Thursday, June 01, 2006

Beware the man of one book

One of my new year's resolutions was to increase the amount I read.
When I was younger it was not necessary to make a conscious thought to read, it was just something I did. I read kids books, novels, mysteries, romance, and my favorites (biographys). Eagerly I anticipated the journey that I would take with each new discovery I found at the library.

Then my university years hit, I stopped reading for pleasure because I had so much to do for the structured classes. When I married and became a mother, no time could be found to take these escapes and so my book reading was confined to Green Eggs and Ham or Barnyard Dance. Now don't get me wrong, these are great for the age I was reading to but a bit boring come the 200th time it was read.

Now that the rugrat is 10 and taking her own journeys thru books I have rediscovered my joy of years gone by.

You can imagine my disappointment, when reading various blogs, I discovered a reading challenge and then found that sign-ups were finished. Sigh!
Late again!!!

Disappointment turned to pleasure as I reminded myself that I don't need to be signed up to make the challenge for myself. SO I am challenging myself to read a book every 2 weeks for the complete summer...June 1st to August 31. And I am challenging anyone who reads this to do the same. If this is my goal then I need approximately 7 books for summer reading pleasure.

My list is as follows.....
1. Scarlet Feather by Maeve Binchy.
I cheated a bit and started yesterday at work.

2. Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier
Loved the movie...time to read the book

3. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
June's selection for Knitting with the Classics

4. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Always wanted to read this but never have found the time

5. East of Eden by John Steinbeck
First big novel I remember reading without encouragement. Time to revisit this pleasure.

6. The Davinci Code by Dan Brown
With the movie being talked about right now....I think I want to see what all the fuss is about.

7. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
Saw the movie and loved it. I make a practice of not reading a book until after viewing the movie if possible. That way I can enjoy each for themselves and not compare. Borrowed the book but have yet to open it.

That list should keep me busy while sitting by the river while the rugrat is tubing or sitting in the backyard with a glass of ice tea. I think I should also include Sheridan in the challenge...therefore keeping up her reading skills. Any suggestions of good but simple girl books? She is 10 with some reading difficulty.

Good news on the resolution front too...I finished 3 more books in May.

First I read Life of Pi by Yann Martel. When I first got this book, I had no clue what to expect. Had never heard of it at any time before the book club chose it for a selection. I must admit I found it quite enjoyable! Kept me reading and really thru me for a loop at the end. If this story is true as the write hints, all I can say is life does make you stronger.

Next I re-read Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. This was the first "classic" book I ever remember reading. It has been a great pleasure to re-experience the silliness of a more stuffy time in history. This is a romance without the heroine being anything but true to herself.

And finally I was in the mood for a romance (happens from time to time), so I chose a Gothic Romance. Deception by Terri Lynn Wilhelm It was a good read but not too challenging. The heroine is in trouble and of course ends up crossing paths with her hero disguised as an rebel and outcast. Gasp! Who would of thought!! LOL
However, it was nice to see the characters develop and the story progress without too much escape from realism. It was a fluff book by some standards but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

So to date...in 5 months I have completed 9 books. Almost 2 a month...so I would say my resolution is being met.

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.” Dr. Seuss quote

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Looks like a great list...good luck with finding more time, seems to be in shorter supply every day, doesn't it????


Huggs, G :)

Cathy said...

Oh Jamie, I love your challanges! I've been reading like mad, and picking up anything I can get my hands on, just for the peace of reading quietly! I'll think about my list and post it soon!