Are you meeting your reading goals for 2011?

I am often fueled by a compulsion to read as many books as I am able to each year. This year the number of books that I have read so far is decent so far; I've finished 10 books and we are only in the first week of March.


I don't believe I am fueled so much by a goal to read a certain number of books this year as I am by two other things. I have been aware, for a long time, of a feeling that I should attempt to read more classics. I did not, however, set myself a specific goal; only a general one...to read more classics. That doesn't seem a very imposing way to go about it, does it?

My other goal for this year, however, appears to be fueling my first goal! My second goal was to see how greatly I could reduce the amount of money I had been spending on books for myself. This goal has seen me downloading more classic books from www.gutenberg.org for free! Gutenberg.org makes classic literature, which is in the public domain, free for users to download.

I have finished reading ten books so far this year, of which four titles are examples of classic literature! I feel really great about accomplishing so much toward both of my goals so far.

So, take a look at the reading you've done so far this year. Are you reaching your goals? Are there changes you should make that will help you better meet your reading goals? Tell us how you are doing...

Read an E-Book Week is 6-12 March 2011

Do you know how long ebooks have been around?

40 years!

You can learn more here (I did):

http://www.ebookweek.com/


"It's now 1971 and enter Michael Hart. Mr. Hart was handed a real boon - $100,000.00 worth of computer time with a Xerox Sigma V mainframe computer. He decided that the greatest value created by computers would not be computing, but would be the storage, retrieval, and searching of what was stored in our libraries. The first "e-book" was born—a copy of the Declaration of Independence. Those humble beginnings would become Project Gutenberg. Today Project Gutenberg houses 20,000 free texts and over 100,000 books are available through their partners. Today over 3,000,000 books are downloaded each month"

I like that. Michael Hart sounds like my kind of person. What a project to tackle!!


The site says that libraries began paying attention to ebooks in 1998. The invention of eink technology for use by ereader devices brought a boon to the "new" industry. Its creation is touted to be better than LCD readers.  Today there is a plethora of ebook reading devices available. Some top choices are: NOOK, Kindle, Kobo, and Sony. Ipad has joined the trend, being a device that has multiple functions and not just the ability to present ebooks. Today's "Smart Phones" also perform as readers.

Ebooks are not only for people who own specialized devices though. Ebooks may be read on one's computer also.

There are now many sites that offer free ebooks. www.gutenberg.org offers free e-versions of classic literature that is now in the free domain. There are many sites that offer free ebooks as a temporary special to their users. If you've never downloaded an ebook it is really much easier than it sounds. One may find video tutorials by searching Google for "how to download ebooks".

If you've never used an ereader I strongly encourage you to visit a store this week (Barnes and Noble, Target, Best Buy, etc.) to try some of them. If you are considering a purchase, I would encourage you to do some comparisons to find the one that will suit you best.

When my husband asked me "How do you like your NOOK?" after I'd had it only a couple of weeks, my immediate reply was "I like it so much, I know it won't be my last ereader." I know the technology is going to continue improve. In fact, it already has, depending on how you look at technology. I didn't expect to be tempted by NOOK's second version, the NOOK COLOR. But I want one, and badly. So does our 10 year old son, Matthew. We are both saving our money to purchase our own. The NOOK COLOR does not have eink technology. The color screens is a good match for children's book as well as cookbooks or even magazines. As we are waiting to save enough  money, we will also consider new tablet versions (items comparable to the iPad.) Tablets are now being made in the smaller, more convenient size, like the NOOK and Kindle. Tablets are multi-capable too; being able to present movies and other things, as well as ebooks.

If you've never read an ebook, this will likely be a good week to try one. I am sure there will be many new and special offers of free ebooks presented on websites in the coming week.

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

 The story begins... "There was once a boy named Milo who didn't know what to do with himself¬

not just sometimes, but always. When he was in school he longed to be out, and when he was out he longed to be in. On the way he thought about coming home, and coming home he thought about going. Wherever he was he wished he were somewhere else, and when he got there he wondered why he'd bothered. Nothing really interested him ~ least of all the things that should have. "It seems to me that almost everything is a wast of time," he remarked one day as he walked dejectedly home from school. "I can't see the point in learning to solve useless problems, or subtracting turnips from turnips, or knowing where Ethiopia is or how to spell February." 

