Pinterest Challenge #1: Almond Bars

I choose to do this pin for Almond Bars from Write Meg for my first entry in the Pin It and Do It Challenge.

Source: writemeg.com via Lisa on Pinterest

It looked tasty and miracle of miracles, it's all ingredients I actually have on hand. I mixed them up during naptime with the Bug, and he was the first tester. He LOVED them.  Success!

Here's my version of food styling:



Not quite so pretty as hers! 

I did have to increase the baking time from 20-25 minutes to almost 35 minutes, and then  they still didn't cut into pretty bars like hers did (as you can tell.) They still tasted terrific though, and that's really all that matters.

I'm also linking up to Weekend Cooking with this one.
Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend.You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page. For more information, see the welcome post.
-- Hosted by Beth Fish Reads

Pin It and Do It Challenge

As I've said many times before, I love Pinterest. I have 36 different pin boards and roughly a zillion pins (some of them need tidied up, please forgive me.) The problem is, I have more pins than I can possibly ever do. I'm fairly good at trying recipes, but the craft and sewing pins are a wee bit overwhelming. Despite this, every time I do something silly like look at my quilting board, I get an itch to Quilt! Something! Now!  This is why I encouraged Trish to start a formal Pinterest Challenge.  You can see the details over there, but the short version is we have one month to complete x number of pins, and report back. I did try to do this on my own, with this board, but I forget to keep up with it, oops! Here's hoping some accountability will help a girl out.

The first pin I plan to do? This one:

Source: writemeg.com via Lisa on Pinterest

Are you on Pinterest? I'd love to see what you're making and doing! (But, to be completely honest, not what you're reading. That's what Goodreads is for!)

The Books Lists Life Personal Reading Challege

I don't usually do very well at reading challenges. I'm not sure I've actually ever completed one successfully. I get a little jealous of all the fun lists everyone else is making, but I'm realistic and I know I won't complete a challenge anyway. Despite this, I decided that I wanted to do a little personal challenge with a couple of friends. I thought that maybe I would slowly work my way through my reading friends, and maybe stir up a little conversation with them.

The idea is that we'd each make a list of 5 or 6 books and then the other person would read 4 or 5 of them. We are allowed an out, in case the other person picked something horrible, like poetry or a play. There is no time limit on the challenge and no pressure.

The first person I asked my my good friend Shawna. Shawna lives in Rapid City so we don't see each other often, and we don't read all the same books, but we both share a love of books and libraries (like many of you.) Shawna's favorite books are ones that make you cry. They rip your heart out and stomp on them, and make you ache for the characters. She likes serious books and women's fiction, with a big dose of non-fiction and memoirs to round it out. The more drama the better.  We both read and loved The Time Traveler's Wife, Me & Emma, and A Thousand Splendid Suns.

For Shawna, I chose:

• Heartbreak Hotel by Anne Rivers Siddons. This one is set in a fictional Auburn during integration. I've read it at least 6 times and love it.
• Divergent by Veronica Roth. I loved this one last year and want to make everyone else read it.
• The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. It's possible I don't love it as much as I once did, but it made a big impact on me in college, so here it is.
• Girl Meets God: On the Path to a Spiritual Life by Lauren Winner. For an unreligious person (I prefer to think of myself as spiritual. Hork.), I seem to read a lot of religious memoirs.
• Moon Called (Mercy Thompson) by Patricia Briggs. This is the first book in what is, hands down, my favorite series.

I did NOT give her any traditional romances. I was tempted, but I did not.

For me, Shawna picked:

• A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of "A Course in Miracles" by Marianne Williamson.
• Ishmael: An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit by Daniel Quinn.
• Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
• The Wizard of Oz (Puffin Classics) by L Frank Baum
• The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (I've actually read this, but it was in high school and I don't remember much of it at all.)

