So Many Precious Books, So Little Time

Thanks to all of you who participated in The ARC Reading Challenge and making my first challenge as a host such a success! Congratulations to all who completed the challenge and to those who tried to complete it!

Below is a list of those of us that participated in the challenge and links to our reviews (if I left anyone or their updates out, please let me know):

Jen- Total read: 18 Status: Completed
1. The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry
2. The Glimmer Palace by Beatrice Colin
3. My Father’s Paradise by Ariel Sabar
4. Songs for the Missing by Stewart O’Nan
5. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
6. Among the Cannibals: Adventures on the Trail of Man’s Darkest Ritual by Paul Raffaele
7. The White Mary by Kira Salak
8. The Dracula Dossier by James Reese
9. Superdove by Courtney Humphries
10. Stealing Athena by Karen Essex
11. One More Year: Stories by Sana Krasikov
12. First Daughter by Eric Van Lustbader
13. Zoe’s Tale by John Scalzi
14. Sweetsmoke by David Fuller
15. American Savior by Roland Merullo
16. Creepers by Joanne Dahme
17. The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti
18. The Dangerous Joy of Dr. Sex by Pagan Kennedy

Wendy -Total Read: 9 Status: Completed
1. Comfort Food by Kate Jacobs
2. The House at Midnight, by Lucie Whitehouse
3. The Island of Eternal Love, by Daina Chaviano
4. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Societyby Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
5. Leftovers, by Laura Weiss
6. The Map Thief, by Heather Terrell
7. The 19th Wife, by David Ebershoff
8. Rules for Saying Goodbye, by Katherine Taylor
9. The White Mary, by Kira Salak

Lori -Total Read: 7 Status: Completed
1. Cold Hearted by Beverly Barton
2. The Brass Verdict: A Novel by Michael Connelly
3. Sweetheart by Chelsea Cain
4. Die, Decorator, Die: A Novel of Murder, Greed and Interior Design by Franklin H Levy
5. Night Kills by John Lutz
6. The Mercedes Coffin: A Decker and Lazarus Book (Peter Decker & Rina Lazarus Novels) by Faye Kellerman
7. Too Close to Home by Linwood Barclay

Kathleen - Total Read: 5 Status: Completed
1. The New Yorkers by Cathleen Schine
2. The Triumph of Deborah by Eva Etzioni-Halevy
3. Aberrations by Penelope Przekop
4. The White Mary by Kira Salak
5. One More Year by Sana Krasikov

3M-Total read: 5 Status: Completed
Undiscovered Country by Lin Enger
The Bible Salesman by Clyde Edgerton
Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen by Susan Gregg Gilmore
What Was Lost by Catherine O’Flynn (received before publication)
The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson

Chris- Total read:4 Status: Completed
1. The Other by David Guterson
2. Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones
3. False Colours by Georgette Heyer
4. Loyalists and Layabouts, The Rapid Rise and Faster Fall of Shelburne, Nova Scotia by Stephen Kimber

Teddy- Total read: 4 Status: Completed
1. The Horseman's Graves by Jacqueline Baker
2. Ringside 1925: Views From the Scopes Trial by Jen Bryant
3. The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson
4. Dear John by Norma L. Betz

Jill- Total read: 3 Status: Completed
1. Resistance by Owen Sheers
2. Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
3. So Long At The Fair by Christina Schwartz

Alessandra- Total read: 2 Status: Completed
1. Aberrations by Penelope Przekop
2. Admit One: A Journey into Film by Emmett James

Katknit- Total read:2 Status: Completed
1. Songs for the Missing, by Stewart O’Nan
2. Nathan Hale: The Life and Death of America’s First Spy by M. William Phelps

Megan- Total read: 3 Status: Close- Only needed 1 more
1. The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton
2. Home Girl: Building a Dream House on a Lawless Block by Judith Matloff
3. Farworld: Water Keep by J. Scott Savage

Literary Feline- Total read: 3 Status: Close- Only needed 1 more
1. Nightwalker by Jocelynn Drake
2. The Servants by Michael Marshall Smith
3. Far World, Book 1: Water Keep by J. Scott Savage

Josette- Total read: 3 Status: Close-Only needed 1 more
1. Crazy Fool Kills Five by Gwen Freeman
2. The Poem I Turn To edited by Jason Shinder
3. Friday's Child by Georgette Heyer

Mizb Total read: 3 Status: Close- Only needed 1 more
1. A Well-Behaved Woman’s Life by Susan McGeown
2. Merciless (Dominion Trilogy, book 3) by Robin Parrish
3. Beyond Me: Living a You-First Life in a Me-First World by Kathi Macias

Posted by Teddy Rose at 3:24 PM 7 comments    

Labels: 2008 Completed Challenges

Posted by Teddy Rose at 9:19 PM 16 comments    

Labels: Books Read 2008, Brunonia Barry

I am going to be away for quite awhile with very limited time and access to internet. I should be back on-line and just starting to play catch up around October 15th.

This week I am not only working my regular job, but I am doing my annual volunteer job at the Vancouver International Film Festival media office.

Then On Friday I fly off to Minnesota to meet up with my mom who is moving back there after over 10 years of living in Flordia. I'll be getting her setteled and will be away for over a week.

I'm back on September 15th but will be playing catch up at work so I can still take my annual vacation and hopefully be able to catch some of the special screenings that the film festival does for the media, a perk of volunteering.

