The first book in my 2009 list! I am really working toward a book a week. Any support or suggestions would be gratefully received. :)

1.) New Moon by Stephanie Meyer

Hey all! This is my second go-round with Danine's inspirational "50 books" group. I didn't quite make it to 50 last year. (Okay, I only made it to 30. But, hey! That's 30. Right?!?)

Anyhow, here's the list of what I read in 2008. I have every intention of turning the heat up this year and actually making it to 50. I've already finished one, so I'm off to a good start!

2008 List:

1. The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
2. The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
3. The Omnivore's Dilemma by Micahel Pollen
4. Operating Instructions by Anne Lammott
5. If on a Winter's Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino
6. The Second Mrs. Gioconda by E.L. Kongingsburg
7. Dream from my Father: a Story of Race and Inheritance by Barack Obama
8. For Colored Girls who have Considered Suicide when the Rainbow is Enuf by Ntozake Shange
9. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
10. The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russel
11. Foundations of Library and Information Science by Richard E. Rubin
12. Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
13. The Secret Gospel of Mary Magdalene by Michele Roberts
14. And Other Stories by Georgi Gospodinov
15. Beyond the Blues: A Guide to Understanding and Treating Prenatal and Postpartum Depression by Bennett and Indman
16. The Postpartum Husband: Practical Solutions for Living with Postpartum Depression by Karen Kleiman
17. Pride of Baghdad by Brian K. Vaughn
18. The Blue Jay's Dance: A Birth Year by Louise Erdrich
19. Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett
20. American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
21. American Gods by Neil Gaiman
22. For One More Day by Mitch Albom
23. Oranges are not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson
24.A New Earth: Awakening to your Life's Purpose by Eckhart Tolle
25.Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan
26.The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillipa Gregory
27. Griffin & Sabine: an Extraordinary Correspondence by Nick Bantok
28.Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
29.Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris
30.The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

Okay, so I didn't finish 50. (Yeah, there's still time. I'm shooting for like 30...) But, I am thrilled, Danine, that you are continuing this group. I thoroughly enjoyed it and am looking forward to another year. It has been a tough year for me (personally), but this group has pushed me to keep finding time to read. Thanks!

Although my first thought was "I don't read books with animals as characters", that thought was both uppity and untrue. I loved Fiver and Hazel in Watership Down! And, I'm sure there are others. From Animal Farm perhaps? Or, Time Stops for no Mouse? Or, many countless others.

Okay, this may sound cheesy, but it is the first book ending that came to mind. As an adult, I'm not sure if I'd make the change, but as a teenager I remember throwing Gone with the Wind across the room at 2am when I finally got to the last page and realized that Rhett Butler and Scarlett O'Hara were not going to get together. Despite the fame of the film and the last "damning" line, I honestly didn't know, going into the book, that their love would be permanently unrequited. I was so frustrated, in that very teen sort of way, that all of the sexual tension was never resolved. It was terribly earth shattering for me!

I was also sort-of skeptical about audio books (although I always try to sell them my reluctant middle school readers). However, I just started listening to A New Earth by Tolle on CD and am really enjoying it. I am trying not to use my cell phone when I drive, so it has made driving solo much more enjoyable. Today I found myself searching for more laundry to fold (I couldn't believe it myself) just so I could finish a chapter.

As for the cheating, I think the point of reading is to be exposed to the content of the literature anyway that that happens. I also remind myself that if I were blind, I would almost have to "read" audio books. Put that way, listening is reading. My suggestion would be to give it another go.

Yeah, I'll probably get flogged for mine too.

The book I have for years refused to read (although I've recently changed my tune and have decided to pick it up someday) is The Grapes of Wrath. I have been assigned the novel three times and three times bullshitted my way to an A with insight gleaned from the film.

It's tragic. I know.

(I would also like to add that Oprah has chosen some mighty fine reads.)

I also agree with Of Mice and Men. Powerful novel, powerful film.

I also immediately thought of The Shawshank Redemption (which may actually be better than King's short story) and Broke Back Mountain which did Proulx's short story more than adequate justice.

Also, more recently, Away from Her did a nice job of capturing the Alice Monro short story "The Bear Came Over the Mountain".

A bad, bad, bad rendition would be the film version of Myla Goldberg's novel Bee Season. I couldn't even finish watching it. Yuck, yuck, and more vomitous yuck. (As you may be able to tell by all my negative triplets, this film was no good.)