The second person I asked was another Lisa, who (used to, ahem) blog at Git Down Kitty. Lisa is a quilt and craft blogger, not a books blogger, but as we've chatted extensively online it's come to light that we both do a good bit of reading. She reads more in the chick lit and mystery genres, with the occasional young adult thrown in for good measure. She's one of the many people encouraging me to read Outlander .

For Lisa, I chose:

• Heartbreak Hotel by Anne Rivers Siddons.
• Divergent by Veronica Roth.
• Moon Called by Patricia Briggs.
• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
• Me & Emma by Elizabeth Flock. If you haven't read this, please do, so I can ask you a Question!

For me, Lisa chose:

• The Prince of Tides: A Novel by Pat Conroy (unrelated note, my ex-sister-in-law's two cats were Conroy and Austen.)
• Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
• Agnes and the Hitman by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer
• Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer by John Grisham
• Whiskey Sour (Jack Daniels Mysteries) by J. A. Konrath

My original list for Lisa was much longer, but I managed to narrow it down. For now.

If you were to pick a list of books for another blogger, would it be the same list for everyone, or would you prefer to match it to the other blogger? I had a hard time with this decision, I think my ultimate list would have ended up differently if I wasn't able to swap up a couple books. I wanted to formalize this as a challenge for myself, because someone when people say "Oh you HAVE to read this!" I don't ever DO it. This is a way to push myself to read books that other people truly loved.

How about you? Do you tend to push those recommendations to the side? Do you read them immediately? Especially for books that aren't new releases? Would you do a challenge of this type with a friend?

I dread school starting tomorrow

School starts tomorrow for the Pirate. He's fairly unexcited but we met his teacher last night and some of his friends were there which perked him up a bit about it. I'm not overly concerned about the Pirate. I think he'll be ok once he's used to the schedule. I am completely worried about the Bug. The Bug, who is 3, is not starting school tomorrow, despite what he might tell you. He stayed home with dad last night while the Pirate and I went to the open house, and Mike reports that he was devastated. Heartbroken. Unable to breathe because he was crying so hard. I have no idea how we're going to get the Pirate out of the car at school without a huge scene. I have no idea how the Bug will possibly survive without his brother. I'm trying to think up some exciting activities, but sadly there isn't much that the Bug truely loves, besides the Pirate. I'm planning to make a big big deal about how he's the Big Kid at home now! Other than that, I'm stumped. The park won't be enough. I'm not sure McDonalds would do it. Suggestions, cheap ones, welcome.

Meanwhile, I'm still participating in the 21 Day Challenge. I have managed to miss two days of pictures, but I still did the outfit! Today's theme was "monochromatic." Since it's supposed to be 100 here today, I wanted to be cool, so I choose a loose skirt and a tank top (and flip flops, but I didn't put them on for the picture.) Today's picture courtesy of the Bug, age 3.

Tank top: Target
Skirt: Walmart
Flip flips: Sanuks

 I am an Amazon Associate. As such, any purchase you make at Amazon.com after following a link from this blog will earn me a (tiny) percentage back as income. Thanks. All content copyright Books. Lists. Life. at http://bookslistslife.blogspot.com. If you're reading this post anywhere other than there, you are reading stolen content.

Random Friday: Vacation Adventure and 21DC, Day 4

• Yesterday's Challenge was "color blocking." I pretty much do this all the time. 
• This is my only pair of shorts. I would have gone with a nice colored skirt for this challenge, except we took a mini-vacation to a kid's park and I wanted to be able to climb on the playgrounds with them.
• Mike took the only picture of me yesterday. It has now traveled cell phone to cell phone to email to blog. This is as good as it gets, quality wise!
• Clothing: Shorts: Target, Cami: Yard sale, Tshirt: Target, Sandals: Sanuks.
• More on the trip later, because it seriously rocked. For a 24 hour trip.
• We got home 3 hours ago and my children are seriously seriously cranky. I can not wait for bedtime.
• We bought school supplies yesterday on the trip, and it wasn't nearly as much money as I expected.
• I am slightly grumpy that I have to sharpen and writes his name on 48 pencils. But I assume you are all doing that too, right?
• I am VERY grumpy that they require two boxes of 8 crayons. REALLY?? A box of 8 is $1.97 at Target. A box of 24 is like a quarter.  I almost just bought two boxes of 24 and picked out the appropriate ones. 
• But decided to come home and check locally first, since we were out of our own school district.
• School started Wednesday. Bring it on.
• One more banner under works and then I'll have run out of banner orders. Do you need one? I'm going to feel adrift without one waiting on me.