 Milo was depressed. He just didn't see the point of anything. "Since no one bothered to                                              explain otherwise, he regarded the process of seeking knowledge as the greatest waste of time of all." 

"As he and his unhappy thoughts hurried along (for while he was never anxious to be where he was going, he liked to get there as quickly as possible) it seemed a great wonder that the world, which was so large, could sometimes feel so small and empty." And then...after arriving home and going to his bedroom, Milo noticed a very large package. Upon it was an envelope with this written on it "FOR MILO, WHO HAS PLENTY OF TIME."


And thus begins the adventure for Milo and for readers of the book. The package held "ONE GENUINE TURNPIKE TOLLBOOTH". Oh, and there was a map included, as well as some coins for tolls and some precautionary signs (meant to be used in a precautionary fashion).


~~~I'll stop here for a moment. Do you like word play? If so, just get your hands on a copy of this book and read it and stop reading my review. If you aren't convinced to read it, read on...



Milo's journey would take him to places he'd never heard of and, quite frankly, he had a hard time believing even existed. Dictionopolis is "Beyond Expectations", or so Milo finds, as he is told that "Expectations is the place you must always go to before you get to where you're going." From there he finds himself stuck in "The Doldrums".


It would be appropriate to list the places Milo visits but it would likely divulge too much!
(I love that many are unable to tell when they've left "Illusions" and entered "Reality"!)


Upon meeting the Which, she explained to Milo why she was thrown into the dungeon. She told him that power corrupts. She was in charge of how words would be used and which words were appropriate in different circumstances. Her statements to protect words went from "Brevity is the Soul of Wit", in the beginning, to "Silence is Golden". At that point the market crashed; the economy was kaput; people were unhappy and she was thrown into the dungeon by King Azaz, as punishment.


The ruler of the Kingdom of Wisdom was King Azaz. His sons went forth to expand the Kingdom in the name of their father. At the Foothills of Confusion one built the city of Dictionopolis, The City of Words; in the Mountains of Ignorance the other son built Digitiopolis, The City of Numbers. Soon the two brothers became divided as each became convinced that their way was better. "Words are more important than wisdom" versus "Numbers are more important than wisdom".


The king was oblivious that his sons were growing apart; therefore his only regret was that he never had a daughter. Out strolling one day, he came upon an abandoned basket beneath a grape arbor; inside it were two tiny, beautiful babies. By him they were given the titles of "Princess of Sweet Rhyme" and "Princess of Pure Reason" and called "Rhyme" and "Reason".


Eventually the princesses were called upon to rule with regard to the disagreement between the princes as to whether words or numbers were more valuable. The princesses, in their wisdom ruled that "Words and numbers are of equal value, for, in the cloak of knowledge, one is warp and the other woof. It is not more important to count the sands than it is to name the stars. Therefore, let both kingdoms live in peace." The ruling was eagerly accepted by all...except the princes. The last thing they ever agreed upon was to banish the princesses to the Castle in the Air.


When Milo met King Azaz he found himself set upon a quest to rescue the princesses and return them to the Kingdom of Wisdom. Milo hadn't been given a chance to decline the opportunity.


Along the way Milo has this conversation that I love:

'"But why do only unimportant things?" asked Milo, who suddenly remembered how much time he spent each day doing them." "Think of all the trouble it saves," the man explained, and his face looked as if he'd be grinning an evil grin ~ if he could grin at all." "If you only do the easy and useless jobs, you'll never have to worry about the important ones which are so difficult. You just won't have the time. For there's always something to do to keep you from what you really should be doing, and if it weren't for that dreadful magic staff, you'd never know how much time you were wasting."'

