Robin M Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 Today is the start of Week 49 in the quest to read 52 books in 52 weeks and starting book # 50. We are winding down the year with 3 weeks left and heading towards our goal of reading 52 books for the year. Only 3 weeks left in the year and only 2 weeks to Christmas. Have you gotten your Christmas shopping done yet? I haven't even started, nor do we have our tree or outside lights up. We set out to put up our Christmas lights and while pulling out the lights, started cleaning up the garage. We got into a throwing away mode and I'm happy to say we have a clean garage and we can now fit on of the cars inside. Yippee!! Speaking of Christmas shopping, I'm in the mood to buy books for the holidays. Buy Books for the Holidays is the brainchild of several bloggers and is the goal is quite simple. Buy books, support your local indie bookstores and think about contributing to literacy charities. At the blog you can find out tons of information including the latest, a wonderful post about books for boys ages 0 to 9, spotlight on independent book stores and profiles on charities. So give someone you love a book, maybe two or three or more and Buy Books For The Holidays! and on a personal front - I received my Nook and I'm absolutely delighted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 Argh! Don't talk to me about buying books! I'm stony broke and there's nothing like being stony broke to make me feel like book shopping! What have I been reading? Not a whole lot. Too tired to absorb much, really. I'm still reading through the couple of women's short stories books I've been playing with recently. I read one by Virginia Woolf, who I'd never read before, and I was disappointed. You know, you hear of these terribly famous people, feel like an uncultured git for not having read them, and have really inflated hopes about their work. Then get crushed when you finally get around to reading them, about ten years after you first started thinking you should. Has anyone else read her work? Should I read more? It seems dreadful to dismiss her on the basis of a two page short story, but I'm really not feeling inspired to try again. Hey, are we doing this again next year? It's been good. It's encouraged me to push through the reading droughts I usually experience, except for this time of year. I never read much this time of year because I'm focusing on crafts whenever I have a spare moment. Cheers, Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted December 11, 2009 Author Share Posted December 11, 2009 (edited) I read one by Virginia Woolf, who I'd never read before, and I was disappointed. You know, you hear of these terribly famous people, feel like an uncultured git for not having read them, and have really inflated hopes about their work. Then get crushed when you finally get around to reading them, about ten years after you first started thinking you should. Has anyone else read her work? Should I read more? It seems dreadful to dismiss her on the basis of a two page short story, but I'm really not feeling inspired to try again. Hey, are we doing this again next year? It's been good. It's encouraged me to push through the reading droughts I usually experience, except for this time of year. I never read much this time of year because I'm focusing on crafts whenever I have a spare moment. Cheers, Rosie Hi Rosie, I read a book by Virginia Woolf this year for one of my classes and hated her writing as well. I don't like stream of consciousness style writing. So don't feel bad about it. You got a good taste of whether you liked her or not. I found I didn't like the writing of most of the classic writers such as woolf, joyce and a few others, simply because of their writing style. Tolstoy I loved however. Go figure. Not very inspiring I know but I'll be trying wilkie collins and a few others this coming year. Hopefully will enjoy them. In regard to the 52 books challenge, I am so glad you have enjoyed it and it has given you incentive to read. I hadn't planned on continuing...but starting to have second thoughts. I may can the 52 books blog since hardly anyone reads it or posts their reviews to it. But perhaps I could continue and host the 2010 go round on the forum. I'll put it up for a vote in a post and see whose interested? Edited December 11, 2009 by Mytwoblessings Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eaglei Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 My last three books are: #57 - Paul Harvey's For What It's Worth, edited by Paul Harvey, Jr. #58 - Lifetime of Postive Thinking, by Ruth Stafford Peale #59 - Christmas Jars, by Jason F. Wright Currently reading another fluff novel by Nicholas Sparks, "The Guardian." Rosie - Your phrase "stony broke" surely rings true in our household this year, too . . . been a rough year. Hope things look up for both of us (and others experiencing hard things, too) this coming year!