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Yikes! It has been WAY TOO LONG since I've been around here. The last part of 2008 got pretty crazy at my house, so a few things were neglected, but I'm ready to start fresh in 2009. Looks like I have a lot of reading and catching up to do on the forum, so that's where I'll be. Also - thanks so much to everyone who sent me birthday wishes. That was such a fun surprise to find today! I had a great birthday yesterday, and was suitably spoiled by all my loved ones. Thanks!

The Origin of Species by Nino Ricci While My Sister Sleeps by Barbara Delinsky Still Alice by Lisa Genova Blonde Roots by B. Evaristo Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde The Believers by Zoe Heller

I'm going to set my goal at 30 books from my own collection, and also stipulate that they are 30 books I've acquired BEFORE 2009 - time to get through some of the backlog! 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20 - 21 - 22 - 23 - 24 - 25 - 26 - 27 - 28 - 29 - 30 -

I'm going to shoot high and say I'd like to try 50 new authors - this might be a bit unreachable, but it will be fun to try! 1 - Galaxy Craze (By the Shore) 2 - Kristyn Dunnion (Big Big Sky) 3 - Catherine Banner (The Eyes of a King) 4 - James Michener (Alaska and Journey) 5 - Susanne Dunlap (The Musician's Daughter) 6 - Richard Currey (Fatal Light) 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20 - 21 - 22 - 23 - 24 - 25 - 26 - 27 - 28 - 29 - 30 - 31 - 32 - 33 - 34 - 35 - 36 - 37 - 38 - 39 - 40 - 41 - 42 - 43 - 44 - 45 - 46 - 47 - 48 - 49 - 50 -

Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (finished 2/27/09, rated 8/10) Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger The Color Purple by Alice Walker Beloved by Toni Morrison A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Peterson The Give by Lois Lowry

Recently Finished: Ulysses by James Joyce (2/8/09, blech) A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce (technically, I didn't JUST finish this one - I read it a while ago. But after Ulysses, I'm done with Joyce.) Current Selection: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Up Next: Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov Brave New World by Aldous Huxley The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner

1910s - Howard's End by E.M. Forster 1920s - Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset 1930s - National Velvet by E. Bagnold 1940s - A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by B. SMith 1950s - Marjorie Morningstar by H. Wouk 1960s - A Wizard of Earthsea by U. LeGuin 1970s - Bridge to Terabithia by K. Peterson 1980s - Midnight's Children by S. Rushdie 1990s - The Giver by L. Lowry

1 - How I Live Now by Meg Rosof - recommended by Megan of Leafing Through Life 2 - Repossessed by A.M. Jenkins - recommended by Andi of Tripping Toward Lucidity 3 - Devil's Brood by Sharon Kay Penman - recommended by Carey of The Tome Traveller (in the spirit of full disclosure, I was going to read this book anyway, but since I found a glowing recommendation for it, now I'm adding it to this challenge!) 4 - Eon: Dragoneye Reborn by Alison Goodman - recommended by Alyce of At Home with Books 5 - Matrimony by Joshua Henken - recommended by practically all of the book blogging world 6 - Dakota by Kathleen Norris - recommended by Word Lily 7 - The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff - recommended by Stephanie of Open Mind, Insert Book 8 - Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips - recommended by Serena of Savvy Verse & Wit 9 - The Almost Archer Sisters by Lisa Gabriele - recommended by Luanne of A Bookworm's World 10 - Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford - recommended by Marcia of The Printed Page

The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher (finished 2008) The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (finished 2/16/09, 9/10) Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson (Arthur C. Clarke) Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie (Man Booker) An Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro (Costa/Whitbread) The In-Between World of Vikram Lal by M.G. Vassanji (Giller) Mercy Among the Children by David Adams Richards (Giller) The Tin Flute by Gabrielle Roy (Governor General) Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke (Hugo) This Blinding Absence of Light by Taher Ben Jelloun (IMPAC Dublin) The Known World by Edward P. Jones (IMPAC Dublin) Sacred Country by Rose Tremain (James Tait Black) The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai (NBCC) Atonement by Ian McEwan (NBCC) Doomsday Book by Connie Willis (Hugo and Nebula) Half of a Yellow Sun by Adichie (Orange)