Later, upon reaching the Castle in the Air and finally having an opportunity to speak with the Princesses, Rhyme and Reason, Milo is mentally and physically exhausted. He expresses his dismay at the many mistakes he made along the way that kept them from arriving to rescue them as soon as they might have. The princesses explain that learning isn't nearly as important as what one does with what they've learned. Milo says "Many of the things I'm supposed to know seem so useless that I can't see the purpose in learning them at all." "You may not see it now," said the Princess of Pure Reason, looking knowingly at Milo's puzzled face, "but whatever we learn has a purpose and whatever we do affects everything and everyone else, if even in the tiniest way. Why, when a housefly flaps his wings, a breeze goes round the world; when a speck of dust falls to the ground, the entire planet weighs a little more; and when you stamp your foot, the earth moves slightly off its course. Whenever you laugh, gladness spreads like the ripples in a pond; and whenever you're sad, no one any where can be really happy. And it's much the same thing with knowledge, for whenever you learn something new, the whole world becomes that much richer."


Before the end of the book though, King Azaz and The Mathemagician remind Milo that there was something Azaz promised to discuss with Milo after his return with Rhyme and Reason. '"It was impossible" said the king.' That's right. If Milo had been told his task would be impossible he'd have never attempted it. He discovered that "so many things are possible just as long as you don't know they're impossible." And so we are all encouraged to reach the unattainable; to go where others have never gone. Life is only boring if you allow it to be.


And once again, the Princesses, Rhyme and Reason, reign in Wisdom.

(I've mentioned that I didn't read for pleasure as a child. How did this book come to my attention?

In the first place this is the case of judging a book by its cover. In this case, refuting the age-old idiom only worked to my advantage. Thank God for creative publishers. In the second place, the blurb won me over.

Our kids and I were visiting a library not long after we moved to the Chicago area; it was the spring of 2003. I read the book aloud to the two oldest of our (at the time) four children. I recently realized that it was the perfect book to read aloud with our 10 year old son, Matthew; we took turns reading aloud. I think he loved the book as much as I do. I don't reread many books; that alone speaks volumes with regard to my enjoyment of a book or how valuable I believe a book is.)

If you not only love reading but you also love words and art of creatively using them (and numbers) this book should find its way into your hands. 

Arctic Homestead: The True Story of One Family's Survival and Courage in the Alaskan Wilds by Norma Cobb

Funny, funny book! Read it; you'll laugh. It is written as a memoir by the last American woman homesteader. Norma and her new husband Les had five children between the two of them and 
probably fewer items of material value. What's a young couple to do in order to get ahead...


They decided they were going to have to find a way to make it on their own. This began with a 
decision to leave everything behind, take their kids and their few belongings and head to Canada, 
with a hope of homesteading. 


After reaching Canada they found out there was no homesteading land left for anyone who wasn't a Canadian citizen. Soon Alaska made it into their minds as their next and final possibility. Before long, however, they were told that homesteading was also closed in Alaska but that they might be able to 
claim "squatter's rights".


Les was not the kind of man to be stopped by something as trivial as a detail. The Cobbs and their "Kernels" regrouped, packed their few belongings, grabbed their "trip sock" that must have had 
a hole in it and started their journey once again. The book chronicles their adventure from the moment 
the idea was first kindled until the culmination of their dream.


I enjoyed reading this so much when I first read it in February 2007, that I recently reread it. That's 
a big deal for me. The story is packed with the euphoria of dreaming as well as the anguish of dreams about to be dashed. There are adventure, peril, life-threatening circumstances, as well as hope; there is always hope in the way that Norma looks at life.

The ability to read and to express oneself clearly...

I want to post this very well written treatise for you to read:
http://www.oberlin.edu/news-info/00oct/verbicide.html
It is written by David Orr for Oberlin Online.

~~~

Here are the things that stood out to me:

"They have taught, in other words, a pseudointellectual contempt for clarity, careful argument, and felicitous expression. "

"If we intend to protect and enhance our humanity, we must first decide to protect and enhance language and fight everything that undermines and cheapens it."

