Book a Week in 2010 - let's begin

[Robin M]

Happy New Year! Are you all excited about our brand new reading year. I certainly am.

 

The rules are simple:

 

1) Read at least one book a week. ***

2) All forms of books are acceptable including e-books, audio books, etc.

3) Re-reads are acceptable as long as they are read after January 1, 2010

4) You can join in at any time.

5) Books may overlap other challenges.

 

 

*** The challenge is very casual - you pick out what books you want to read. No lists required. Built in to the challenge is the 12 Classics in 12 Months since classics take so much longer to read and digest. Read one classic a month and if you find that you have time to read other books, go for it.

 

The book week will run from Sunday to Saturday which just makes it easier to keep track. Our first week is just a couple days longer since Jan 1 fell on Friday. Each week I'll be posting a thread for everyone to comment on what they've been reading. For those with blogs who have signed up as participants on the 52 Books blog, Mr. Linky will be available for you to post links to your reviews.

 

Each week on the blog, I'll be highlight different genres, authors, books, and whatever book related thing comes to mind.

 

This week is all about classics and a challenge to read the classics if you haven't already decided to. Have you read SWB's Well Educated Mind yet? It's a great resource. I'm starting with Aristotle's Poetics.

 

What are you reading this week?

[Satori]

I'm in! I am going to start my very own blog for this challenge.

 

Coincidentally, I just started Well Educated Mind. :) My first "classic" will be started on Monday - Epic of Gilgamesh, as I'm starting way from the beginning of civilization. :)

[Granny_Weatherwax]

I read The Scarlet Thread by Francine Rivers

 

I began the fourth Fablehaven book last night

[Daisy]

I'm reading Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout.

 

I'll try to hit a classic next week. I have a list I want to get through and I'm a bit dependent upon the library's inter-library loan service. LOL.

[lionfamily1999]

I did not know about the classic element, oops! Does anyone have a list? Or could I rely on the Penguin "Classic" covers?

 

Week One:

 

People Who Made History, Oskar Schindler

 

I even waited until the first to start :p

 

When we link our blogs, do you want to wait until we're done? I've just been updating it as I read further, so I have a blog now, but I'm not done with the book yet ;)

Edited January 2, 2010 by lionfamily1999

[Stacia]

Currently reading (& enjoying):

 

Good Omens by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman

Teach Like Your Hair's On Fire by Rafe Esquith

 

Don't have a classic picked at this point. I do have WEM, so I may need to take another look through it....

[Jen in PA]

Well, I guess I started yesterday since I curled up with a book and couldn't put it down. I read End In Tears by Ruth Rendell. It was a quick, fun read -- certainly not a classic, though. I'll have to fit one of those in later this month.

[Guest Virginia Dawn]

I just started D.A. by Connie Willis.

 

Hmm. I'll have to see what I can do about a classic.

[Robin M]

I did not know about the classic element, oops! Does anyone have a list? Or could I rely on the Penguin "Classic" covers?

 

Week One:

 

People Who Made History, Oskar Schindler

 

I even waited until the first to start :p

 

When we link our blogs, do you want to wait until we're done? I've just been updating it as I read further, so I have a blog now, but I'm not done with the book yet ;)

 

There are two links on the blog - one for participants and I will link your blog in the side bar. The other link is for book reviews. Once you write a book review on your blog, you can to it through the blog for others to Read.

 

For the classics, you probably could rely on the Penguin covers. There are lists all over for classics. Search Great Books and see what comes up. :)

[MamaT]

I'm going to go back to the beginning this year and start over with The Epic of Gilgamesh. Having a deadline will help me finish!!

[Mommyfaithe]

I started too. I am reading: A Voyage Long and Strange by Tony Horowitz....and I am also reading nowig and Teaching Elementary Mathematics by Liping Ma.

 

~~Faithe

[kls126s]

I'm on a sewing tear right now, so I've been focusing on finishing several projects in what would ordinarily be reading time.

 

I'm planning to start Night Train to Lisbon tonight. Pretty mixed reviews on Amazon so I'm curious to read it and see what I think of it.

Edited January 2, 2010 by kls126s
typo

[Faithr]

Wow, is it Saturday already? Gee, the first week and I"m already behind! Anyway, I am in the middle of reading Hold On To Your Kids on my brand new Kindle and I'm also almost finished listening to The Story of A Soul, the autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux (sp?) on audio (still have about half of the last cd to go!).