Marjorie Morningstar - Herman Wouk A Tree Grows in Brooklyn - Betty Smith The Giver - Lois Lowry The Earthsea Trilogy - Ursula K. LeGuin National Velvet - Enid Bagnold Bridge to Terabithia - Katherine Paterson The Illyrian Adventure series - Lloyd Alexander The Good Earth - Pearl Buck My Side of the Mountain - Jean Craighead George

1 - I,robot by Howard S. Smith 2 -Zoe's Tale by John Scalzi 3 - Foundation by Isaac Asimov 4 -Til Human Voices Wake Us by Mark Budz 5 - All the Windwracked Stars by Elizabeth Bear 6 - In Her Name by Michael R. Hicks 7 - The Host by Stephenie Meyer 8 - Big Big Sky by Kristyn Dunnion 9 - Battlestar Galactica, Season 4, Episode 11 - "Sometimes a Great Notion" 10 - Battlestar Galactica, Season 4, Episode 12 - "A Disquiet Follows My Soul" 11 -Battlestar Galactica, Season 4, Episode 13 - "The Oath" 12 - Battlestar Galactica, Season 4, Episode 14 - "Blood on the Scales" 13 - Battlestar Galactica, Season 4, Episode 15 - "No Exit" 14 - Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury 15 - Battlestar Galactica, Season 4, Episode 16 - "Deadlock" 16 - Battlestar Galactica, Season 4, Episode 17 - "Someone to Watch Over Me" 17 - Battlestar Galactica, Season 4, Episode 18 - "Islanded in a Stream of Stars" 18 - 19 - 20 - 21 - 22 - 23 - 24 - 25 - 26 - 27 - 28 - 29 - 30 - 31 - 32 - 33 - 34 - 35 - 36 - 37 - 38 - 39 - 40 - 41 - 42 -

Afghanistan - A Thousand Splendid Suns by K. Hosseini Andorra - Andorra by P. Cameron Antarctica - Decipher by S. Pavlou Australia - I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak Without a Backward Glance by Kate Veitch (8/2/08, 9/10) Austria - Homestead by R. Lippi Belgium - The Sorrow of Belgium by H. Claus Bosnia/Herzegovina - People of the Book by G. Brooks Canada - Barometer Rising by H. MacLennen China - Apologies Forthcoming by Xujun Eberlein (9/21/08, 8/10) Cuba - The Old Man and the Sea by E. Hemmingway Denmark - The Royal Physician's Visit by P.O. Enquist England - The Sealed Letter by Emma Donoghue Egypt - Dreamers of the Day by Mary Doria Russell Faroe Islands - Far Afield by S. Kaysen Finland - Cast a Long Shadow by Leena Lander Lang by Kjell Westo France - The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo Gibraltar - Gibraltar by C. Tepley Greece - Apartment in Athens by G. Wescott Hong Kong - The Language of Threads by Gail Tsukiyama Hungary - Embers by S. Marai Iceland - Under the Glacier by H. Laxness India - Beneath a Marble Sky by J. Shors The Forbidden Daughter by Shobhan Bantwal (9/4/08, 7/10) Iran - The September of Shiraz by Dalia Sofer Ireland - The Gathering by Anne Enright Israel - We Just Want to Live Here by Rifa'i and Ainbinder Italy - The Anatomist by F. Andahari Japan - The Samurai's Garden by Gail Tsukiyama Lichtenstein - Ludmilla by P. Gallico Malta - Jukebox Queen of Malta by N. Rinaldi Nigeria - You Must Set Out at Dawn by W. Soyinke Norway - Naive.Super by Erlend Loe Pakistan - The Reluctant Fundamentalist by M. Hamid Papua New Guinea - The White Mary by Kira Salak (7/9/08, 9/10) Portugal - Alentejo Blue by Monica Ali Russia - The Madonnas of Lenningrad by D. Dean Rwanda - We Wish to Inform You....by P. Gourevitch Scotland - The Translator by L. Aboulela Sicily - The Marchesa - Simonetta Agnello Hornby (1/09, 5/10) Sierra Leone - A Long Way Gone by I. Beah Spain - Shadow of the Wind by C. R. Zafon Sri Lanka - Reef by R. Gunesekera Sweden - Popular Music from Vittula by Mikael Niemi (7/4/08, 7/10) Turkey - The Sultan's Seal by Jenny White