"From the perspective of the center, the merger of ABC and Disney is OK because it can see no difference between entertainment and news"

" Finally, since language is the only currency wherever men and women pursue truth, there should be no higher priority for schools, colleges, and universities than to defend the integrity and clarity of language in every way possible. We must instill in our students an appreciation for language, literature, and words well crafted and used to good ends. As teachers we should insist on good writing. We should assign books and readings that are well written. We should restore rhetoric—the ability to speak clearly and well—to the liberal arts curriculum. Our own speaking and writing ought to demonstrate clarity and truthfulness. And we, too, should be held accountable for what we say."

~~~

I was reading to find what the writer thought of as a practical way to change the trends of which he wrote. The suggested culprits to avoid or do away with were:
ad agencies, answering machines, internet, things that prevent us from attending public readings.

I have never attended a public reading. When I consider it I think it could be interesting but I also think how much cozier and probably more relevant it can be to have books read aloud in one's home. I do read aloud to our family. We go through phases where we do it less and then we experience an increase of the activity because we realize that we enjoy doing it and have been missing having the experience.

I cringe when I read a newspaper these days. Last night I sat down to peruse a copy of our high school's newspaper. I was surprised to find that my tendency to want to slash and edit was about equal to that of our local paper. I find our local paper appalling in its presentation and poor use of language and grammar.   For a high school paper I still had higher hopes, but I found it to be above my expectations, given the state of our local paper.

As time goes on (and it does, thankfully) I find that I am more compelling drawn to words. I find words exciting; words that express feelings and images in a way that seems unimaginable. I frequently use the dictionary in my NOOK ereader so that I can read a definition and not just assume that I have a complete understanding of the word from the context of the sentence in which I came upon it. I find that I feel compelled to find better words and grammatical structure for the conveyance of information.

Of course I want to encourage the proper use of language and grammar for others too. I use this site for that at times. I also encourage our children to read; and then I encourage them to read some more.  Writing reviews of the books that I read helps me to formulate my thoughts and assists me in becoming a better communicator.

Our family has just gone through a minor lull in our reading together aloud. We are, once again, on an upswing in this arena...and I love it. Matthew and I just finished reading a book together and I will be trying to find time to write a review of the book; it is one I wish to do justice to so it will take time to write a thoughtful review as it is a book that is very delightfully complicated in its prose and subject even though it is a work of juvenile fiction! What a delight! Elijah and I are in the midst of a joint reading of a very technical book on a scientific subject and are enjoying it immensely.

When we read aloud together I take turns with the persons with whom I happen to be reading, generally.
Matthew is suffering from vocal chord nodules so reading aloud together can give us an opportunity for him to practice proper usage of his voice. It can also further wear his chords and so I must often read more than he does and that is okay.

The book that Elijah and I are reading is very technical. There are many scientific words and explanations used. He typically has no problem with reading technical words. The lengthiness of the sentences, however, mixed with the advanced terminology, can become tiring for a nine year old boy. I have him read a paragraph here and there and then I take over for as long as I feel I should.

The book Matthew and I just finished reading is one that I read to Aaron and Marlo in the spring of 2003. I realized that it was the perfect book for Matthew and me to read together. The title is: The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. The book Elijah and I are deeply involved in is The Lost Moon by Jim Lovell. I also read that book in the spring of 2003. (I have recently found that my internal cycle or desire for rereading books is set on about five years!)

I would love to hear your thoughts with regard to Mr. Orr's article.

Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

I am on a quest to read classic literature. Frankenstein wasn't at the top of my list, or even near the top probably, but my best friend continued to encourage me to read it as it is one of her very favorite books.



This classic book has inspired no fewer than fifty films. It definitely has a firm place in classic literature and in culture. I had no idea that Mary Shelley was the wife of Percy Bysshe Shelley. They married when she was age 18/19 years old, in 1816. It was upon a dare, by Lord Byron, to write a ghost story, that Mary Shelley wrote the novel. I like that she didnt just write a "ghost story" and developed a plot-line like no other before.

