Beastmomma

*Sometimes, I am late on completing things.  I never thought that it would take me THREE years to finish What's in a Name Three.  I am glad that I perservered and *finally* finished. Here's hoping that I have better luck with What's in a Name Six*

I really loved the What's in a Name challenge in 2008 and 2009.  Even though I have yet to finish the 2009 challenge, I really love it and want to be part of it again for year three.  This year, we have a new host with some new categories.   The details are below. I will fill in the books as I read instead of making a list right now.

Between January 1 and December 31, 2010, read one book in each of the following categories:

1. A book with a food in the title: Chocolat by Joanne Harris. I finished the book on April 14th. You can find my review here.   
   
2. A book with a body of water in the title: Broken Harborby Tana French. I finished the book on January 22, 2013.  You can find my review here.  
3. A book with a title (queen, president) in the title: This Child Will be Great:Memoir of a Remarkable Life by Africa's First Woman President written by Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.  I finished the book in December 2010. You can find my review here.
4. A book with a plant in the title: The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender Lemon is a type of tree and trees are part of the plant family. You can find my review here.
5. A book with a place name (city, country) in the title:  Shanghai Girls by Lisa See my review is here. I finished the book in March 2010.
6. A book with a music term in the title: Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernières. You can find my review here. I finished the book in February 2011.
   

I am very slow with completing books as I adjusted to married life in the New England area. I thought it would be fun to track my reading progress each week. The Sunday Salon is  an online reading group where all the participants set aside time to read every Sunday and blog about the experience. To learn more or to join, click on the picture above.

Happy New Year Everyone! Instead of discussing the reading I did today (which is all about contracts and pretty dull to most people), I wanted to do a small reflection on my reading for the past year.  In 2009, I read 16 books.  While the number is small compared to many, I am impressed with myself.  2009 was a tremendous year for me-- I finished law school (provided that I get at least a C in my final course), got married, drove across country to move into my new home, honeymooned (!), purchased a house, completed two internships, and studies for and passed an ethics exam! In between all of that hustle and bustle, I am impressed that I averaged over one book a month.  2010 will start off with limited time for reading as I prepare to take the bar exam at the end of February.  However, books continue to provide a refuge and source of relaxation for me.  I look forward to being comforted, inspired, and de-stressed through the words of writers in 2010.

To borrow a meme that I saw on Care's site, here is a more specified breakdown of what I read:

How many fiction and non fiction?

 Only one non-fiction!

Male/Female author ratio?

I had the perfect balance with 1:1 (eight books by a male author and eight by a female)

Favorite book of 2009?

I had three books that I really adored this year and gave as gifts: People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks, Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon, and Bel Canto by Ann Patchett.

Least favourite?

I was super irritated and frustrated with myself for selecting Blindsight by Robin Cook and agreeing to review They Plotted Revenge Against America by Abe F. March.   Both books did not draw me in and made me feel regret for the time I could have spent doing something else.

Any that you simply couldn’t finish and why?

Nope. I am still working on finishing the Blind Assassin and Their Eyes Were Watching God.  Both are excellent, but I just ran out of time.

Oldest book read?

Ali and Nino by Kurban Said.  It was first published in 1937.  I had a hard time following the book.

Newest?

I think it is That Old Cape Magic by Richard Russo. 

Longest and shortest book titles?

Winner for longest title:   Curious Incident of Dog in the Night Time.  Shortest Title: Blindsight

Longest and shortest books?

I am not sure because I started recording page numbers in the middle of the year.  For longest, I believe it is: People of the Book (pages 372) by Geraldine Brooks.  For shortest, I believe it is: Curious Incident of Dog in the Night-Time (pages 226) by Mark Haddon.

How many books from the library?

Six. Most of the other books I read I either already owned, got as a gifts, or won.

Any translated books?

I think just one Eva Luna by Isabel Allende.

Most read author of the year, and how many books by that author?

Not applicable. I did not read more than one book by any author.

Any re-reads?

nope. .

Favourite character of the year?

The narrator of Curious Incident of Dog in the Night-Time.  I also loved the narrator in the Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao.  My favorite characters were almost all of the ones in the People of the Book.

Which countries did you go to through the page in your year of reading?

A few-- Canada, Dominican Republic,  England, Australia, India.  In the United States, I spent a lot of time around the New England area and the North West.

Which book wouldn’t you have read without someone’s specific recommendation?

I think almost all of the books that I read for book club since I moved here: That Old Cape Magic, Once Upon a Day, Bel Canto,and People of the Book.

Which author was new to you in 2009 that you now want to read the entire works of?

I am not sure.  I really enjoyed Ann Patchett's Bel Canto.  I think I would like to read more of Geraldine Brook's writing.

Which books are you annoyed you didn’t read?

