Jane Austen Reading Challenge

Are you reading Jane Austen titles this year or reading Jane Austen-related titles?

Have you joined the Jane Austen Reading Challenge?

I read Pride and Prejudice in February of 2010. Living in England convinced me I'd probably love her writing; and I do!

I have read one Jane Austen title this year; I finished reading Emma in March 2011.

I hope to begin reading Sense and Sensibility soon.

Have you read any of Jane Austen's books? Do you have plans to?

Cash: The Autobiography by Johnny Cash

I enjoyed this book. 


Cash wrote this book in a very relaxed, conversational tone. 


He tells truth as he sees it without it seeming as if he is gossipping. In fact, he tells most stories about himself. He was frank and open about his trek into drug abuse. 

Even if you don't love country music you might still like this book if you enjoy bios/autobiographies. 

If you love country music and you love Johnny Cash, chances are high that you will enjoy this book.

He is also open about his faith in Jesus Christ as Saviour. I really like that. I hope to meet him, one day, in Heaven.

http://boundtogetherforgood.blogspot.com/2011/07/biographiesdo-you-have-any-favorites.html

Children and classics

I suppose we've all been exposed to classic fairy tales, mythology, and legends about national heroes. Have you exposed any of your children, at a young age, to stories that are considered to be classic literature?


Just this week I finished reading a children's edition of Little Women to our five year old daughter. We began reading it a long time ago. I have two other books I am actively reading to her. It wasn't an original edition but it was still a rather lengthy chapter book to read to a five year old. She loved it. Our copy is now worn from love and travel.


We finished reading it while sharing a snack at a McDonald's as our older daughter was having braces put on her teeth. When we finished the book I asked Gigi if she still loved it. Her reply, "Of course. It's about women ...and the women are little!" I'm so glad she asked me to read it to her.

What will I read on our vacation this summer? Want to help me narrow it down or guess what I'll choose?

Our vacation will be really late this summer; right before school begins in the fall.
The planning is going on right now. It takes a lot to plan vacations but especially so for big families. One can never begin thinking about it too soon.


As I was dressing this evening I stopped in front of my bookshelves to ponder my to-be-read shelf. Surprisingly, it has a smaller selection than usual. That's a good thing; it means I've been working my way through books I already own instead of simply amassing more and more titles to add to my to-be-read shelf. 


I am facing the fact that our vacation will include several days at a waterpark/amusement park. Last summer my brother and I went to the same parks and took four of my five kids and one of our nieces. I remember my brother had one or two perfectly sized books that would fit into the pocket of his shorts. He then had it available to read when he was standing in a long and inevitably boring line. I recall being envious. I love a good pocket-sized book.


I am not expecting to have much idle time...we have five kids and the parks are great fun for everyone. I think I will take some physical books in place of my ereader in case I decide to take a book with me to the park. I am thinking I can leave it in a locker while we are being active. Then I could take the book out and read it when Hubs and I relax by the pool. If I took my NOOK I'd be nervous that it might get out of my hands and be taken by someone. I wouldn't worry that much about it getting wet as I'd cover it in a zippered baggie. Anyway, I'd be crushed if someone stole it from me.


That left me thinking that I should make my selections for vacation reading by perusing my physical to-be-read shelves.


Here are the books I am currently thinking about taking:




A Lotus Grows in the Mud 
by Goldie Hawn


(I love bios/memoirs and funny but classy people.)

All Souls: A Family Story From Southie
by Michael McDonald
(Again, I love memoirs. A friend sent this to me.)

The Unauthorized Guide to Sex and the Church
by Carmen Renee Berry
(Another friend sent me this book. Books and sex (does it get any better?)

The Chris Farley Show: A Biography in Three Acts
by Tom Farley, Jr and Tanner Colby
(My brother read this and passed it on to me. 
I wasn't the biggest of Farley fans but, again, this is a bio and it's about a funny person.)

Dave Gorman vs. The Rest of the World
Whatever the game~Dave takes on all comers!
by Dave Gorman
(Gorman is goofy and British. I love that (even though I love Danny Wallace's books even more.)














As for ebook selections...I'll still be reading The Book Thief which I am reading for a second time, along with our daughter. I am finishing up a second reading of another title I recommended to my best friend and we are reading it together and discussing it. I also want to purchase a Steve Martin novel soon. Those will keep me busy when I am able to read using my NOOK.

1) I wonder which books will end up making the cut? 

2) I wonder how many books will make the cut?  

3) Will someone sway me to pick a book that I haven't listed?

4) I wonder how much reading I will actually be able to do? 

5) How much time will I spend reading physical books vs. ebooks?