The review I am in the midst of writing, here, is going to be a mixed bag. I must say that I was quite surprised that the story was written in such a way that it was not difficult for me to finish; not a drudgery as I read it. I somehow felt compelled to read it. I suppose I would say that her writing style is very agreeable. The story is written in the form of a person retelling the story he has been told, in letter form, to a far-off loved one. Writing a story in this manner required an additional back-story. Shelley gave this story the same attention to depth as she gave the main one. I like that; so many of today's authors just do not write in this manner.

Overall, however, I do have issues with the story. The premise of the story is that Dr. Victor Frankenstein is on a quest to create life. I think that in order to indulge the story one must suspend reality and choose to believe that man can create life, even in the late 1700s. Done. I do, however take great issue with the fact that in the story Dr. Frankenstein has finally succeeded in creating life when, all of a sudden, he looks at the creature he has created and, aghast, decides he has created something too hideous to allow it to be. Does he destroy it though? Nope; that would end the story. He allows it to remain "alive" and falls asleep. This of course, comes back to haunt him. The monster leaves, unhindered.

Frankenstein learns language and the ability to read through watching a small family without their knowledge. I enjoyed this part of the story. He views them with great longing. His only wish is for communion. Human communtion? Why, he isn't human. But at the very least, human communion would provide him with some form of relationship, his deepest desire. Even his own creator chose not to commune with him. One of the characters from this portion of the book is blind and that gives the "monster" an opprotunity to speak with him, hoping that he can gain favor with him and then with the rest of his family. This character quickly recognizes the "monster's" true circumstances and it is summed up well in his words here:

"Heaven forbid! Even if you were really criminal, for that can only drive you to desperation, and not instigate you to virtue."  Pg 91


The next part of the story with which I take issue is that Frankenstein sets off on a long trek and somehow ends up in Geneva and on the property of the Frankensteins without any stated assistance in finding it. That's a bit neat, isn't it? Pretty unbelieavable; there again, it allows for the progression of the story.

When the "monster" finally has an opportunity to speak with Frankenstein he says this:

"God, in pity, made man beautiful and alluring, after his own image' but my form is a filthy type of yours, more horrid even from the very resemblance. Satan had his companions, fellow devils, to admire and encourage him, but I am slitary and abhorred."   Pg 88

He pleads with Frankenstein to create a female for him, one as equally hideous as he, as a mate with whom he can share love and life. He wants only to be accepted and have a person whom he can accept. Love...isn't that the desire of all people? And wasn't he created in the image of humanity? He offers that they will go live in the farthest reaches of the north where they will bother and be bothered by no one.

"It is true, we shall be monsters, cut off from all the world; but on that account we shall be more attached to one another." Ppg 98

"Let me see that I excite the of some existing thing; do not deny me my request!"  Pg 99

Frankenstein's monster is so adamant of his need for a mate that he threatens to take vengeance upon Frankenstein if he does not concede to his request/demand. At once Frankenstein agrees that he will create a mate for him; the story progresses a bit, and, voila, Frankenstein rethinks his impulsive decision and determines he will not create another being. Queue the scary music. The monster vowed vengeance if a mate is not created for him; he followed him from Ingolstadt to Geneva; can engeance not be imagined by Frankenstein at this point?

Vengeance...it arrives. There is death, and more death. Eventually, Frankenstein ends up chasing the monster to far reaches of the north. Did I say "vengeance". It doesn't take a lot to figure out what happens next does it?

It's easy for me to pick away at the threads of a story. I am not a writer, am I? And so, I feel it would be unfair for me to do so without also finding praise where it is worthy. As I said, the story was compellingly written. I did not avoid or put off reading it once I began. I am glad I read it.
 
And the premise...the creation of life by man. What a premise! It is one that only has greater implications today; perhaps moreso than Shelley could have ever even imagined. She wrote this stunningly well for it to have been written in the early 1800s. 

What if man could create life? Just because one can do something it does not mean it is something that should be done. Truly, I only believe that God can create life, eternal life, life with a soul. Science has been used by man, to do many things that have direct connections to life. Transplants are just one of those things; there is also research in the lab, on the cellular level. Scary stuff. Yes, the result of some of these things can be great good; it can also be great devastation, as this novel, in great foresight, warns.