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 Still reading The Lost City of Z. But, I've been stalled on it a bit as I've been traveling & haven't carried it w/ me (since it was a library book, lol). Spent my time on the airplane reading Bazaar magazine instead. I do like The Lost City of Z & am finding it interesting. Will post a better review of it once I actually finish. So far, I think it's good, though I have read better books about explorers & adventurers. (Into Africa: The Epic Adventures of Stanley and Livingstone by Martin Dugard is the one that pops immediately into mind.) I can say that I'd never really care to just wildly venture into the Amazon area as The Lost City of Z describes! Huge snakes & too many bugs, just to name a couple of reasons.... :tongue_smilie: I've never read Virginia Woolf, but I did read The Hours (which is partly an homage to her) many years ago. I hated The Hours & have had no desire to even try Virgina Woolf because of it. :001_huh: And, yes, I love buying books for Christmas presents. I always give my niece & nephews books (as well as my own dc). I think it's fun to try to find something new for them to read/discover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdeveson Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 I read one by Virginia Woolf, who I'd never read before, and I was disappointed. You know, you hear of these terribly famous people, feel like an uncultured git for not having read them, and have really inflated hopes about their work. I read Virginia Wolf in college. The professor that assigned her was a big fan and raved about her work. I was singularly unimpressed. Many years later I re-read one of her books thinking that I was older and better able to understand and appreciate her work. I either gained nothing in the intervening 20 years, or Virginia Wolf was a marginal writer who became famous for whatever reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 I read Virginia Wolf in college. The professor that assigned her was a big fan and raved about her work. I was singularly unimpressed. Many years later I re-read one of her books thinking that I was older and better able to understand and appreciate her work. I either gained nothing in the intervening 20 years, or Virginia Wolf was a marginal writer who became famous for whatever reason. I feel reassured now and shan't bother again :D Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 Not very sophisticated, but then, I never did claim to be sophisticated. Running list: The Bell at Sealey Head Alphabet of Thorn Od Magic In the Forests of Serre Coffe, Tea, and Me The Tower at Stony Wood Music of the Dolphin My Blue Castle The Eye of the Heron Fools Run Learning to Bow Mansfield Park What Shamu Taught Me About Love and Marriage A Wind in Cairo Silver Pigs Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy The Chosen Dealing with Dragons Don't Shoot the Dog The Chosen Boy Going Solo Gaudy Night Wild Magic Sheiks and Adders (and all our Berenstein Bear books) a Dolciani algebra book Busman's Honeymoon The Fairy Reel The Mysterious Comission Double Contact Honeybath's Haven The second and third in the Wild Magic series (can't remember their titles) The Accusers Scandal Takes a Holiday Alexandria and one other Lindsey Davis whose name I can't Lady Susan Emma Sense and Sensibility Money from Holme Traders World The Householder ChucK language manual Gilgamesh (44) Flight Volume 5 (beautiful) The Long Farewell Spindle's End I still haven't finished Waiting for Godot. And I've recently read: Flight Volume 2 (beautiful) A Picture of Guilt On Talking Terms with Dogs: Calming Signals (short but excellent) We only have two volumes of Flight but I've ordered the rest used for Christmas for presents. I started to read the last Harry Potter, which I've started before but never had the energy to continue. Other than the first book ages ago, I've only read the series in French, and I'm not exactly fluent. (At first, it was like eating dessert with novacaine LOL.) This time, I had the energy and was happily reading away, but my son stopped me. He said that it would put such an end to the series that it would be years before I felt like rereading it. Just in case he is right, I stopped. I do occasionally go back and reread the first book. I don't think it is as tightly written as the others, but I like it best, none the less. I appear to read an average of a book a week. I certainly don't read a book a week, but I read lots on vacation or when I am sick or when I'm trying to escape from something, so it evens out. Thank you doing this! You have been very faithful about posting weekly. -Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 (edited) I really enjoyed Lost City of Z and will have my ds read it later this school year. I've a stack of titles ready for the Christmas holidays -- Busman's Honeymoon by Dorothy Sayers, Julia Child's My Life in France. I also promised my ds I would finally read Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I've picked up a couple of books from my local independent mystery/sci-fi book store and still have a couple of other titles waiting patiently for me. Robin, I'm up for another year. I never did post any reviews on your blog but I started the year blogging about the books I read. I'm too brain dead at this point of the year to think deep thoughts about what I read. Shoot, I'm not reading much at the moment anyway. But your blog seems like such a smart idea, but I can understand not being inspired to keep it up. I myself usually looked for new book titles on this thread. Rosie was the source of several good books -- thanks!!! One last thought, Robin. Should we have an end of the year thread of our hits and misses from the year? Edited December 13, 2009 by JennW in SoCal incorrect title... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted December 15, 2009 Author Share Posted December 15, 2009 One last thought, Robin. Should we have an end of the year thread of our hits and misses from the year? That's an excellent idea. I did want to do a wrap up thread when all is said and done. What everyone read or what they liked or didn't like. I'll mentioned it in thursday's thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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