[Mommyfaithe]

There are two links on the blog - one for participants and I will link your blog in the side bar. The other link is for book reviews. Once you write a book review on your blog, you can to it through the blog for others to Read.

 

For the classics, you probably could rely on the Penguin covers. There are lists all over for classics. Search Great Books and see what comes up. :)

 

How do I link my Blog to this one??

Thanks,

Faithe

[Nakia]

I am reading Shanghai Girls by Lisa See. It is wonderful so far!

[Angel]

I don't know if I can do a Book a Week because I'm in the middle of rereading the Robert Jordan "Wheel of Time" series (on Book 10 of 12) and those books take some time, but I hope to keep up with some other books while finishing it.

 

I have "Twilight" waiting to be read to see if it's appropriate for my dd. She's curious about the hype.

 

I just finished "A Great and Terrible Beauty" by Libba Bray. Again, pre-reading to see if it was appropriate for my dd. Um, NO! This has a nice Victorian cover and was listed as Victorian Gothic. I'm glad I read it first. Even if it didn't touch on spiritualism, mysticism, and just about any other "cism" out there in a dark way (the darkness was what bothered me), and even if it didn't have a fairly explicit dream about a boy (explicit for what is marked out for teen fiction), the writing was horrible and the characters all so shallow you just couldn't like any of them.

 

The first classic that I plan to read this year is "David Copperfield." We'll see how that goes.

[JennW in SoCal]

I'm in for another fun filled year!!

 

Starting off with Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

[Crissy]

I am participating in Paula's 20/20/20 challenge, so that qualifies as an overlap, right? ;)

 

I finished The Well and the Mine yesterday (beautifully done) and have read near to the half-way point of Anna Karenina (a re-read).

My husband has a bit of time off, so he has been having a great time with the boys while I relax and read.

[ladydusk]

I started Touch Not the Cat by Mary Stewart today. So far, it is good. Nice and light way to start the year :)

[nova147]

Just started Teach Like Your Hair is on Fire. I'm really enjoying it - it both highlights the problems I hope to avoid by homeschooling and gives me so great ideas to use with my kids. He mentions a mental math game he plays in class called Buzz -- just introduced it to DS5 and he loves it already!

 

I'll have to work on finding a classic for this month. Perhaps The Grapes of Wrath -- I remember it fondly from high school.

[MommyOwl]

The first classic that I plan to read this year is "David Copperfield." We'll see how that goes.

 

Me too :001_smile:.

 

Looking forward to doing the challenge this year - I'm going to start with Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston.

 

I'm also going to try, for the umpteenth time, to get through the Bible from beginning to end.

[lionfamily1999]

Pope, Rape of the Lock

Scott, Ivanhoe

Bronte, Villette

Bunyan, Pilgrim's Progress

Wilde, Dorian Gray

Twain, The Tragedy of Puddin' Head Wilson

Twain, The Autobiography of Mark Twain

Doyle, The Hounds of Baskervilles

Joyce, Ulysses

Woolf, A Room of One's Own

Sinclain, The Jungle

Swift, Gulliver's Travels

 

Does this look like too much? Are any of these nails across the chalkboard horrible reads, or plodding six month books?

 

Any warnings welcome :p

[Stacia]

Wilde, Dorian Gray

 

Great pick! Excellent story. Of course, I always consider Oscar Wilde a treat.

 

"I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read on the train." (Oscar Wilde) :D

[Rosie_0801]

Woe! I don't know which thread to post on!

 

I read a stupid novel on New Years Day and have started St Augustine's Confessions for my WEM epic adventure.

 

Rosie- Where do I belong? :willy_nilly:

 

(That is me running around like a headless chook)

[Storm Bay]

For all of you doing this, someone has started a new social reading group and you could join right in with this. Some are doing a 9/9/9 challenge, some a 20-20-20 and some a 10-10-10. It's a great place already set up to discuss what you're reading.:001_smile: I'll come back and post the name of the social group.

 

ETA it's called the 2010 reading challenge.

[Crissy]

Does this look like too much?

 

Only because Ulysses is included in your collection. ;)

[Crissy]

For all of you doing this, someone has started a new social reading group and you could join right in with this. Some are doing a 9/9/9 challenge, some a 20-20-20 and some a 10-10-10. It's a great place already set up to discuss what you're reading.:001_smile: I'll come back and post the name of the social group.