My husband and I had an interesting conversation with regard to all of this. Frankenstein initially was only sorry he created the "monster" because of its hideousness. Really? Isn't that fantastic?! He was sorry he created something so ugly! That begs the question that my husband raised: "If you could create aesthetically pleasing, beautiful life, would it then be okay to do so?" I hardly think so. And that is wherein lies much of the inherent beauty of this novel; it causes great thought.


Some of my favorite lines from the book are:

"A human being in perfection ought always to preserve a calm and peaceful mind and never to allow passion or a tranistory desire to disturb his tranquillity. I do not think that the pursuit of knowledge is an exception to this rule. If the study to which you apply yourself has a tendency to weaken your affections and to destroy your taste for those simple pleasures in which no alloy can possibly mix, then that study is certainly unlawful, that is to say, not befitting the human mind. If this rule were always observed; if no man allowed any pursuit whatsoever to interfere with the tranquillity of his domestic affections, Greece had not be enslaed, Caesar would have spared his country, America would have been discovered more gradually, and the empires of Mexico and Peru had not been destroyed."  Pg 32


"Heavy misfortunes have befallen us, but let us only cling closer to what remains and transfer our love for those whom we have lost to those who yet live."  Pg 133

It's only been days since I finished reading the novel. While it was still very fresh in my mind I wished to watch a well acclaimed movie version of it. I watched 1994's release "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein" starring: Robert DeNiro, Kenneth Branagh, Tom Hulce, Helena Bonham Carter. A bit of artistic license was taken with the story but not so much that the essence of the story was changed. In fact, I feel that it played out quite well. I was afriad it would be way too gory for me. It had its moments but I think it was handled well given the subject and necessity of including a certain amount of gore. The cultural significance of Frankenstein does not end with the questions it brings up. Immediately after watching the film our children and I were turned on an episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show and who was mentioned? Frankenstein.

Love and Other Near Death Experiences by Mil Millington

I've been looking forward to writing my review of this book for a long time. I waited to do it until I knew I would have the proper amount of time to devote to it. I began writing this as we drove home to IL from a weekend spent in OH for extended family Christmas celebrations and a family wedding. I just finished the review today. To start...

Here's the first chapter of the book, in total:

"Hello. My name is Robert, and I haven't been dead for sixty-three days now."

Is that a grabber, or what? It certainly grabbed me! I couldn't read that and not continue reading to see what the story held. I read on and was not disappointed. This book possesses two things that easily draw me in:
1) humor 2) the setting is England.

Robert is a radio dj who presents a middle-of-the-night jazz program to a minimal audience. He lives with his fiancee, Jo.

On impulse one day Robert bought some cheap towels...some really, really cheap towels; three for a fiver. When he arrived home Jo told him, unequivocally, to return them to the shop. Robert dutifully returned the towels to the shop the very next day. Doing so made him about half an hour late for an appointment. Rob was on his way to a pub to meet a locally legendary trumpet player whom he was going to interview after watching him play a set with his band. Upon arriving at the pub, however, Rob found that being a half an hour late had saved him from an untimely death. An impatient tanker truck had tried to overtake a slower vehicle just before two lanes dropped to one. The tanker jumped the curb and ran right into the pub, killing everyone in it.

This affected Rob. He could have died, right? And so he became pretty obsessive about the fact that a seemingly meaningless decision prevented his death. Are there, then, any truly meaningless decisions? Could all decisions really be quite important ones? How can one make a decisions when they don't know what the repercussions of doing so might really be? Rob describes his situation in this manner:
"I could effortlessly and instantly decide, while calmly driving along, to swing the car around and race across London to Elizabeth's house - the options were laughably crisply defined - but how in ****** **** was I supposed to decide between a blue pen and a black pen?"

Rob became quite literally handicapped by his inability to face these decisions head on.

Quoting Rob..."Does no one ever listen to a thing I say?" I replied, starting to boil. "I can make up my mind about big things--big things are easy. You can see the paths and take a considered stab at where they'll lead with the bigthings. It's the small thing that are the problem." That's at least what he thinks at the beginning of the book. Will he feel differently by the time we reach the final page?

Rob again "I began, illustratively, pointing an angery finger off in a random direction. "there was a knife and a fork in the sink today, and I couldn't decide which to wash up first. I stood there for forty-five minutes. Knife?