6) Will I finish any one title during the trip?

Only time will tell.

Who will venture to guess?

~~~~~~

Updated post here:

http://boundtogetherforgood.blogspot.com/2011/08/what-books-did-i-end-up-taking-with-us.html

Two from Galilee by Marjorie Holmes

Two From Galilee: The Story Of Mary And Joseph


What a lovely book. I'm not one who reads many love stories. This one was worthy of my attention though; enough so that I have read it twice~January 2006 and July 2011.


This is Christian fiction. It isn't proselytization. It never attempts to sway anyone that Jesus is the Christ, it simply tells his story and those who believe continue to; those who do not yet believe may.


The story begins with Mary who has just become a woman and is now old enough to be betrothed to a willing suitor. Eventually Joseph is decided upon and the story takes off.


Holmes attempts something really big by putting words and feelings to the events leading up to Christ's birth and infancy. The scene she paints draws the reader in. A virgin birth? Even though it was foretold in the Prophets it was not something most people were willing to accept. Her father and her aunt, Elizabeth, however, did accept it. They were the first believers (in her telling). As the story progressed the scales fell from the eyes of her stern but loving mother, Hannah. The final pages bring the story to the point of the small family's flight to Egypt.





Pg 215
For is not every birth a mystery and every child the child of God?

Some Barnes and Noble news...

B&N is selling 3 ebook titles for every physical book these days.

Interesting info here:
http://tinyurl.com/BarnesNobleNewsJuly2011

(sorry, when I posted that from my iPhone the link didn't show up)

Mother Tongue by Bill Bryson

For laughs I can usually trust in author Bill Bryson. He also packs punches with an abundance of facts and trivia.

Mother Tongue investigates our English language. Bryson delves deep into the matter. He investigates etymology and even traces the evolution of spelling through the ages. As a matter of course, no topic is taboo, and Bryson examines swear words and why they are used.

If you enjoy the amount of information that a well-chosen word can convey, you'll likely be delighted by this selection. I was.

How many readings do you think books should stand up to?

So, I recently tattled on myself, here:

ReadingTraditionalBooksComparedToEbooks

I was commenting about how inept I now feel when it comes to reading traditional books and protecting their condition. I use my ereader for most of my reading now. Only 11 of the 25 books I have read this year have been traditional books; that's only 44% of my reading for the year.

This post is all about the life expectancy of books versus ebooks:

Developments with regard to ebooks and library lending...

So, I've admitted that I was tough on that recent book.
What I won't admit to is a disregard for books and their condition.
I take good care of my books.

I was very disappointed as I began reading a decent paperback edition this week. I bought the book new while living in England. It was in top condition. It remained in excellent condition as I read it the first time.

I was happy to pick it up and read it again this week... However, the second time I sat down to read this week a split began forming along the inner spine of the book.
In just moments a page fell out completely.
I continued to read because that was my only option at the time.

Know what I did? I gave up. I purchased the book as an ebook. The book was worthy of another read or I wouldn't have chosen to read it again.

I made it over six months without purchasing any books for myself. I made a conscious effort over the past six months to read the books I already owned but hadn't gotten around to reading. I also borrowed ebooks and traditional books from our library.

I wish I could say that the book I broke this streak with was a book I haven't read before. I feel a bit of dissatisfaction at having spent twice the money to enjoy a single title.

I wish publishers would begin offering an ebook version with each traditional new book purchase, even when the book is purchased on sale. I think this would work out to be a win-win situation for publishers and readers.

Back to my original rant though...I really think that even a paperback should withstand more than two uses.
I suppose that my move to ebooks is a smart move. I just hope that further developments with regard to digital media will be fair to readers and writers as well as publishers.

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin: & Selections from His Other Writings (Modern Library)

What do you know of Benjamin Franklin? You are probably aware that he was a well known statesman, influential in America's founding. You are probably also aware of an experiment he did with a kite and a key. In fact, he is lucky he survived it!

He was born the fifteenth child of twenty. His father was married twice and had ten children born to each marriage. Benjamin was the youngest son of the family. He only had two years of formal education; most of his education was self imposed. At age twelve he was apprenticed to an older brother who owned a printing shop. His most famous pen-name, Silence Dogood, was created in an attempt to see his letters to his brother's newspaper published, for his brother would not allow him to write for the paper! He "became" Silence Dogood, a middle-aged widow, at the tender age of sixteen.