Joseph Auslander (completed) Allen Tate (completed) Robert Penn Warren (completed) Louise Bogan (completed) Karl Shapiro (completed) Leonie Adams (completed) Elizabeth Bishop (completed) Conrad Aiken (completed) William Carlos Williams (completed) Randall Jarrell (completed) Robert Frost (completed) Richard Eberhart (completed) Louis Untermeyer (completed) Howard Nemerov (completed 7/19/08) Reed Whittemore (completed 9/19/08) Stephen Spender (completed 11/21/08) James Dickey (completed 12/29/08) William Jay Smith (completed 1/15/09) William Stafford (completed 2/10/09) Josephine Jacobsen (completed 3/2/09) Daniel Hoffman Stanley Kunitz Robert Hayden William Meredith Maxine Kumin Anthony Hecht Robert Fitzgerald Gwendolyn Brooks Richard Wilbur Mark Strand Joseph Brodsky Mona Van Duyn Rita Dove Robert Haas Robert Pinsky Billy Collins Louise Gluck Ted Kooser Donald Hall Charles Simic

Just Finished: Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink Honk, the Moose by Phil Strong The Good Master by Kate Seredy (6/27/08, 7/10) Dobry by Monica Shannon (9/16/08, 7/10) Current: Invincible Louisa by Cornelia Meigs Next: Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze by Elizabeth Rivers Swift Rivers by Cornelia Meigs

My Reading Challenges, 2009 edition Once again, I have signed myself up for WAY too many challenges. It's like a sickness I can't get rid of. Here's my list: Challenges I have OFFICIALLY signed up for: 42 Science Fiction Challenge - experience 42 sci-fi books, short stories, movies, TV shows, etc. This challenge runs until December, 2009 A Daring Book Challenge - this challenge is to read books listed in the Recommended Books section of A Daring Book for Girls. This challenge runs until June, 2009. Book Awards Challenge - this challenge is to read books which have won one of the many book awards given worldwide. This challenge runs until June, 2009. Book Buddy Blogger Challenge - this is a great challenge, encouraging participants to read books recommended by fellow book bloggers. This challenge runs until December, 2009. Decades '09 - this challenge requires participants to read 9 books in 9 consecutive decades. This challenge runs until December, 2009. My Year of Reading Dangerously - another unique challenge, which encourages participants to read 12 books they deem "dangerous" - either books which have been banned, books dealing with controversial subject matter, or books they have been afraid to read thus far. This challenge runs until December, 2009. New Authors Challenge - this challenge is all about reading new-to-you authors. This challenge runs until December, 2009. Read Your Own Books Challenge - this challenge is perfect for cleaning out TBR piles - read your own books! This challenge runs until December, 2009. The Pub Challenge 2009 - this challenge requires participants to read books originally published in 2009. This challenge runs through December, 2009. Modern Library's 100 Best Novels Challenge - this is a perpetual challenge, encouraging participants to read through the list of the Modern Library's 100 Best Novels. It has no start or end dates. My own personal challenges: Newberry Award Challenge - in which I challenge myself to read all of the Newberry books Poet Laureate Challenge - in which I challenge myself to read through all the U.S. Poet Laureates Reading Around the World Challenge - in which I challenge myself to read novels from all over the world

My book rating system: 10 - Among the best books I've ever read. This book spoke to me, changed me, and, if it isn't already in my personal collection, I dearly wish it were. 9 - I couldn't put this book down. I carved out extra reading time just so I could finish it. This book got carted into the bathroom with me, read over meals, read at work, or kept me up late at night. If this author has more work, I will certainly read it. 8 - Excellent. This is a book I will be recommending to all my friends. 7 - It didn't break my heart to return it to the library, but it was still pretty darn good. 6 - Pretty good, but had some serious flaws that distracted me from enjoyment. 5 - So-so. Some parts of this book were enjoyable, but other parts were a real yawner. 4 - Ok. But whatever redeemable aspects there were to this book, they were not fleshed out enough for me to truly enjoy it. 3 - There was little to nothing enjoyable about this book. Certainly not one I would recommend to anyone. 2 - Don't waste your time. I only finished this one for the pleasure of a good roast in my review. 1 - It is a sad commentary on the state of publishing today that a tree actually died to produce this drivel. 0 - Among the worst books I've ever laid eyes on. I couldn't even finish it, it was so bad.