Or fork? Or leave them both? Or do them both together? That could be a life-or-death decision, you know,
Keith? It could. Every single thing you do is a life-or-death decision. And, when it's 'Do I try methadone?'
or 'Should I get married?' or 'Shall I stay around gradually falling to bits, or try as hard as I possibly can to
sort myself out?' then you have the important information available. ~You can work out what's the smart,
or at least the smartest, option. But how the ******* **** do you decide whether to wash up a knife or a fork first?"

Robert's inability to function causes him to take a leave of absence from work...sort of. It actually will appear to the newest followers of his radio show that he is on the time-clock still while trying to find that answers that will help him to begin living normally again. While on this "quest" three other people end up joining him.

Zach is an American soldier who wasn't killed while on a very dangerous military mission in Bosnia...all of the people on the mission with him were killed. Zach believes he has been sent by God to help Rob on his mission.

Elizabeth is a teacher who was sent to Bulgaria for a seminar. She left the hotel in the middle of the night to buy cigarettes and returned to find that the hotel and the fifty-three people inside it had burned to the ground. She also is not dead. Elizabeth called Zach's program only to tell him that she knows how he feels; now she simply wishes she were dead. Beth e-mails Rob through his private e-mail and tells him he is "in danger". The important thing is that Rob believes that they will all find answers if they will just stay together and search for them.

Together a variety of the book's characters face: the possibility of: killer rats, an exploding warehouse, the threat of a shadowy sect of fanatics, and pants on fire. I have to stop there as I don't want to spoil the fun. If my remarks have drwan you in, read the book.


I have to say that I love reading fiction by British authors. Their use of the English language has such depth and variety. Phrases such as "risible paucity" sound so much more interesting than "laughable scarcity", and describing one's self as being "disastorously bromidic" is so much more romantic sounding that "terribly dull". Rob describes sex in this manner, for instance, "It's love speaking through the medium of excess." I like that.

Funny quotes from the book:

At one point Rob tries to find the right words to tell Elizabeth that he didn't expect her to be the type of person he has found her to be. The opportunity exasperates him and he says "I mean, you read books. You're 'bookish.' Aren't books and sex pretty much an either-or choice?"

Elizabeth counters with this: "A notion that could only possibly have gestated in the low-ceilinged brain of someone who doesn't read enough books." I'll leave it that so as not to spoil where she went with her reply.



"And it's a bit crap to evade a psychotic attacker only to go home and get killed by your girlfriend." Rob pg 40

"I like good books. Actually, I like ******* terrible books too~in the sense that bad writing infuriates me into something not unlike euphoria. Hatred is a terribly invigorating emotion, don't you find? And durable too. Hatred is by far the longest pleasure; 'Men love in haste, but they detest at leisure.'"
Elizabeth pg 105


"Where do middle class people go when they injure themselves? When they trip over their brochures for holiday homes in Tuscany and fall heavily against their Agas, what do they do?"
Rob pg 130

Sometimes when reading a book I get the idea that I should play 'casting supervisor' with the book, pretending I am casting it for a movie. Sometimes it works out really great, as it did this time!

Here's my cast:

Casting Call:
Danny Wallace as Rob
Vince Vaughn as Zach
Elizabeth Hurley as Elizabeth....(age 46)
Emma Watson... as Beth ( http://www.imdb.com/media/rm3911223040/nm0914612 )

I even have a song to be used as part of the soundtrack! During the scene of the fire at the
empty warehouse I think it would be fab to have this song playing amidst all the craziness:                                                  

http://tinyurl.com/MusicForWarehouseFireScene


(Note: this book contains: adult themes, sex, bad language, violence)

Reading goals 2011...

Have you made any reading goals for 2011?

Did you have goals for 2010? Did you meet them?

2010 Superlatives! What were our favorite books of this past year?

There are so many possible way to look at a year full of reading! Let's look at the year behind us in as many ways as we can!

Feel free to copy my questions and answer only the ones that are applicable to you and post your reply as a comment to this thread!

 
What was the best Fictional book you read?

Believe it or not, I have four titles that tie for this designation:

I Am the Messenger by Marcus Zusak
Love and Other Near Death Experiences by Mil Millington
An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

What was the best Non Fiction book you read?

#1- The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
Honorable Mention - Letters of a Woman Homesteader by Elinore Pruitt Stewart

What was the best book you liked but didn't expect to like?

Saving Fish From Drowning : A Novel by Amy Tan

What was the best book series you read?