Then I will be taking my virtual, annual trip around the world viathe Vancouver Internationl Film Festival until October 12th. Yes,that's right, I will be sitting on my @ss seeing about 4 films per day in dark movie theatres all around downtown Vancouver. The only light of day I will see is from standing in lines and going from theatre to theatre. Oh, and the occassional breaks I sometimes can sqeeze in to eat or have coffee. Actually, I have made a lot offrieds over the years and it has become quite the social event, there is always a group of us going out for a quick bite together. Of course we discuss films the entire time. LOL! If you haven'tfigured it out, besides books, international film is my other addiction!

So then I'm back to work on October 15th and everthing will go backto normal, or will it?

Well, don't slap me but October 21st through October 26th is theVancouver International Writers and Readers Festival. I'm not sure how many events I will attend this year, because they haven't announced the full line-up yet. But I am planning to see Joseph Boyden and David Bergen for sure.

At least I will be able to start to play catch up with all of my internet friends around October 15th.

I will try to pop in if I can before that and really hope to participate in the Book Blogger Appreciation Week September 15-19 even if only in a limited capacity.

Posted by Teddy Rose at 3:07 PM 11 comments    

Lezlie at Books 'N Border Collies is hosting this amazing book give-a-way.

SECOND PRIZE:Second Prize is a new paperback copy of NEFERTITI with an autographed bookplate!

THIRD PRIZE:Our Third Prize winner will receive a new paperback copy of NEFERTITI.

And how do you win these fabulous prizes? There are three ways to get your name in Peter's Tommy Bahama Panama hat:

1) Leave a comment on this post that you would like to enter the Michelle Moran giveaway and you'll get your name entered once.

2) Let me know you've posted about this giveaway on your blog, and you'll get your name put in a second time.

3) For every person who visits Books 'N Border Collies and lets me know they heard about it from you, I'll put your name in again!

Three ways to win three great prizes!!

The winners will be announced on the release date for THE HERETIC QUEEN, Tues., Sept. 16.

So, what are you waiting for? Go visit MICHELLE MORAN BOOK GIVEAWAY!! Please juste be sure to say that Teddy sent you, as per #3. Thanks!

Posted by Teddy Rose at 10:27 PM 8 comments    

Labels: Contests

Wendy at Books 'N Border Collies and gautami tripathy at Reading Room have both nominated me with this cool award. Thank you both so very much, it's an honour!

There is only one rule for this award and it is to pass it on to seven other bloggers. Only seven huh? That's tough.. I'll give it a try:

Wendy at Caribousmom
John at The Book Mine Set
Marg at ReadingAdventures
Jen at Devourer of Books
Nicola at Back to Books
Jan at Jottings from Jan
Kailana at The Written World

Congratulations to all of you! It was ver difficult to pick just seven! Thanks to all of you bloggers who make a effort to comment. Every little comment I give to other bloggers and receive brings me a ray of sunshine.

Posted by Teddy Rose at 3:41 PM 9 comments    

Labels: Awards

Anne at Reading, Writing, and Ranting hada contest to give away an autographed copy of this wonderful sounding book. To read the first chapter, go here. To find out more about the book and the author, please click on the book, which will bring you to David Fuller's website.

From Amazon:
"Cassius, a secretly literate slave on a Civil War–era Virginia tobacco plantation, is determined to track down whoever killed his mentor and surrogate mother, Emoline Justice, a free black woman."

This is how Anne announced that I was the winner, so much fun!!

Posted by Teddy Rose at 2:53 PM 4 comments    

Labels: Contests

A Story within a Story





In Northern California teenage sisters Claire and Anna live with their father and work the family farm together with Coop, a boy who is brought into the family from a neighboring farm. Very quickly this family shatters. To say why, would be to give away a spoiler. So, sorry dear readers my lips are sealed!

I will say that we do follow all three characters into their adult lives. Anna becomes a writer of biographies, which brings us to the second half of the book. She writes about the life of turn-of-the-century French poet named Lucien Segura. There was also another story within the story.

This book is about the past, loss, and passion.

To be quite honest, at times I had trouble following along. I wasn’t always sure what family I was reading about until I read further. Then I would catch up and follow smoothly along until it happened again.

I didn’t dislike this book, but I do think it would have been better written as three short stories. I just didn’t see the connection. That said, Ondaatje’s descriptions of both landscape and characters were amazing.

3/5

Also reviewed by:

The Bluestocking Society

Posted by Teddy Rose at 9:38 PM 13 comments    

Labels: Books Read 2008, Canada, Historical Fiction

Posted by Teddy Rose at 9:23 PM 2 comments    

Labels: Teaser Tuesdays

Brutal Reality in Modern Day Africa

This is one short story in Uwen Akpan’s short fiction collection titled Say Your One of Them

Jigana, an eight-year-old boy whose family lives in a makeshift shack in the outskirts of Nairobi, narrates the story. They are dirt poor and send their 12-year-old daughter out on the street to sell her body to feed the family. They also want to send Jigana, as their eldest son, to school. Short on food, the mother gives her children kabire (glue) to sniff to curb their appetite. "She and Baba hardly ever took kabire. Kabire is for children only."

It is not an easy story to read and does make the reader feel really uncomfortable. However, it tells a story that must be told. It is well written and gets the point across.

5/5

Also reviewed by:

caribousmom

Note to my fellow bloggers who also reviewed this book: If you would like me to link your review at the bottom of my review, please leave a comment with the link to your review.

Posted by Teddy Rose at 2:24 PM 21 comments    

Labels: Short Story Read in 2008, Uwen Akpan

Posted by Teddy Rose at 2:04 PM 2 comments    

Labels: Books Read 2008, Historical Fiction, norma l. betz