 

ETA it's called the 2010 reading challenge.

 

 

Here's the link.

[lionfamily1999]

Great pick! Excellent story. Of course, I always consider Oscar Wilde a treat.

 

"I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read on the train." (Oscar Wilde) :D

I own that, and I know I've read it, but it's been long enough that I can't remember :lol:

Only because Ulysses is included in your collection. ;)

Is that really hard to get through (I did make it through B1 of Don Quixote in a month)? I know I'll have to double up some books (read easy ones to keep up with the 52/52), but will that one really stall me out?

Here's the link.

Thank you!

[LG Gone Wild]

I'm going to go back to the beginning this year and start over with The Epic of Gilgamesh. Having a deadline will help me finish!!

 

That sounds good. Why did you stop? Was it tedious like DQ?

[Nan in Mass]

Dragon Singer

 

And I'm in the middle of Page-a-Minute

 

-Nan

[Sara Mac]

My first book is Brethren by Robyn Young. It's about the Crusades but written from both the Eastern and Western point of view. I'm only 100 pages in but I'm going to try to finish by Saturday. I'm on an Historical Fiction kick at the moment so I've got another Bernard Cornwell sitting waiting for me once I've finished this book :D

[StaceyinLA]

I am ready to try some new things now that I have my Kindle!!

 

I am finishing up Eating Animals on the Kindle now.

 

I downloaded The Lovely Bones today and am planning to start that in the next day or two.

 

I also downloaded The Time of My Life (Swayze's autobiography) because I have been dying to read it too.

 

Don't know if I can hang with you guys but I'll try. I do want to re-read the Harry Potter series so that'll cover almost 2 months' worth!! :tongue_smilie:

[Robin M]

How do I link my Blog to this one??

Thanks,

Faithe

 

 

Go Here.

[Robin M]

Pope, Rape of the Lock

Scott, Ivanhoe

Bronte, Villette

Bunyan, Pilgrim's Progress

Wilde, Dorian Gray

Twain, The Tragedy of Puddin' Head Wilson

Twain, The Autobiography of Mark Twain

Doyle, The Hounds of Baskervilles

Joyce, Ulysses

Woolf, A Room of One's Own

Sinclain, The Jungle

Swift, Gulliver's Travels

 

Does this look like too much? Are any of these nails across the chalkboard horrible reads, or plodding six month books?

 

Any warnings welcome :p

 

Interesting list of books. Looks kind of like my list and not sure if it is the my eyes are bigger than my stomach syndrome. No nails across the chalkboard that I can see. I want to reread Pilgrim's progress it's been so long. Perhaps will read younger version with son.

[lionfamily1999]

Interesting list of books. Looks kind of like my list and not sure if it is the my eyes are bigger than my stomach syndrome. No nails across the chalkboard that I can see. I want to reread Pilgrim's progress it's been so long. Perhaps will read younger version with son.

I'm hoping I'll be able to keep up and just read some junk books for fillers, in case the bigger books take more than a week ;)

 

Your blog helped out a lot. I had no idea where to start until I read the top fives from TWEM.

[Robin M]

Woe! I don't know which thread to post on!

 

I read a stupid novel on New Years Day and have started St Augustine's Confessions for my WEM epic adventure.

 

Rosie- Where do I belong? :willy_nilly:

 

(That is me running around like a headless chook)

 

 

Poor Rosie! You actually fit into both categories so why not both. We'll cut you in half. :) Just kidding.

 

The 12 books a year thread will only be posted once a month and is for reading 12 books - not necessarily classics from what I understand. I'll be posting weekly. And since we are kinda sorta channeling the WEM, you may want to stick with us. But that is up to you.

Choose one or both.

 

So what was the "stupid" novel?

[3lilreds in NC]

I just finished The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan and LOVED IT. I am going to have to get the rest of the series.

 

Just before that, I finished Tuck by Stephen Lawhead and loved that too. I may have to go back and read the trilogy again.

 

This is a great list - I can read the things I like and not feel guilty! Woo hoo! I do plan to read some CM this year and some other more challenging things but we're getting ready to move and dh is traveling and so I need the mental break with books I enjoy. :)

 

I have several books I purchased last year that I never read. I will have to get them out and make a pile.

[Robin M]

Me too :001_smile:.

