Challenge #6 - November 2011

[Snoozie Suzie]

Oooh thank you. I was going to read Rebecca a couple of months ago but was lent another book so it got put to the side. Can't wait to finish the current book to get started.

[Alison]

Kate wrote: "Okay Alison, I will pick The Children's Book for you. I really want you to love this book and, if you do, I'll pick it up again and finish it."
Thanks Kate. I'll add it to the queue, TBR after
The Skystone.

[Janice, Moderator]

I thought I would move this down here for easier reference.


Janice's pick for Karen is Faithful Place
Judy's pick for Amy is September
Cheryl's pick for Kimberly is Fifteen Rabbits
Diana's pick for Kat is The Tenth Gift
Kate's pick for Alison is The Children's Book
Amber's pick for Diana is The Bird Sisters
Karen's pick for Michelle is Lost & Found
Michelle's pick for Judy is Tolstoy and the Purple Chair: My Year of Magical Reading
Heather's pick for Jane is One for the Money
Jane's pick for Cheryl is Curiosity
Alison's pick for Susan is Rebecca
Kat's pick for Amber is Those Who Save Us
Susan's pick for Janice is Only Time Will Tell
Emma's pick for Kate is The Phantom Tollbooth
Amy's pick for Emma is All We Ever Wanted Was Everything
Kimberly's pick for Heather is The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

[Janice, Moderator]

Susan wrote: "Janice, Janice, Janice!!
I have picked 'Only Time Will Tell' by Jeffrey Archer. It jumped out at me as soon as i looked at your list; I haven't read one of his books for eons, and as far as i can ..."

Too funny Susan! I won this on first reads and had intended to read it soon. I'll start it as soon as I finish The Skystone. :)

[Emma]

Kate, I picked out The Phantom Tollbooth for you, because it was one of my favorite books I read in school as a kid. I hope you like it as much as I did!

[Amy]

Hi Emma, I picked All We Ever Wanted Was Everything for you - just because I liked the sound of it :)

[Amy]

Susan, I have a copy of Rebecca if you want to borrow it? I can give it to you on Tuesday :)

[Janice, Moderator]

Judy wrote: "Janice, Michelle e-mailed me her choice for me to read, Tolstoy and the Purple Chair: My Year of Magical Reading."

Thanks Judy. That looks like an interesting book.

[Michelle]

I'll be reading Lost & Found at Karen's suggestion.

[Emma]

Amy wrote: "Hi Emma, I picked All We Ever Wanted Was Everything for you - just because I liked the sound of it :)"

Awesome, it looks like it was just returned as well, on my way to pick it up now :)

[Snoozie Suzie]

Thanks Amy, but I have a copy my mum lent me. See you Tuesday x

[Kate]

Kimberly,

Just a note - the comment about Moby Dick for Heather was an inside joke between Heather and I! I should not have put that down (I don't even know if it's on her TBR pile)! I re-read it and it doesn't come across quite as funny as the secret sister/Venice comments. Sorry about that!

[Kimberly]

Kate wrote: "Kimberly,

Just a note - the comment about Moby Dick for Heather was an inside joke between Heather and I! I should not have put that down (I don't even know if it's on her TBR pile)! I re-read i..."

No worries, I didn't even notice it lol.

[Heather]

Jane, my pick for you is One For The Money by Janet Evanovich. I think you may get hooked on the series. Picked it beacuse Janet Evanovich is from NJ and sets her books and characters in NJ too. Enjoy.

[Heather]

Kimberly, my TBR list is updated with books I have in the house. Thanks for waiting and BTW anything including Moby Dick on the list is fair game. Thanks Heather

[Kimberly]

Heather,

My pick for you is . I've heard great reviews from my friends about this book. I hope you like it :)

[Janice, Moderator]

I think all we have left is Cheryl, Diana and Amber to state their picks.

Check over the list and let me know if there are any errors.

[Jane Reads]

Heather wrote: "Jane, my pick for you is One For The Money by Janet Evanovich. I think you may get hooked on the series. Picked it because Janet Evanovich is from NJ and sets her books and characters in NJ too. ..."

Okay, thanks Heather! I just put in a request for it at my library. I look forward to getting hooked on a new (to me) series.

[Diana S]

Amber wrote: "Diana, do I have free reign of your TBR shelf? :)"

Hi Amber,

Yes, you do!

[Diana S]

Kat wrote: "Diana, anything on my tbr shelf is fair game!"

Hi Kat,

Wow! I love your TBR list.
The book I pick for you is The Tenth Gift by Jane Johnson.

[Kat]

Thanks Diana! That TBR of mine really needs some action :-)
Great pick, I'd completely forgotten I even owned that book!

[Karen]

Janice, Faithful Place sounds like a good one. I'm planning to stop by our library tomorrow to reserve it. Thanks!

[Cheryl]

Kimberly, I didn't even know the author of Bambi: A Life in the Woods (which was, btw, a great book, and better than the movies) wrote another book, so I pick for you Fifteen Rabbits. Maybe you can get a cover image attached to it, too. :)

[Cheryl]

Thank you Jane for Curiosity! I have been meaning to move it higher on the pile!

[Kimberly]

Cheryl in CC NV wrote: "Kimberly, I didn't even know the author of Bambi: A Life in the Woods (which was, btw, a great book, and better than the movies) wrote another book, so I pick for you [book:Fifteen Ra..."

Thanks Cheryl!

[Cheryl]

Wisconsin, Amber? That's my home state!

Janice, what should we do if the book chosen for us is a dud and we want to put it down? Unfortunately, I'm struggling with Curiosity. I'll perservere if part of the challenge is to do so, but if you want to let us have an 'out' I might take it....

[Jane Reads]

Cheryl in CC NV wrote:
Janice, what should we do if the book chosen for us is a dud and we want to put it down? Unfortunately, I'm struggling with Curiosity. I'l..."

Cheryl,
Instead of Curiosity, I almost picked The End of Eternity for you. How is this for an 'out'?

[Jane Reads]

Jane wrote: "Cheryl in CC NV wrote:
Janice, what should we do if the book chosen for us is a dud and we want to put it down? Unfortunately, I'm struggling with Curiosity. I'l..."

and now I know to take it off my TBR - lol

[Cheryl]

Oh Jane, I don't know that you should pass on Curiosity - it's got a lot of potential, and is lovely, just kinda 'capital L' Literary I think maybe. I'm going to give it one more try before I hear what Janice rules. End of Eternity should be a easy one to love though, so maybe I'll read that this month in any case!

[Diana S]

Amber wrote: "Diana, my pick for you is The Bird Sisters, and I picked it mainly because it takes place in Wisconsin. :) I hope it turns out to be a good one! (I'm writing this from my phone, so I can't link th..."

Hooray! Thanks Amber for the pick. I'm going to the library and get it tomorrow. :D

[Janice, Moderator]

Cheryl in CC NV wrote: "Wisconsin, Amber? That's my home state!

Janice, what should we do if the book chosen for us is a dud and we want to put it down? Unfortunately, I'm struggling with Curiosity. I'l..."

One thing that I've realized in the last few years is that there are so many great books waiting to be read, why waste your time on something that isn't catching your attention and imagination.

If the book that was picked for you isn't doing that, I would think it should be negotiated between you and your partner. It sounds like Jane may be willing to assign an alternate. If that is the case, that's fine with me. Just let us know what your decision is so I can update the list.

[Cheryl]

Thanks Janice - I think I'm going to be able to get through Curiosity after all - the author spent a lot of time setting the scene and introducing the characters but it's starting to flow better now.

I agree that if one is not enjoying a book, or expecting to as it develops, one should not keep reading it (except for school of course! :). I hope everyone here enjoys the picks that were made for them, but I appreciate that you granted us negotiation should we need it.

[Emma]

I just finished my book, , this morning. When I first started it, I was like, how could a book with an ice cream sundae on the cover be so booooorrrrrrring? Each chapter is told by a different character, the mom, the 28 year old daughter, and then the 14 year old daughter. It starts off with the mom, who I couldn't relate to at first, once the daughters started talking, it got better. So many twists and turns, the ending was fantastic! This was also very realistic too, I definitely recommend it.

[Janice, Moderator]

I'm glad you enjoyed your book, Emma. You finished it quickly. I haven't started mine yet. I'm still making my way through The Skystone.

[Cheryl]

Oh, sorry, forgot to say I finished Curiosity a couple of days ago. Basically, not enough science and too much theoretical romance. Literature with a capital L, or at least an attempt thereof. Some folks love it though, and I can see why.

[Emma]

Judy wrote: "Emma wrote: "I just finished my book, , this morning. When I first started it, I was like, how could a book with an ice cream sundae on the cov..."

No, I found it at the library

[Janice, Moderator]

Cheryl in CC NV wrote: "Oh, sorry, forgot to say I finished Curiosity a couple of days ago. Basically, not enough science and too much theoretical romance. Literature with a capital L, or at least an atte..."

I read Remarkable Creatures which is basically the same story, but different author and apparently different love interest for Mary Anning.

[Alison]

What did you think of Remarkable Creatures? It's been sitting in my pile for ages.

[Cheryl]

I've not read it yet. Let me know when you do and I'll try to join you, if you want.

[Janice, Moderator]

Alison wrote: "What did you think of Remarkable Creatures? It's been sitting in my pile for ages."

I enjoyed it. I gave it a 4 star rating. Here's my review if you are interested - http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

[Kate]

Finished The Phantom Tollbooth. Great book to re-read as an adult. I had this vague, nostalgic sense of having loved this book as a child but I didn't remember any details of the book at all. Fun (and funny) book to re-read. His insight and sense of humor is great. Also an easy book to knock off in a day

[Janice, Moderator]

Super job Kate!

[Alison]

Finished The Children's Book . My review is here http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/... and I'd like thank Kate for giving me the push to read this one, which otherwise could have sat in the TBR pile for a long time. A 4* read!

[Cheryl]

Oh, it's nice to hear of a TBR book turning out to be a gem.

[Janice, Moderator]

I agree! I'm glad you enjoyed your challenge, Alison. :)

[Kat]

I haven't finished my book yet - but I agree this was a great idea! Maybe it could even be combined with some kind of theme?

[Janice, Moderator]

Not to worry, Judy and Kat. I've filed away an idea for a similar challenge but with a twist. Hee Hee Hee.....

[Mikki]

This was a really good idea! I'll take part in a December read.

[Heather]

I've finished my book. Started and finished over the weekend. YA book with some art in it so it was fast and delightful read. If anyone has kids 13+ years old this is a good read.

@Kimberly, feel free to pick another book from my TBR list for me. I think it helps me get through them when someone is watching.......Thanks, Heather

[Mikki]

Alright then, C'mon, Janice, Bring it!