Dana Swier Huff's Blog, page 95

R.I.P Challenge Book Pool

I've narrowed my book pool for the R.I.P. Challenge down to the following books:

Dracula by Bram Stoker: the classic vampire novel.

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova: this would be a worthy follow-up for Dracula as its premise is that Dracula is *gasp* still alive.

Coraline by Neil Gaiman: I've wanted to read this book for a long time, and this challenge gives me a good excuse. A creepy, huge house, a little girl who feels ignored, and an alternate universe inside your house. Sounds great! I absol

R.I.P. Challenge

Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings has once again opened up the R.I.P. Challenge. It's one of the first signs of fall, and the challenge provides the perfect excuse opportunity for indulging in works befitting the season.

I will participate in Peril the First, which requires the reader to read four books of any length, from any subgenre of scary stories that you choose. I have to warn you I've never actually finished this challenge before. Cross your fingers for me, OK?

I am not sure which four boo

Zombie Chicken Award for Most Agreeable Blogs

Thanks to Lizzy from My Pride and Prejudice for nominating me for a Zombie Chicken Award for Most Agreeable Blogs. I enjoy her blog very much, and while I hardly feel worthy of the distinction which she has bestowed upon me, I admit that I am very proud and pleased.

So, um, what exactly is the Zombie Chicken Award for Most Agreeable Blogs?

The blogger who receives this award believes in the Tao of the zombie chicken – excellence, grace and persistence in all situations, even in the midst of a zomb

A Tale of Two Cities

[image error]Charles Dickens's popular novel A Tale of Two Cities is the first Dickens novel I chose to read. I knew I wanted to read a Dickens novel, and Maggie helped me select this one. While it was very well written and some characters were particularly well-drawn, I had more difficulty following the plot and caring about some of the characters than I expected. I suppose I like complicated characters, and the line between the "good guys" and the "bad guys" was so clearly drawn, they might as well have be

Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire

I am not generally a big reader of biographies or nonfiction of any stripe, aside from professional reading, but I became interested in Amanda Foreman's biography of Georgiana Spencer Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, after seeing the movie based on this book: The Duchess, starring Keira Knightley and Ralph Fiennes. Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire is not quite like the movie, but one would expect moviemakers to take certain license with with truth in the interest of narrative. The true Georgian

Book Blogger Appreciation Week Meme

What has been one of the highlights of blogging for you?

I would say that reflecting on the books I've read, especially at the end of the year when I count my books based on the number of reviews I've written, is a highlight for me. I enjoy reading other book bloggers' reviews, too.

What blogger has helped you out with your blog by answering questions, linking to you, or inspiring you?

There have actually been quite a few: Vic at Jane Austen's World, Iliana at Bookgirl's Nightstand, and Murray of T

All Austen, All the Time

Grace has a contest at her blog. You might be lucky enough to win copies of two Pride and Prejudice sequels by Marsha Altman: The Darcys and the Bingleys and The Plight of the Darcy Brothers.

Meanwhile, I watched a friend's copy of Pride and Prejudice with Keira Knightley finally, and while I didn't like it as much as the version with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle, I did enjoy it. I thought Donald Sutherland as Mr. Bennet was particularly good.

I had a gift card for Amazon burning a hole in my poc

The Big Over Easy

Jasper Fforde's The Big Over Easy, the first in his Nursery Crime series, is a hilarious send-up not only of familiar nursery rhymes but also detective and thriller fiction. I am not sure the book would be to everyone's taste. Fforde's sense of humor runs toward the silly and punny, especially in this book. Detective Inspector Jack Spratt and his new partner, Detective Sergeant Mary Mary investigate the death of Humpty Dumpty and quickly find themselves embroiled in the "seedy underbelly of nurs

NPR's 100 Best Beach Books Ever

NPR released the results of a poll conducted to determine the 100 best beach books.

Books on the list that I've already read:

The Harry Potter series, by J.K. Rowling (1)To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee (2)Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen (5)Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, by Rebecca Wells (6)The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald (7)The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver (10)The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien (14)The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger (15)Gone with the Wind, by

DailyLit Bookroll

I wonder if anyone reading this blog subscribes to books via e-mail or RSS with DailyLit? I've mentioned DailyLit many times on this blog. I love it, and my mother and sister are now big fans after being introduced to it. It's been the best way for me to read books I otherwise might not read because I read just a bit at a time, and for some reason, that helps me more than telling myself I can just read a page or two at a time of a paperback. I'm not sure why. DailyLit books are free if they're i