dtrpath27

Athena, I just cannot find that cover...I saw it in the Kindle store for days, now I can't even find the book much less the cover I was talking about. It had a dark cover with a sort of diaphanous, amorphous shape in the center. It just doesn't make sense...

CG, I really think you missed the point of where my objections lie. Having said that, I come here to have fun and relax, not argue, so I shall return to a state of neutrality in future discussions.

Thank you so much! I'm quite excited about all the wonderful suggestions everyone has made. It seems Spain has a wealth of amazing literature. I really like it when the author has an interesting story as well.

I usually try to stay out of the argumentative end of these things, but have you forgotten about the attack on U.S. soil at Pearl Harbor? Also, I would be careful marginalizing someone's contribution of help, especially when that contribution involves laying down their lives for people they've never met a half a world away. Furthermore, I have family who died in the Pentagon on 9-11, so don't tell me that the impact was merely psychological. You weren't here that day. You don't live here now, so don't presume to tell me what things were and are like. You don't look insightful, you look insensitive.

AT&T is the worst. Never so happy as when we cancelled our landline.

Oops! I'm sure you were very kind in your observations. We had our sale this weekend. We're going to head back again tomorrow to see what else we can find.

Way to go! I'm quite impressed. Just hang on, Monday's almost here.

Athena, that's so funny! I hadn't yet read your post when I replied. Apparently great minds think alike! We find the title to be intriguing.

Okay, just the title is intriguing to me. I'll be looking forward to your review.

Thanks so much. I did not have the best week at work, so I'm very grateful to have a few days off. I hope you get some much-needed rest.

Eleonora, I think that's a great point about popularity diminishing over time. I suppose we can argue until we're blue in the face, but time will really tell, won't it? I think of all the great paintings, books, music, etcetera that were considered absolute rubbish by the experts of their time, but have proven themselves to be some of the most influential, enduring, inspiring works of modern history. Those are rather subjective things, aren't they? There will always be detractors, and they may or may not be justified in their objections, but when it comes to any form of artistic expression, what really matters is how the work speaks to the individual. That's what allows a work to endure. The "wizarding" craze has faded, because it was simply a fad generated by a marketing machine. The countless spinoffs and copycats, including books written as addendums to the Potter series, have already gone quietly into the night. As for the books themselves, only time will tell. It has been nearly two decades since the original publication, though, and the books do seem to be holding up just fine. Whether a new generation will find them just as appealing without a slew of toys, movies and t-shirts being released on a seemingly daily basis will be interesting to see.

Caught the last half of the Thomas Crowne Affair. Best ending scene ever. (And it doesn't hurt to look at Pierce Brosnan, either.)

Day Two updates: 1. Spain The Sun Also Rises by Hemmingway For Whom the Bell Tolls by Hemmingway Duende by Jason Webster Sacred Sierra by Jason Webster The Stone Raft by José Saramago The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Luiz Zaffon Bloodletting by Federico Garcia Lorca 2. Turkey Birds Without Wings by Louis de Bernières Portrait of a Turkish Family by Irfan Orga 3. Ireland Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt Paddy Clarke, ha, ha, ha! by Roddy Doyle The Dubliners by James Joyce The Book of Tomorrow by Cecilia Ahrens 4. Portugal The Stone Raft by José Saramago For Whom the Bell Tolls by Hemmingway The Lusiads (Os Lusíadas), by Luís de Camões The Following Story by Cees Nooteboom 5. Desert Southwest The Professor's House by Willa Cather Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingslover The Man Who Walked Through Time by Colin Fletcher 6. Nova Scotia Sailing Around the World Alone by Joshua Slokum The Shipping News by Anne Proulx Colony of Unrequited Dreams by Wayne Johnston Fall on Your Knees by Anne Marie MacDonald Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill 7. India A Fine Balance A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth Eclipse of the Sun by Phil Whitaker Author Ruth Prawler Jhabvala Behind the Beautiful Flowers by Katherine Boo 8. Peru The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder 9. Czech Republic The Book of Laughter and Forgetting by Milan Kundera 10. Moscow The Twelve Chairs by Ilf and Petrov Anna Karenina by Tolstoy Doctor Zhivago by Pasternak

What's the topic?

I'm so lucky to have a great library just down the way, so my whole family is there quite a bit. If I find a book I love and will want to read time and again, I'll definitely buy a copy. I don't really go to used bookstores very often but love used book sales. Does that make any sense?

Thanks, Athena! It wasn't horrible, just a bit thin, I think. Today I'm switching between reading A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute and Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank. That Shute! I just have to take breaks from him sometimes!

Yay! More for Ireland. . Let me know if you think of another. That's two for The Shadow of the Wind... Eta: More random thoughts on this challenge: I think I'm going to buy physical books of the ones I choose for the challenge instead of e-books or library books. I'd like to be able to line them all up on my shelf and read over & again. This is the first reading challenge I've ever done. The whole concept is rather growing on me. I actually have some ideas on more to do after I finish this one.

"All mature and stuff." Lol.

SO happy to have the weekend ahead of me. Big book sale, time with my family, hopefully some gardening.

Wouldn't that be great!

I think so! I'm quite pleased. I think with another day or two I'll be able to start narrowing it down.

My dearest commandeered my Kindle, so I've switched to Alas, Babylon for awhile.

I've been seeing this here and there and have considered giving it a try. Your review makes it very appealing! I like your cover, too. The U.S. one is very different. I'll have to see if I can post it...

I love the sound of Paperboy! I've never heard of the author nor the book, but your description really makes me want to read it.

I hope I didn't forget anyone's suggestions. I was flipping back & forth trying to get them all. :/ So I still need something for Turkey and Moscow...could probably do with a couple more options in some of the others. It looks like there are a lot of great suggestions for Spain, Nova Scotia and India, though! Eta: Just found one set in Turkey that looks interesting: Birds Without Wings by Louis de Bernières.