I wish that I had finished reading Blind Assassin.  Oh well, it will appear on my 2010 list I am sure!

Did you read any books you have always been meaning to read?

Again, I started reading Their Eyes Were Watching God but did not finish. It should appear on my 2010 list!

This challenge is hosted by Bookworms and Tea lovers; I thought it would be a good way to attempt to broaden my horizons.  The rules are below:

Read 12 books in 2010, one book for each of the following countries:

1. Belgium
2. France: I read Chocolat by Joanne Harris and finished it on April 14th. You can find my review here.
3. Ireland
4. Luxembourg
5. Monaco
6. The Netherlands
7. Switzerland
8. Northern Ireland (part of the UK, which I split up)
9. England (part of the UK, which I split up): I read The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield and finished it in October. You can read my review here.
10. Wales (part of the UK, which I split up)
11. Scotland
12. Channel Islands

The rules for this challenge:

A book can only count for 1 country.

It has to be a fiction book.

Audio books and e-books are allowed.

Up to 3 books may have been read before the starting date of 1 Januari 2010, but the rest have to be read between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2010.

February 1, 2010 - January 31, 2011

I am in the mode of signing up for the challenges for 2010. 

Definition of a Chunkster:

• A chunkster is 450 pages or more of ADULT literature (fiction or nonfiction) ... A chunkster should be a challenge.
• If you read large type books your book will need to be 525 pages or more ... The average large type book is 10-15% longer or more so I think that was a fair estimate.

The Rules:

• No Audio books in the chunkster. It just doesn't seem right. Words on paper for this one folks.
• No e-Books allowed - we are reading traditional, fat books for this challenge.
• Short Stories and Essay collections will not be counted.
• Books may crossover with other challenges
• Anyone may join. If you don't have a blog, just leave me a comment on this post with your progress (and to let me know you are playing)
• You don't need to list your books ahead of time.
  
• Once you pick a level, that's it...you're committed to that level!
  

You must pick a level of participation (thanks again to Dana for the humor in these categories!):

1. The Chubby Chunkster - this option is for the reader who has a couple of large tomes on their TBR list, but really doesn't want to commit to much more than that. 3 books is all you need to finish this challenge.
2. Do These Books Make my Butt Look Big? - this option is for the slightly heavier reader who wants to commit to 4 Chunksters over the next twelve months.
3. Mor-book-ly Obese - This is for the truly out of control chunkster. For this level of challenge you must commit to 6 or more chunksters OR three tomes of 750 pages or more. You know you want to.....go on and give in to your cravings.

I am signing up for level one of participation.  Hopefully, I will be able to complete three books for the challenge. Here are the books that I read for the challenge:

1. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. Finished in January 2010; my review is here. Just realized that this challenge does not start until Febrauary 1st. I cannot believe I finished a book early!

2. Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood (521 pages). Finished in February 2010.  My review is here.

3. Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult (455 pages) Finished in April 2010. My review is here.

4. The Help by Kathryn Stockett (464 pages) Finished in September 2010. My review is here.

5. The Book Thief by Mark Zusak (550) Finished in December 2010. My review is here.

** I am pleasantly surprised that I exceeded my expectations for how many Chunksters I could complete.  I ended up completed four in the allocated time putting me in the middle level of Do These Books Make my Butt Look Big.  My favorite books out of all of these were Blind Assassin and The Book Thief; although, all were really engaging. I am excited for next year!**

I decided to join the South Asian Author Challenge hosted by S.Krishna because the fabric pictured in the button reminded me of my wedding outfit.  Just kidding.  Actually, I want to read more South Asian writers and thought this would be a good way to accomplish that goal.

What books qualify for the South Asian Author Challenge?

There are two requirements for a book to qualify for the South Asian Author Challenge, both of which must be met:

1) The author must be of South Asian descent.  It doesn’t matter if they’re third or fourth generation, or are only half South Asian – I’m pretty flexible on this issue.

2) The book must be about South Asia in some way.  It doesn’t have to be set in South Asia, as long as it’s about the culture or history in some way.  On the other hand, it can be set in South Asia and not be about South Asians.

What are the dates of this challenge?

January 1, 2010 – December 31, 2010

How many books do I have to read for the South Asian Author Challenge?

There are four different commitment levels:

3 books

5 books

7 books

10 books

Can I change challenge levels after January 1?

You can’t move down (change from 10 to 7 – that defeats the purpose of it being a challenge!) but you can move up if you find you just love South Asian authors and want to read more of them than you expected!

Now.... drum roll please... my commitment level is THREE BOOKS! I need to start of slowly and see how the year goes before committing to more books.  

1. The Geometry of God by Uzsma Aslam Khan I finished the book on August 26th. My review is here. I cannot believe how slowly I have started on this challenge.  The author is Pakistani and the book takes place in Pakistan.