From the Stacks Winter Reading Challenge

November 7, 2006 /

Lotus Reads found a great reading challenge that might finally get some of those books on my sidebar out of the way, making room for some new ones. This sounds like a really good idea to me, so I’m in.

Here’s the premise, from the woman with the great idea, Michelle at overdue books:

“If you are anything like me your stack of purchased to-be-read books is teetering over. So for this challenge we would be reading 5 books that we have already purchased, have been meaning to get to, have been sitting on the nightstand and haven’t read before. No going out and buying new books. No getting sidetracked by the lure of the holiday bookstore displays.

The bonus would be that we would finally get to some of those titles (you know you picked them for a reason!) and we wouldn’t be spending any extra money over the holidays.

The time frame would be Nov. 1st until Jan. 30 and there will be some small, fun prizes awarded to random participants and/or those with clever review posts. There will be one random drawing for a prize to those who submit their list of books in the comment section by Nov. 15th but feel free to join any time. There will be another random drawing for those who submit five reviews by Jan. 30 for a small gift certificate to Amazon.”

I have many books sitting on my bedside table, waiting semi-patiently for me to get to them. A couple of them I received for Christmas last year, or maybe my birthday. A couple I have purchased since then. I have a new one that I got last week that’s tempting me, but since that’s not the idea here, it will have to be pushed to the rear, and WAIT its turn. Hopefully, this will make some room for the books on my holiday wish list. 😉

Here’s my list:

  1. The Scarlet Letter, by Nathanial Hawthorne. I’ve barely started this book. Mostly I’ve found out that Nathaniel Hawthorne was from Salem, MA, and since I had a lot of family from there in the early part of our nation’s history, I kind of wonder if we might be distant cousins. I’ll have to find out, so I can add him to the list.
  2. The Jump Off Creek, by Molly Gloss. I picked this book up in Oregon this summer, on our vacation to Portland, and thus to Powells books. If you’re ever in Portland, you should really check out Powells. It’s pretty great. The Jump Off Creek is a story of a woman homesteading alone in the mountains of Oregon in the 1890s. I intended to read this while in Oregon, but I got distracted and put it aside. Good chance now to pick it up again.
  3. Year of Wonders, by Geraldine Brooks I had been thinking of reading another book by the same author, March, which is the story of Mr. March from Little Women, and his experiences in the Civil War. The book store I was at on the day I was looking for March didn’t have it in paperback, however, so I found this book. Year of Wonders is the story of a small village in England, which is infected with the plague in the year 1666. It sounds like an intriguing story…I’ll let you know.
  4. My Sister’s Keeper, by Jodi Picoult. Wow…this book promises to pack an emotional punch. A family has a child, who suffers from leukemia, and they are unable to find a matching bone-marrow donor for her. So they have another child, hoping this child will be able to help save her sister. The book comes in when Anna, the donor child, is 13 years old, and is starting to really question her role in life, and to wonder if she might have any say over her destiny.
  5. Julie & Julia, by Julie Powell. From Amazon:”Julie & Julia is the story of Julie Powell’s attempt to revitalize her marriage, restore her ambition, and save her soul by cooking all 524 recipes in Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume I, in a period of 365 days. The result is a masterful medley of Bridget Jones’ Diary meets Like Water for Chocolate, mixed with a healthy dose of original wit, warmth, and inspiration that sets this memoir apart from most tales of personal redemption.”This book is the work of Julie Powell, who chronicled her culinary adventures on her blog, and looks to be a great read. I received this as a Christmas gift last year, and it’s been calling out to me ever since, but I’m easily distracted. So I’m looking forward to getting to it via this challenge.

So that’s my list. If you’re interested in taking this challenge, be sure to let Michelle over at ‘overdue books‘ know, so she can add you to her list. Happy Reading!

19 Comments

  • Py Korry

    November 7, 2006 at 7:27 am

    I’m in! I have one that’s been sitting on my nightstand for a couple of months. It’s called the “The Rise of the Creative Class,” and I really like it. It’s just that I don’t get to spend that much time reading nowadays. But that’s going to change today! 🙂

    Oh, and I have to get 4 more books on that list — which won’t be difficult.

  • J

    November 7, 2006 at 7:30 am

    Wow, Py, if you and I are both in, imagine the quiet around here! Both of us reading in the evening, neither of us listening to music on the computer or watching “Sleeping with the Enemy” on TV! I’m intrigued.

  • Wendy

    November 7, 2006 at 7:42 am

    My sister’s keeper was one of those books you read and MUST immediately talk about with your best friends – it just demands discussion – i love Jodi Picoult – she is one of my top 10 authors

  • Dot

    November 7, 2006 at 10:00 am

    I love reading about what others are reading. ha! That’s usually as far as I get. I did pick up Running with Scissors. It’s still sitting in my dining room. Maybe if I put it on my spot on the couch, I’ll start it 🙂

  • Lotus

    November 7, 2006 at 10:00 am

    Hey, J, so glad you’re in! I love your list – I am particularly interested in reading your thoughts on “Year of Wonders” and “My Sister’s Keeper”!

  • Cherry

    November 7, 2006 at 10:24 am

    You know I expect to borrow “Julie & Julia” from you when you finish. I just want to get on your book borrowing list now, before it fills up.

    Have fun!

  • booklogged

    November 7, 2006 at 10:46 am

    Nice looking list. I read March and really enjoyed it, but haven’t quite got the mindset to read Year of Wonders yet, so I’m interested to hear what you think about it. It’s the idea of reading about the plague that’s holding me back. Sounds quite dismal.

  • sruthi

    November 7, 2006 at 11:17 am

    i read scarlet letter in high school and really liked it although i remember hawthorne’s language being a bit more difficult than other books i had read. It’ll be interesting to see if i’d think the same if I read it now. I’ll be back to see how you liked it, and thanks for stopping by my blog!

  • J

    November 7, 2006 at 11:32 am

    Sruthi, I’m glad you said that about Scarlet Letter. I was having a lot of trouble concentrating on the language last night…so different from the way that we write and talk today, that it’s pretty slow going so far. I almost wish I were reading it for a class, actually. Sometimes that helps. But I’ll soldier forward, maybe looking for more quiet time to read, rather than all of the distractions of daily life…

  • Tracy

    November 7, 2006 at 12:44 pm

    My poor bedside table is overrun with books I’m attempting to read all at the same time. I’m in, and I’ll post my five books on my blog one day this week.

    Thanks for the inspiration. I’ve been intrigued by Julie and Julia ever since I first saw the book on your side bar. And how cool that the book began on her blog!

  • Susan in Italy

    November 7, 2006 at 3:11 pm

    Have fun with your list! The Scarlet Letter deserves it’s place in the canon and Julie/Julia is a lot of fun especially if you’ve read her blog. BTW, how many people have already told you that you look just like Laura Dern? Can’t tell, of course on the Taj Majal photo but the one here bears a remarkable resemblence.

  • J

    November 7, 2006 at 3:15 pm

    Hey Susan, once in awhile I get the Laura Dern thing. Better than Jason Biggs! (I did one of those celebrity match up things once, and I got Jason Biggs. That pissed me off, because, you know, he’s a man.) Also once in awhile I get Elizabeth Perkins, though I think Laura Dern is closer. I’m not as tall or thin as her, but anyway…

    That wasn’t the Taj Mahal, by the way…I haven’t been to India yet. The pic is so small in the comments, so you can’t tell, but it’s Paris, Sacre Coeur. 🙂

    I haven’t read the blog yet for Julie/Julia, but I’m looking forward to it nonetheless. I think I’m going to need something light and easy after the language differences in The Scarlet Letter!