 

Looking forward to doing the challenge this year - I'm going to start with Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston.

 

I'm also going to try, for the umpteenth time, to get through the Bible from beginning to end.

 

I'm also going to read David Copperfield this year. February 7, 1812 was his birthday, so I'll be reading it in February.

 

I'm going to try and pick a certain book in the bible and study it, instead of trying to reread for the umpteenth time.

[Robin M]

For all of you doing this, someone has started a new social reading group and you could join right in with this. Some are doing a 9/9/9 challenge, some a 20-20-20 and some a 10-10-10. It's a great place already set up to discuss what you're reading.:001_smile: I'll come back and post the name of the social group.

 

ETA it's called the 2010 reading challenge.

 

Hi karin,

 

Yes, we are aware of this. It's in addition to the weekly thread for additional discussions.

[Avila]

My classic for the month (and it may take me that long!) is Middlemarch by George Eliot. Please somebody tell me it gets better. I liked Silas Marner.

 

My read for the week is Real Learning by Elizabeth Foss.

[Robin M]

I am ready to try some new things now that I have my Kindle!!

 

I am finishing up Eating Animals on the Kindle now.

 

I downloaded The Lovely Bones today and am planning to start that in the next day or two.

 

I also downloaded The Time of My Life (Swayze's autobiography) because I have been dying to read it too.

 

Don't know if I can hang with you guys but I'll try. I do want to re-read the Harry Potter series so that'll cover almost 2 months' worth!! :tongue_smilie:

 

 

Please do hang with us. I also have a nook and will be reading some e-books. Look forward to hearing about the ones you read.

 

And if anyone can tell me the secret to how to quote multiple people instead of one at a time, I would appreciate it.

[coffeefreak]

I'm reading, "If I'm Diapering a Watermelon, Where's the Baby?" by Carol Barnier, "The Wicked Games of a Gentleman," by Jillian Hunter (one of those R rated books), and re-reading "The Witch of Blackbird Pond," by Elizabeth George Speare (dd will read this starting next week).

 

Last year I didn't count read alouds or books I had read before. I overwhelmed myself in month 2:D. This year, anything counts. I did count the number of books I own that I've never read. I own 67 books I've never read! That doesn't count my hubby's or my dd's! :lol:

[Crissy]

 

And if anyone can tell me the secret to how to quote multiple people instead of one at a time, I would appreciate it.

 

Use the button with the quotation marks and the plus sign (next to the Quote button). Click that on each of the posts you want to quote save for the final post, then click the Quote button on the final post you wish to quote.

Each of the posts you are quoting will show in your reply window.

[Rose in BC]

I have read one other of Picoult's novels and found this one at a library book sale.

 

I'll have to compile a list so that I have some concrete goals

[Robin M]

Use the button with the quotation marks and the plus sign (next to the Quote button). Click that on each of the posts you want to quote save for the final post, then click the Quote button on the final post you wish to quote.

Each of the posts you are quoting will show in your reply window.

 

 

I am having a Homer Simpson "D'oh" moment. I never ever saw that. Thank you!

[Avila]

In case anyone needs some inspiration, here is a link to a reading list of classics and some other interesting breakdowns:

 

http://www.interleaves.org/~rteeter/grtgood.html

[prairiegirl]

Crissy, thanks for explaining the multi-quote thing. Who knew it was that easy?

 

I am starting the year off with a Christian classic, Knowing God by J I Packer. I am really excited to start off a new year with this challenge.

[nova147]

In case anyone needs some inspiration, here is a link to a reading list of classics and some other interesting breakdowns:

 

http://www.interleaves.org/~rteeter/grtgood.html

 

 

Great list - thanks!

[Liz CA]

"The Custom of the Country" by E. Wharton.

[joannqn]

I'm doing the 20/20/20 challenge. Are you we doing one thread for both challenges?

 

I'm 449 pages into the 599 page paperback If You Really Loved Me. It's been very interesting. It's a true crime novel about a childhood friend. I'm mentioned, by first name only, on page 34. I never knew the book existed until a couple years ago (published in 1991) let alone that I'm mentioned in it. At least, I'm pretty sure it is me...how many "Joanne" friends might she have had when we were kids. The man who sexually molested me is also mentioned on pages 34, 35, and another page. I sent the author an email, hoping to get some additional information that she might have from her research.