Some things you may not have known about him are that he was also: a writer; journalist;  printer; publisher; philosopher; patriot and (oldest) signer of the Declaration of Independence; diplomat; arbiter; humorist, and quite a ladies' man. He was: a proponent for and one of the first to suggest the first true fire department whereof men would be assigned to a particular fire engine rather than goodwill and amateurs continuing to be the force with which fire was fought. Being an entrepreneur he also established the first fire insurance company! He proposed that the firefighters would practice and share information and that their skills at fighting fires would therefore improve. Franklin urged the licensing of chimney sweeps and proposed that homeowners should be required to keep leather fire-fighting buckets at their property.   

For Men Only by Jeff & Shaunti Feldhahn

Wow! This is as great as her other book, For Women Only. 

The things I learned from FWO were life-changing and have stuck with me. 


It was so life-changing I knew I had to get this book (FMO). 
And, yes, I read it myself. I read it because I wanted to be sure that Hubs understood which responses truly reflected ME. 


As I read I highlighted all that had meaning to me and I asked Hubs to read it in that context. It really helped us even though communication is a strong point in our marriage. It's that good! I would recommend both books to people wanting to better understand relationships.


Here are the chapter titles:


1 Rethinking Random (Why You Need a New Map of the Female Universe)


2 The Deal is Never Closed (Why Her "I do" Will Always Mean "Do You?"~ And What To Do About It


3 Windows...Open! (What You Should Know About the Fabulous Female Brain (A Guide for Lower Life Forms))


4 Your Real Job is Closer to Home (How Your Provider/Protector Instinct Can Leave Her Feeling More Unsafe and Less Cared For)


5 Listening IS the Solution (Why Her Feeling About the Problem is the Problem, and How to Fix Your Urge to Fix)


6 With Sex, Her "No" Doesn't Mean You (How Her Desires Are Affected by Her Unique Wiring, And Why Your Ego Shouldn't Be)


7 The Girl in the Mirror ( What the Little Girl Inside Your Woman is Dying to Hear From You~ And How to Guard Your Answer Well)


8 The Man She Had Hoped to Marry (What the Woman Who Loves You Most, Most Wants You to Know 


You can read the first chapter online here:
ForMenOnlyFirstChapter


I LOVED the way the Feldhahns explained the differences in the ways men and women think. I tend to be very analytical, which tends to be a trait of men more than women. Even so...I am much better at multi-tasking (Hubs just can't do it) and sometimes feel that I have to multi-task in order to get anything done. 


My husband read this book while our kids and I were traveling for four weeks without him on an international vacation. When we returned home to him we discussed the book and his reading of it. He was amazed at the fact that my responses to many of the questions was outside the norm. I was SO glad I had highlighted MY responses. Even though we know each other extremely well I think his reading of the book without highlights could have muddied things for us. Since I indicated my responses for every topic he was left with NO question as to how I felt about each item. And he felt very fortunate with regard to some of my responses. He knows that I love our sex-life but now he knows that I tend to enjoy sex more than most women seem to. He appreciates that I am different in that regard.

The depth of this book is unbelievable. Even if marriage/intimacy books are not really your thing you may still gain tremendous insights from this book.

For Women Only: What You Need to Know about the Inner Lives of Men by Shaunti Feldhahn

EXCELLENT. My husband and I are VERY similar and communicate wonderfully but this opened my mind to a couple things which I will always see differently from now on. 


This is my FAVORITE marriage/intimacy-related book.

Even a read through the titles will give you a glimpse at the depth of the contents of this book:


1 Lightbulb On! (How I Woke Up To What I Didn't Know About Men)


2 Your Love is Not Enough (Why Your Respect Means More to Him Than Affection)


3 The Performance of a Lifetime (Why Your Mr. Smooth Looks so Impressive but Feels Like an Imposter)


4 The Loneliest Burden (How His Need to Provide Weighs your Man Down, And Why He likes It That Way)


5 Sex Changes Everything (Why Sex Unlocks a Man's Emotions (Guess Who Holds the Key?))


6 Keeper of the Visual Rolodex (Why it's So Natural For Him to Look and So Hard to Forget 
What He's Seen)


7 Chocolate, Flowers, Bait Fishing (Why the Reluctant Clod you Know Really Does Want Romance)


8 The Truth About the Way You Look (Why What's on the Outside Matters to Him on the Inside)


9 Words for your Heart (What Your Man Most Wishes You Knew About Him)


This is NOT a book written by a woman even though the author is a woman.

This book was written by doing a great amount of research and asking MEN what there responses to marriage/intimacy-related questions would be. The author then compiled the results and explains them in depth.


The major insight I gained from reading this title was financially related.


I asked Hubs if he felt the way that was described in the book (on that particular topic)...