(blurb from Barnes & Noble) The dramatic story of the real-life murder that inspired the birth of modern detective fiction. In June of 1860 three-year-old Saville Kent was found at the bottom of an outdoor privy with his throat slit. The crime horrified all England and led to a national obsession with detection, ironically destroying, in the process, the career of perhaps the greatest detective in the land. At the time, the detective was a relatively new invention; there were only eight detectives in all of England and rarely were they called out of London, but this crime was so shocking, as Kate Summerscale relates in her scintillating new book, that Scotland Yard sent its best man to investigate, Inspector Jonathan Whicher. Whicher quickly believed the unbelievable

Have you read the original Dragonlance trilogies? They are older, but the Twins trilogy especially has one of the best antiheroes in all literature.

OSC's Ender series is good, and his Alvin Maker series is also excellent. My opinion about him is that the first two or three books in his series are always great, but the farther along the series develops, the less I enjoy them. If you are looking for stand-alone novels, I especially like Enchantment.

I actually just finished re-reading one of my favorite novels, The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay. It had been a couple of years since I read it last, and I learned things about the characters I hadn't picked up on before. I was, as usual, sorry for it to end. I don't re-read a lot, but I usually enjoy it when I do.

In addition to being a cool guy, Scott Savage is also giving me an extra copy of his book to give away to someone - yea for free books! If you are interested, you can go to my blog and enter at this post: As Usual, I Need More Bookshelves - Find Your Magic He said it is fine to open the contest up to those living outside the US, so anyone is welcome. If you don't have an account, just leave an anonymous comment with your name, and that you are a member of BCF, and I'll get you signed up. It's a good book - go enter already!

In addition to being a cool guy, Scott Savage is giving me an extra copy of his book to give away to a lucky person - yea for free books! If you are interested, just visit my blog and leave a comment on this post: As Usual, I Need More Bookshelves - Find Your Magic He said it was fine to open the contest to those living outside the US, so anyone is welcome. If you don't have an account, you can just leave an anonymous post with your name, and that you are a member of BCF, and I'll get you signed up. It really is a good one - go sign up already!

I thought Gods in Alabama and Between Georgia were both excellent - didn't care for her third one as much, but the first two were great!

Review - Farworld: Water Keep by J. Scott Savage 13-year-old Marcus is an outsider - orphaned, friendless, with disabilities to his arm and leg that require the use of a wheelchair, the new boy at school facing a group of relentless bullies. His only escape is Farworld, the place he has created in his mind where magic abounds. When a menacing stranger appears threatening to take him away, Marcus finds himself suddenly pulled out of his normal life - and into Farworld. His rescuer is Kyja, herself an outsider in Farworld - in a land where magic abounds, she possesses none. The pair is guided by Master Therapass, who knows the true link Marcus has with Kyja. The Dark Circle has discovered the secret that can be the undoing of Farworld, and only Marcus and Kyja can convince the elusive Elementals to work together to make a path between the two worlds. Savage has a wonderful, visual style of writing that enables the reader to see exactly how this new, magical world appears. Several times I found myself re-reading paragraphs, not because I was confused but because I loved reading Savage's descriptions of the world he has created. I believe he does a good job of allowing the reader to sympathise for his two main characters withouth making them seem weak. Both Marcus, with his physical limitations, and Kyka, with her insecurities, are often pitied by the people around them. Savage, however, never feels sorry for either of them, but allows them to discover how strong they can become when they work together and believe in themselves. As a woman, I am thrilled to see a young girl in a novel who is written as a true equal to the young man. Too often, the girl is the sidekick - plucky and cute, but watching as the boy gets to be the hero. Savage gives Kyja just as much importance as Marcus, and allows her to be heroic in her own right. And the bad guys are truly scary - I found myself anxious several times when the kids were in danger.Trust me, you don't want to mess with the Thrathkin S'Bae! I really enjoyed this book. Because this is the first in a series, Savage has to spend a lot of time explaining and introducing , which can at times slow the pace of the novel. However, he has created several characters - Master Therapass and Bonesplitter especially, that I can't wait to read more about. This series has a lot of potential, and I am very exited to read the continuing adventures of Marcus and Kyja. I can't wait for the next installment! Finished: 6/9/08 Rating: 8/10 Source: ARC from author Here's an interview I did with the author - he's a really nice guy.