The Flavia deLuce Mysteries by Alan Bradley

Name the best book that you re-read this year.

Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn

Was there a title that everyone else loved but you just couldn't get into even though you tried?

Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone by J. K. Rowling

What was the best book that held a bit of mystery?


I have a few that fit here:
Flavia deLuce Mysteries (of course)
I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
Love and Other Near Death Experiences by Mil Millington
Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

Name a book you really wanted to like and did like.

Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger (because I loved The Time Traveler's Wife, also by her, so well .)

Name a book you really wanted to like but did not care for as much as you'd hoped.

Starter for Ten by David Nicholls (because I really LOVED One Day, also written by him.)

What was the best self-help/philosophy/religion title you read?




Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore and also
Mister God, This is Anny by Fynn

What was the best book that you finally read but had been meaning to for years?

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Name a book whose genre designation you disagreed with after you read the book.

I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak (This book was designated as "Young Adult. While it is about 19 year olds I really don't feel that anyone younger than 18, or possibly as low as 16, should be reading this. I feel it has maturer themes than I would expect for a book of this genre. I think I'd say the same for this book: An Abundance of Katherines by John Green.)

Name a book that opened your eyes to something you weren't aware of previously.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

What book from this year do you think you could read again already?


I Am he Messenger by Markus Zusak or
Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger or
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

What title made you cry the hardest?


Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall and Denvery Moore
Mister God, This is Anny by Fynn 

What title made you laugh the hardest?
Awkward Situation for Men by Danny Wallace or 
Love and Other Near Death Experiences by Mil Millington or
An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

What was the best juvenile/children's title?


Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder 

What was the best book someone gave you?



Here's the Deal: Don't Touch Me by Howie Mandel

What was the best book that someone recommended to you?


I think I found out about this book through the homeschool website I post my reading at monthly. I always read the reviews posted by other moms.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

What is the title you have most recommended to others?


One Day by David Nicholls, my superlative of 2009 or
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley from this year's list
 
What title is most necessary to have on your personally definitive shelf of books; one you couldn't be without?


Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

What book do you wish you hadn't read?


How I Paid for College:  A Novel of Sex, Theft, Friendship & Musical... By Marc Acito

How many books did you read this year?


72

Do you track your reading? How?

Yes. I've used www.librarything.com since Jan 2007 but I've kept records of my reading since spring of 2003 I think. All that I can recall has been recorded on my librarything shelves.

2010 Superlatives! What were our favorite books of this past year?

There are so many possible way to look at a year full of reading! Let's look at the year behind us in as many ways as we can!

Feel free to copy my questions and answer only the ones that are applicable to you and post your reply as a comment to this thread!

 
What was the best Fictional book you read?

What was the best Non Fiction book you read?

What was the best book you liked but didn't expect to like?

What was the best book series you read?

How many books did you re-read this year?
Name the best book that you re-read this year.

Was there a title that everyone else loved but you just couldn't get into even though you tried?

What was the best book that held a bit of mystery?

What was the best self-help/philosophy/religion title you read?

What was the best poli-sci title?

What was the best parenting advice book that you read?


What was the best book that you finally read but had been meaning to for years?

What was the best book in a genre you'd never tried reading before?

What was the best hobby/how-to book that you read?

What book challenged you to change something about yourself?

What book from this year do you think you could read again already?

What title made you cry the hardest?

What title made you laugh the hardest?

What was the best juvenile/children's title?

What was the best book someone gave you?

What was the best book that someone recommended to you?

What is the title you have most recommended to others?

What is the best book you read to someone else?

What title is most necessary to have on your personally definitive shelf of books; one you couldn't be without?

What book do you wish you hadn't read?

How many books did you read this year?

Do you track your reading? How?