He replied "Yes. Without a doubt. It never leaves my mind." This means that first and foremost he sees himself as a provider.


From that moment my approach to our family's expenditures changed drastically even though I never felt I was far outside any bounds. He noticed my changes immediately and told me so. One thing we used to occasionally argue about just a bit was...finances. 
No more.


Now, there are still times when there is more month left than money but Hubs knows that I do my best to budget our spending so that he doesn't have to worry about things.


This book is VERY INSIGHTFUL!

Even if you have never read a book on marriage and intimacy you might really enjoy this selection. Its depth and frankness is tremendous. It's my favorite book in this category, for women.


Read the first chapter here:
ForWomenOnlyFirstChapter

Biographies...do you have any favorites?

I love reading biographies/autobiographies. My favorites are of film/tv actors and popular musicians, especially those who were famous from the 40s through the 60s.



Here are some that I've read, including my rating out of 5*, in ascending order of my appreciation for them:


I'm Chevy Chase... and You're Not: Revised & Updated 
by Rena Fruchter 3*

I've always loved Chevy's acting.
After reading this book my lasting impression of him is that he always seemed to have an excuse when something turned out to be a box office failure; he never took ownership of any failings.






Here's the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice 
by Maureen McCormick 3*

Maureen McCormick is not Marcia Brady.












Like a Lampshade in a Whorehouse: My Life in Comedy 
by Phyllis Diller 3*

Upon reading this I found out she became an outspoken advocate for plastic surgery. Want to see why? (here's my favorite photo of her:
http://tinyurl.com/PhyllisDillerPlayboyShoot )
(there's a hint of a nude bottom; it's more suggestive than anything)






After All 
by Mary Tyler Moore 3*

Mary's book is laid out chronologically. She doesn't sidestep any of the tough or ugly parts of her life, having come to terms with such things over the years. She has lost her niece, her son, and both of her parents, as well as having gone through two divorces. 'AfterAll' she appears to come out of it okay.




Nobody's Fool 
by Martin Gottfried 3.5*

I was disappointed by this book. Not really the book, though, as much as the subject. Danny Kaye must have been a very depressed and searching man to have behaved in the curious manner in which he did. I have to say that I am sorry that it destroyed the false vision that I had of him.

The Tom Hanks Enigma: The Biography of the World's Most Intriguing Movie Star 

by David Gardner 3.5*

The author never convinced me that he had ever spoken directly with Tom or had his permission to write the book. This is the most poorly edited book I have read in many years! The quality of book construction was also the poorest I have seen in years. Both were so severe that I contacted Amazon to give them feedback and to request the ability to send the book back for a total refund. I have to believe that my affinity for Tom Hanks must have added 1/2 to a full 1* to my review of this title.

Here's the Deal: Don't Touch Me 

by Howie Mandel 3.5*

Howie Mandel has OCD; I didn't know that before reading this book. While being a talented and loving guy he admits to not thinking through the results of his actions fairly often...and he apologizes for the things he feels he should apologize for (for the most part).






Ball of Fire: The Tumultuous Life and Comic Art of Lucille Ball 
by Stefan Kanfer 4*

 I learned a lot about Lucy, Ricky and even Cuba from this book. 

A Pirate Looks at Fifty 

by Jimmy Buffett 4.5*

I enjoyed this book a lot. It gives a lot of insight into his life.

Cash...The Autobiography 
by Johnny Cash 4.5*

Cash writes in a very relaxed, conversational tone. He told truth as he saw it without it seeming as if he was gossipping. In fact, he told most stories about himself. He was frank and open about his wrongful trek into drug abuse. He was also open about his faith in Jesus Christ as Saviour. I hope to meet him, one day, in Heaven.




Lucky Man 
by Michael J. Fox 4.5*

This selection has great depth. He explores his life in general as well as his battle with Parkinson Disease. I truly enjoyed the section about his role in the Back to the Future films.

We've reached the middle of the year. How many books have you read?

So, we've reached the beginning of July 2011.


I have to say I haven't read nearly the number of books I normally read by this time of the year.
Reading a certain number of books hasn't been as much of my focus this year though.
I intended to focus on reading more classics this year.


Last year, for instance, I read 78 books. That would be 39 books by mid-year.


So far I have read 25 books in 2011.
One contributing factor to that is that I have read five classics this year.
Last year I read six classics but two of them were very short and not even equal the effort of one complete classic.


Here is the breakdown of the books I have completed reading this year:


Memoirs ~ 4
Non Fiction ~ 4
Classics ~ 5
Humor ~ 2
Juvenile Fiction ~ 5
Fiction ~ 3
Biography ~ 2
______________
25 Titles


Classic titles I've read this year:
Emma by Jane Austen
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
My Man Jeeves by Wodehouse
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens