Beastmomma

Which do you prefer? Lurid, fruity prose, awash in imagery and sensuous textures and colors? Or straight-forward, clean, simple prose?

(You thought I was going to ask something else, didn’t you? Admit it!)

I actually enjoy both types of writing. I find that I enjoy more descriptive prose when I am on vacation and the straight forward type when I am commuting. However, if a story is good, I enjoy it no matter what the writing style.

**Wow, I finished the challenge four months late! I could not give up thought because I really go love it.  This year, I took advantage of the rule that we could read more than one author from a country as I read three books from authors who were born in England.  As I look back on the list, I realize that I really did enjoy all of the books. If I had to pick a favorite, it would be The Book Thief.  I hope that this challenge returns again next year as I really enjoyed participating. **

I really should not be signing up for another challenge.  However, the Orbis Terrarum Challenge is one of my favorites.  I really enjoyed participating for the past two years and look forward to another trip around the world through the pages of some good books.

Orbis Terrarum 2010 Challenge Rules:

*The Orbis Terrarum Challenge begins April,1st  2010(you are welcome to join later) through the month of November.
*For the challenge each reader is to choose 8 books (for the 8  months of the challenge).
*Each book must from a different country, I have decided to go by the country of origin of the author, or the country he/she lives in is fine as well-meaning NOT the country the book is set in!!
*You don’t have to have a list, that means you can change your mind at any time. As long as there are 8 books you have completed the challenge.

What is different about this year in the Orbis Terrarum Challenge?? Well, there are some differences I think you will like, the above rules stay the same, but there are some options for your reading that I would like each challenger to consider.

1.) This year I am allowing all the books to be from the same country and by the same author (although I would have you not choose your OWN country, because this challenge is meant to expose you to the world not your neighborhood!) For example, if you would like to focus on South Africa because you have an intrest in that then you can read all your books from that nation if you want.

2.) I want you to worry not about me putting up a post each month where you post your reviews, but that you’d post them in the appropriate continent location as you read along. These can be found by clicking on the images to the right. It has been a nightmare to try to organize these on my own, so I am asking (BEGGING) you to please first make sure your author’s country is listed in that particular Continent list, then include the nation of origin (or where he/she resides or resided or if you are choosing to go with where the author was born) of the author, as well as the title of the book. For example: (Absent by Khedairi- Iraq)or (Half of a Yellow Sun – Nigeria)

3.) The 2010 Orbis Terrarum Challengers Raising Funds for Clean Water Worldwide (optional!)

I am a big believer in not just reading about what is going on in the world, but about doing something about it. For this reason I am going to be reading away for Living Water International during the challenge and donating an amount per book. I also ask that you consider doing the same. If every one of us just gave $1 per book we read during the challenge, that is only 8 dollars, but if we all did it it  that would be a good amount (last year we had 74 challengers, reading 8 books= $592 !)

You can make your donations directly by going to the Orbis Terrarum Challenge Fundraiser page. (They will send you a receipt for your tax deductible donation directly) Or by clicking the widget in the upper right of this challenge’s page.

However, you don’t need to feel obligated to donate!!

My selections:

1. Chocolat by Joanne Harris. The author was born in England.  I finished the book on April 14th. My review is here.

2. Everything is Broken by Emma Larkin. The author was born in Asia, but lives in Thailand. I finished the book on May 19th. My review is here.

3. The Geometry of God by Uzsma Aslam Khan The author was born in Pakistan.  I finished the book on August 26th. My review is here.

4. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. The author lives in England. I finished the book in October. You can find my review here.

5. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. The author was born in Afghanistan. I finished the book at the end of October. You can find my review here.

6. This Child Will be Great:Memoir of a Remarkable Life by Africa's First Woman President written by Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. The author was born in Liberia. I finished the book on December 10th. You can find my review here.

7. The Book Thief by Mark Zusak. The author was born in Australia. I finished the book on December 27th. You can find my review here.

8. Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernières. The author was born in England. I finished the book in February. You can find my review here. 

Welcome to the World Party Reading Challenge, where each month we will celebrate both a US holiday/observance AND a different country. Because what better way to party than with a book. The idea is to read more international literature, but Fizzy Thoughts used US holidays and observances as the inspiration.

**Update, the challenge has changed hosts and rules.  The new details are below**

The challenge is about getting a real sense of place, of delving into a country’s history and culture through fiction and fabulous characters.

Each month Suzi will write a post on a particular country with a selection of novels for you to consider reading. Suzi will choose one of those novels and discuss it in greater detail, including some fascinating facts related to the story that Suzi digs up from the internet or possibly her own travels.

You can then choose one of the novels from the list or tell us about something else you have read set in that country. You’ll be able to post comments, and links to your own blog where you discuss the book (or books!) For more details on the new challenge, go over here.  The countries and the order in which we are reading are listed below:

• October – Afghanistsan: A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini You can find my review here.
• November – Turkey: My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk. You can find my review here.
  
• December – Greece: Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernières. You can find my review here.
  
• January – Iran
• February – England
• March – Ireland
• April – Jamaica
• May – Pakistan
• June – Russia
• July – Spain
• August – Thailand
• September – India: Narcopolis by Jeet Thayil You can find my review here. 

The books listed below are the ones I read for the original challenge.  Looking forward to going around the world again.

• April – April Fool’s Day – France.  I read Chocolat by Joanne Harris. I finished right in the middle of the month on April 14th.  You can find my review here.
• May – May Day – a communist country of your choice, past or present. I read Everything is Broken by Emma Larkin. It is set in Burma. I finished the book on May 19th. You can find my review here.

From Goodreads:

The novel follows the fortunes of Janie Crawford, a woman living in the black town of Eaton, Florida. Hurston sets up her characters and her locale in the first chapter, which, along with the last, acts as a framing device for the story of Janie's life.

Pages: 207 (paperback)

Rating: 10 out of 10

Source: taken from Partner's childhood home; my sister-in-law read this copy during high school.

This is one of the best novels I have read in a long time; I wish that I had read it sooner. However, it never appeared on the reading list of my classes and I never had picked up until I was looking for something good to read while visiting Buffalo.  A lot of people have written wonderful, smart, insightful, and analytical reviews of this book in a way that I will not attempt.

"There are years that ask questions and years that answer."

In June 2009, I got married.  In the year leading up to the wedding, I had a lot of questions and anxieties about what it would be like to not be single anymore. How would our marriage work?  In addition to the event planning details, Partner and I had a lot of good heart to hearts.  We made plans and promises.  Even though it was fun, the year was filled with lots of "I wonder how...."

Since getting married, the answer I am finding over and over again is "this is how." We build it day by day, moment by moment.  Good grief it is hard, challenging, frustrating, and scary, but oh my goodness I do not think that I have built anything more rewarding than our partnership.  It is nothing like I imagined while at the same time being better than I could have hoped. 

Instead of getting into a very academic or rigorous discussion of the book, I will just say that it felt like a love letter.  Janie's growth from simply being a supporting character to coming into her own was inspiring.  In her relationship with Jody, I appreciated all the questions that she asked about her role and the way she was being treated. 

When she first meets Tea Cake, I complete related to her caution and suspicion of him.  When it appears that he has left her, I almost started crying.  As much as I was cynical and unsure of him, I wanted to be wrong. I wanted him to be the type of Partner with whom Janie could continue to blossom. As I read the story, I was so glad that  Janie's love of Tea Cake brought her to life and helped her come into her own. 

Even as they were facing the prospect of death, Janie is thankful to have had time with Tea Cake:

"Once upon uh time, Ah never 'spected nothin', Take Cake, but bein dead from the standin' still and tryin' to laugh. But you come 'long and made somethin' out of me.  So Ah'm thankful fuh anything we've come through together."

I read that passage on the beach with Partner sitting next to me. I thought about how I would feel if we were facing death and I realized with a huge rush of warmth that I, too, would feel thankfulness for everything that we had shared.  

The complications and insecurities that come with being in love were also touched upon in the book.  The proper role of women is explored and challenged.  The judgment of other members of the community is felt by Janie.  In the midst of all that, she continued to grow, find her own voice, and try to build something wonderful with Tea Cake.

Finally, I loved that Janie acknowledges that love unfolds differently for each person.  That a relationship does not have to look normal to the outside world in order to be right.  In the last few pages, she shares this insight with her friend.

Love is lak de sea. It's uh movin' thing, but still and all, it takes its shape from de shore it meets, and it's different with every shore.

 I think my review may have turned into a praise of love. One of the many things I liked about the book was that it demonstrated that a loving relationship can help strong women grow.  As odd as it feels to write this, I also felt more motivated and determined to continue working on my relationship with Partner.

I read this book for the following challenges:

• Women Unbound: Janie comes into her own and challenges the idea of what women do in a marriage.
• What's in a Name Two: It fulfills the body part category

How do you feel about illustrations in your books? Graphs? Photos? Sketches?

If I am reading a book with a lot of characters, I appreciate a graph to help me to keep track of how everyone is connected to everyone else.  I am thinking of books like One Hundred Year of Solitude and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo as examples.  I also appreciate photos and sketches if they help to illustrate part of a character's personality or illustrate their experiences.  For example, books like The Curious Incident of Dog in the Night Time or Three Cups of Tea.