What I'm Reading:

• Faithful Place by Tana French. Not very far into it, but I'm realizing I really dislike the Irish slang stuff.

I am an Amazon Associate. As such, any purchase you make at Amazon.com after following a link from this blog will earn me a (tiny) percentage back as income. Thanks. All content copyright Books. Lists. Life. at http://bookslistslife.blogspot.com. If you're reading this post anywhere other than there, you are reading stolen content.

Today's to do list, and the 21DC, Day 3

Ok, I know I promised to do more than just post outfits. Y'all, I'm so swamped today I can't think past getting an outfit posted! We are taking a mini-vacation tomorrow, 36 hours of just my family, and I have to cross every single item off this list before we can leave.

• Finish the current banner and get it in the mail. 
• UNload the car from the last camping trip.
• Pack overnight clothes/toys/gear.
• Find extra bedding. (We are staying in a camping cabin, they provide the beds, you provide the bedding. Most our "extra" anything are in a storage unit.)
• Possibly go to the storage unit.
• REload the car.
• Do the most basic of housekeeping- garbage, litter box, dishes. More would be awesome.
• Log my work hours for the last two weeks.
• At least an hour of paying work.
• Prep my invoice to submit Friday.
• Daily life stuff, like, oh, feed the kids. Maybe talk them into putting on pants.

So, that's taking up my entire brain.

Today's wardrobe challenge prompt was "pattern mixing." Now, in theory, I like it. I love it on other people! But when I walked into my closet I discovered that I own about 6 striped shirts, one floral t-shirt, and one Hawaiian print button up. I have a lot of printed skirts, but none were in the same color family at all. Fortunately, we were allowed to use a patterned accessory. Whew.  This was the best I could do.

I've made a note to be on the lookout for more patterned shirts, specifically florals and maybe gingham. (I keep a list in my phone of things to look for at the thrift store. Am I the only one?)  Tomorrow is color blocking, and if my experience today is any indication it should be easy peasy.

Scarf: Thrifted
Shirt: Kohls, via consignment store in TN
Skirt: Maurices, thrifted
Shoes: Same black ballet flats from Pamida as yesterday


Onward!

21 Day Challenge, Day 2

Today prompt is "tuck in." I'm pretty sure I haven't tucked anything in in about 7 years.

I choose this striped shirt that actually has another blue band around the bottom and I think I like it more tucked in than out. It's been in my closet for at least 5 years and I think this is maybe the 5th time I've worn it. I bought it to wear back home when the Pirate was two. You can see it in this post. (Also, that stack of books? I've read two of them.)  (Also also, look how tiny the Pirate (previously the Monkey) is there!) I paired it with a plain black a-line skirt and black ballet flats and I feel a wee bit French.

In all honesty, I probably won't leave it tucked in while we are home. I am still nursing the Princess and it's really annoying to keep untucking and re-tucking.

The Pirate served as my photographer, once again. This is the type picture he usually takes.

Outfit details:
Striped shirt: Walmart
Black skirt: Thrifted
Shoes: Pamida
 



I am an Amazon Associate. As such, any purchase you make at Amazon.com after following a link from this blog will earn me a (tiny) percentage back as income. Thanks. All content copyright Books. Lists. Life. at http://bookslistslife.blogspot.com. If you're reading this post anywhere other than there, you are reading stolen content.

The 21 Day Challenge

One of the biggest challenges to staying at home is to not look like a total schlump (yes, I made that up.) It would be so easy to just wear yoga pants every day and not to care, and frankly, if we still lived in the old house I probably would. In fact, I'd be in my pajamas when Mike got home from work. But now that my job is staying home, I find that I am rebelling against the stereotype of a stay-at-home-mom who wears sweats and her husband's old shirts*. In June a friend and I made a pact to not wear pants (only skirts and the occasional pair of capris) for the entire month and crazily enough it's now August and you'll find me in a skirt almost every day. Granted, a lot of them are super casual and worn with a (non-printed) t-shirt. So when Kayla over at Freckles in April posted her 21 Day Challenge I decided to join in.

Here's how it works (description taken from the intro post):

For 21 days I will post a daily outfit prompt. Each Saturday I'll post the list of prompts for the week so you have some time to prepare, then the day before I'll put up a more detailed post with inspiration pictures.

Then, get dressed, take a picture and upload it to the 21 Day Challenge Flickr group* and/or blog about it and submit your link here on my blog. Cell phone pictures in bathroom mirrors are perfectly acceptable here (but if you want to go all out and take pictures in natural light and cool locations I will applaud you wildly).

I think I can do that. I just need to find a mirror that doesn't require that I stand on the toilet or edge of the bathtub...

(And did I mention there are prizes?) 

*If you know me in person you know that this is SO not me. I Do. Not. Wear. sweats. You will never find me at the Walmarts in sweatpants and an old T-shirt. But I still don't want to be all sloppy and look like I don't care.




I am an Amazon Associate. As such, any purchase you make at Amazon.com after following a link from this blog will earn me a (tiny) percentage back as income. Thanks. All content copyright Books. Lists. Life. at http://bookslistslife.blogspot.com. If you're reading this post anywhere other than there, you are reading stolen content.

"In Death" Reading Challenge

I don't usually join challenges because, well, I usually FAIL them. This one happens to meet up with one of my personal goals for the year though, so I'm going to jump on in. Christine at The happily ever after is hosting an "In Death" challenge to read the books of the same name by J.D. Robb (Nora Roberts).   I recently read the 31st book in the series- Strangers in Death- and only have a handful left to catch up. According to the handy list that Christine posted, I only have 5 to go, of which two are short stories. I think this is something I can do before the end of 2010.

The rules are super easy to follow and if you get behind there's no public flogging, so go on over and join, k?

Here's what I have left:

Salvation in Death (already in the TBR)
"Ritual in Death" in the Suite 606 anthology
Promises in Death (already in the TBR)
Kindred in Death (Eve Dallas, No. 30)
"Missing in Death" in the The Lost anthology
Fantasy in Death (due out in February)

You can find more information about the series at the official website of J. D. Robb.




I am an Amazon Associate. As such, any purchase you make at Amazon.com after following a link from this blog will earn me a (tiny) percentage back as income. Thanks.

Non-Fiction Five Challenge

Oh, I want to. I really want to. Trish is hosting it. But I FAIL every challenge I join! What to do...


The Rules (unchanged from previous years)

1. Read 5 non-fiction books during the months of May - September, 2009

2. Read at least one non-fiction book that is different from your other choices (i.e.: 4 memoirs and 1 self-help)

3. Click HERE to join.

It's just ONE little challenge.

Right?

I'd read 5 non-fiction books anyway.

Right?

.

July Book Blowout meme

Today is the first day of the Book Blowout! In celebration the host has given us a short meme.

1. Describe yourself in one sentence. Tired mommy who wishes she could quit her job to stay home to read and sew.

2. What book will you start the challenge with? I will be finishing up The Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby, then on to The Lost Duke of Wyndham by Julia Quinn.

3. Where is your favourite place to read? In my home I like to read in my cushy living room chair or on the back porch in a really ugly lounge chair thing. In my dreams I'd be on the balcony of a house overlooking the ocean.

4. What is your favourite book of all time? I don't know that I've thought in terms of favorites in a long time. I love Gone with the Wind. I loved The Book Thief. A Thousand Splendid Suns. The Secret by Julie Garwood (not the Secret the self-help book.) The Little Prince.

5. Remind us all of your challenge target. 8 books.

Pop on over to the Blue Archipelago to see everyone else's answers!

The Book Blowout

The year is almost half over, which means that I should have read 30 books at this point to meet my goal for the year. I've read 24. Therefore, I am joining the Book Blowout at Blue Archipelago.



The Rules are simple:

How do I join in the fun?

* You can sign up any time between today and July 14 - just because I’m a bit slow to announce this!
* To join you need to post about the Book Blowout on your blog - and set yourself a target number of books you will try to read - go on challenge yourself! (Please note: If you do not have a blog I am perfectly happy for you to post your target in the comments below - and then the list of books in the wrap-up post in August)
* Use the Mr Linky below to link to that post so we can all see how many books you’re taking on in the Blowout
* Post a list of the books you managed to read by the deadline of August 7 to complete the challenge

What rules do I need to know?

* Only books read between July 1 and July 31 count towards the challenge
* You can include re-reads - as long as they are read within the month of July
* Books you abandon will only count as half a book
* If you read to your children you can include all books which have more than 100 pages
* You can include up to two graphic novels
* You can include up to two audio books - (if you have a visual impairment that prevents you from reading then you can use just audio books for the challenge)
* Books you read for other challenges are eligible - use this as an opportunity to catch up!
* If you start a book before July 1 and then finish it during the month of July then you can count is as half a book


To catch myself up, I'll need to read ELEVEN books in July. This is a crazy amount of books, so I'll say 8. Still insane, but possibly doable. That'll be my 5 books for July, and half my deficit for the year. Wish me luck!

If you're following along at home, this puts me in for three challenges: The Chunkster Challenge, the Classics Challenge, and now this. So far I could make them all!

Classics Challenge

I know, I suck at Challenges, but this one dovetails nicely with my own personal goals for the year! I'm too lazy to repost the rules, but it boils down to: read 5 classics and a bonus book between July and December. You can go here to read the full rules, if you so desire. I don't have to have my list narrowed down yet, so I don't. I'm hoping this challenge helps me to actually meet my goals. Thanks, Trish, for hosting this one!

TBR Day- Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan has been on everyone's blog in the last year or so. Most everyone loved it to death. I put it on my paperbackswap list and got it in the mail some time last year, but never got around to reading it. This January, I put it on my personal TBR challenge list (found here.) Last week when I was looking for a book for this challenge, I picked it up. I read about a third of it, and then decided to take a little break to have a baby. I took the book to the hospital and on my last day there mostly finished it. (I spent a lot of time hoping to sleep, but due to being in a "semi-private" room didn't really sleep. Or read. Or watch tv. Just laid there trying to ignore my roommate and her family.)

Snow Flower is about two women, Snow Flower and Lily, who are pledged together as laotong- a special type of friends. Lily is poor and uneducated, but has perfect feet. Snow Flower is from a wealthy family and is very proper and educated. Over the course of the book we see both women from about age 7 until their death(s). The girls get their feet bound, are matched and married, and become mothers themselves. The laotong friendship is supposed to benefit both girls. From the beginning it is obvious how this will benefit Lily. The connection with a wealthy influential family will give her some prestige and Snow Flower will teach Lily manners she wouldn't learn at home. It is not so clear how this helps Snow Flower. The girls marry off in very ritual ceremonies and then... wait, you don't want to know what happens, right?

This book was fascinating look at the history of the women in China. The rituals of footbinding and the marriage traditions are very interesting. The way the women lived was very eye-opening to me. Much of the book is about nu shu- a "secret" women's writing that Lily and Snow Flower used to communicate when they weren't together. Snow Flower and Lily use nu shu to write important events on the folds of a fan which travels between the girls as well. The books is written as a memoir written by Lily, looking back at the past.

The pages of the book just flew by. I expected it to be hard to get into the groove because of the time period, but there was never a moment of slowness. At the beginning, I was a bit annoyed at Lily's heavy foreshadowing of what would happen. By the end of the book it wasn't so noticable, and it started to feel like the way Lily was berating herself rather than foreshadowing. The trajectory of the girl's lives was perfect and dramatic. Details were revealed very slowly but when you did find some new detail it was both surprising and expected due to what Lily had already known. (Ok, that makes no sense, but trust me on it.) Overall, an excellent book, highly recommended.

This review is for avidbookreader's TBR challenge, and also fulfills a book on my own list. I have barely proofread it, as I have barely slept and find that prospect much more appealing. My apologies.

The Chunkster Challenge

I know. I said no more challenges for me since I failed at all of them last year.

I changed my mind.

I'm going to do the Chunkster Challenge. I know, you're thinking that I couldn't even finish the Newbery Challenge, how am I gonna do THIS? But the thing is, that list I posted yesterday has a few Chunksters on it. And I just got the latest Kim Harrison from Paperbackswap, and while I haven't actually LOOKED, it's GOT to be more than 450 pages. So this should be easy. Right? I will NOT sign up for anything else til I've completed this one, Scout's honor.

Here's the rules:

• To qualify the book must be 450 pps regular type OR 750 pps large text.
• You must read FOUR chunksters (one each quarter), you OBVIOUSLY may read more
• The Challenge will run Jan 7th, 2008 - Dec 20th, 2008. BUT any chunkster started after Jan 1 qualifies.
• OH THERE WILL BE PRIZES - one a quarter. Prizes to be determined later. Think small and fun, not big and chunky.
• Sharing reviews mandatory, format still to be determined.
• There is a sign-up deadline of March 1st, so tell your friends and neighbors but only until then.
• You don't have to make a set list--or you can and you can change it later--no big deal
• A large volume of compiled work (such as LOTR in one volume) TOTALLY COUNTS

See? Totally doable. I'm gonna make my list as I go, so no list of books to see here. The first one will be The Time Traveler's Wife though, as I'm halfway done now.

Anne of Green Gables, some challenges, the library, and other stuff

Over the weekend I FINALLY finished Anne of Green Gables. This is a book that I never read as a child, and over and over I hear about how wonderful it is, and how it's everyone's favorite. I've had a copy for years, but didn't get around to reading it until this year's TBR Challenge. (That's right! I read a challenge book!) Don't shoot me, but eh. I had to force myself to read it. I did not begin to enjoy it until Anne STOPPED TALKING SO MUCH. Which means I liked the last few chapters. I was tired of the whole "Gil- other people" thing way too early. After finishing it, I'd love to have someone email me the summary of the rest of the series, because I want to know, but I don't want to read it myself. Or if someone could tell me specifically which book has the romance in it, I might read that one. I think I might have liked it as a child, but as an adult it bored me. I'm discovering that I don't really love descriptive books. Oh sure there are some, but they are usually about specific locations (The South and New Orleans, mainly.)

As you may have noticed, I've recently started reading a lot of Young Adult fiction. Some of it bores me too, but not nearly as much as Anne did, or as much as Little Women did. What makes a book turn into a classic? Which of the books I'm reading now will be a classic? Will any of them? If I reread Pippi Longstocking and Harriet the Spy am I doomed to be disappointed?

One of my personal goals for the year was to read 52 books this year. Last year I read 47 (or was it 48?) This is my 52nd book, so I am 3.5 months ahead of schedule. The full list can be found here.

Last weekend the Monkey and I did a lot of fun stuff together. One of our stops was at the library where I checked out WAY TOO MANY books. I checked out half a dozen YA novels for myself. His Monkiness and I discovered the kid's dinosaur books and he Very Carefully selected 10 or so of them. I am not sure what his criteria are, but there was definate choosing going on. I love that he loves stuff so passionately. We also hit a small Fall Festival, where he had his first encounter with a bouncy house.

What else? I made a new bag, it's so darling that I want to use it myself, but it's too small for all my mommy crap. There are pictures of it over here. I made a slipcover for the ottoman that turned out really well, despite the fact that I was making it up as I went.

All in all, a very successful weekend!

Don't Shoot!

There are tons of new challenges going around right now, and I am very firmly NOT JOINING any of them. I have a couple I plan to do in 2008 (after I fail the ones in 2007) but nothing new for fall. Then today as I was bloghopping, I found this- The Newbery Project. This is been going on for a while now, it's not new, but I just found it. There is no list to be made (the list already exists) and no set number of books to read. There is no time limit. Just read them. Here's the complete list, with the ones I've already read (as an adult, I read quite a few of them as a child) marked off.

2007 The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron
2006 Criss Cross, by Lynne Rae Perkins
2005 Kira-Kira, by Cynthia Kadohata
2004 The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread, by Kate DiCamillo
2003 Crispin: The Cross of Lead, by Avi (I've met the author)
2002 A Single Shard, by Linda Sue Park
2001 A Year Down Yonder, by Richard Peck (I've met the author)
2000 Bud, Not Buddy, by Christopher Paul Curtis (I've met the author)
1999 Holes, by Louis Sachar
1998 Out of the Dust, by Karen Hesse
1997 The View from Saturday, by E. L. Konigsburg (I've met the author)
1996 The Midwife’s Apprentice, by Karen Cushman
1995 Walk Two Moons, by Sharon Creech
1994 The Giver, by Lois Lowry
1993 Missing May, by Cynthia Rylant
1992 Shiloh, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
1991 Maniac Magee, by Jerry Spinelli
1990 Number the Stars, by Lois Lowry
1989 Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices, by Paul Fleischman
1988 Lincoln: A Photobiography, by Russell Freedman
1987 The Whipping Boy, by Sid Fleischman
1986 Sarah, Plain and Tall, by Patricia MacLachlan
1985 The Hero and the Crown, by Robin McKinley
1984 Dear Mr. Henshaw, by Beverly Cleary
1983 Dicey’s Song, by Cynthia Voigt
1982 A Visit to William Blake’s Inn: Poems for Innocent and Experienced Travelers, by Nancy Willard
1981 Jacob Have I Loved, by Katherine Paterson
1980 A Gathering of Days: A New England Girl's Journal, 1830-1832, by Joan Blos
1979 The Westing Game, by Ellen Raskin
1978 Bridge to Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson
1977 Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, by Mildred D. Taylor
1976 The Grey King, by Susan Cooper
1975 M. C. Higgins, the Great, by Virginia Hamilton
1974 The Slave Dancer, by Paula Fox
1973 Julie of the Wolves, by Jean Craighead George
1972 Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, by Robert C. O’Brien
1971 Summer of the Swans, by Betsy Byars
1970 Sounder, by William H. Armstrong
1969 The High King, by Lloyd Alexander
1968 From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, by E. L. Konigsburg
1967 Up a Road Slowly, by Irene Hunt
1966 I, Juan de Pareja, by Elizabeth Borton de Treviño
1965 Shadow of a Bull, by Maia Wojciechowska
1964 It’s Like This, Cat, by Emily Neville
1963 A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L’Engle
1962 The Bronze Bow, by Elizabeth George Speare
1961 Island of the Blue Dolphins, by Scott O’Dell
1960 Onion John, by Joseph Krumgold
1959 The Witch of Blackbird Pond, by Elizabeth George Speare
1958 Rifles for Watie, by Harold Keith
1957 Miracles on Maple Hill, by Virginia Sorenson
1956 Carry On, Mr. Bowditch, by Jean Lee Latham
1955 The Wheel on the School, by Meindert DeJong
1954 …And Now Miguel, by Joseph Krumgold
1953 Secret of the Andes, by Ann Nolan Clark
1952 Ginger Pye, by Eleanor Estes
1951 Amos Fortune, Free Man, by Elizabeth Yates
1950 The Door in the Wall, by Marguerite de Angeli
1949 King of the Wind, by Marguerite Henry
1948 The Twenty-One Balloons, by William Pène du Bois
1947 Miss Hickory, by Carolyn Sherwin Bailey
1946 Strawberry Girl, by Lois Lenski
1945 Rabbit Hill, by Robert Lawson
1944 Johnny Tremain, by Esther Forbes
1943 Adam of the Road, by Elizabeth Gray Vining
1942 The Matchlock Gun, by Walter Edmonds
1941 Call It Courage, by Armstrong Sperry
1940 Daniel Boone, by James Daugherty
1939 Thimble Summer, by Elizabeth Enright
1938 The White Stag, by Kate Seredy
1937 Roller Skates, by Ruth Sawyer
1936 Caddie Woodlawn, by Carol Ryrie Brink
1935 Dobry, by Monica Shannon
1934 Invincible Louisa: The Story of the Author of Little Women, by Cornelia Meigs
1933 Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze, by Elizabeth Foreman Lewis
1932 Waterless Mountain, by Laura Adams Armer
1931 The Cat Who Went to Heaven, by Elizabeth Coatsworth
1930 Hitty, Her First Hundred Years, by Rachel Field
1929 The Trumpeter of Krakow, by Eric P. Kelly
1928 Gay Neck, the Story of a Pigeon, by Dhan Gopal Mukerji
1927 Smoky the Cowhorse, by Will James
1926 Shen of the Sea, by Arthur Bowie Chrisman
1925 Tales from Silver Lands, by Charles Finger
1924 The Dark Frigate, by Charles Hawes
1923 The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle, by Hugh Lofting
1922 The Story of Mankind, by Hendrik Willem van Loon

On the downward slide...

2007 is already half over? How did that happen??

Here's what I've read so far this year:
Links go to my review of the book, unless otherwise noted.

36. The Faith Club by Idliby, Oliver, and Warner
35. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
34. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
33. Hex and the City by Simon R. Green
32. The Second Coming of Lucy Hatch by Marsha Moyer
31. Real Murders by Charlaine Harris
30. 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson
29. The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields
28. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
27. The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
26. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
25. Nightingale's Lament by Simon R. Green
24. Carpe Demon by Julie Kenner
23. The Giver by Lois Lowry
22. What My Mother Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones
21. Shakespeare's Christmas by Charlaine Harris
20. Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn
19. Plum Lovin' by Janet Evanovich (Amazon.com link)
18. The Mediator 1: Shadowland by Meg Cabot
17. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
16. Rachel's Holiday by Marian Keyes
15. Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris
14. Statements by Amy Borkowsky
13. Under the Duvet by Marian Keyes
12. Sufficient Grace by Darnell Arnoult
11. I Feel Bad About My Neck and Other Thoughts on Being a Woman by Nora Ephron
10. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling
9. The History Of Love by Nicole Krauss
8. Every Boy's Got One by Meg Cabot
7. Agents of Light and Darkness by Simon R. Green
6. Something From the Nightside by Simon R. Green
5. Try by Lily Burana (Amazon.com link)
4. Grave Sight by Charlaine Harris
3. Ill Wind by Rachel Caine
2. Size 12 is Not Fat by Meg Cabot
1. Waiting: The True Confessions of a Waitress by Debra Ginsberg (Amazon.com link)

What are my reading goals for the rest of the year, you ask? (Ok, so you didn't, but I'm telling you anyway.)

1. Finish my Harry Potter re-read, and the new one.
2. Successfully complete the challenges I've signed up for, and do not sign up for more until at least one is done. One in, One out is the new policy around here.
3. Try not to let the TBR pile get overwhelmingly worse. (See the flexibility built into that sentence? Who is gonna define "Overwhelming" for me?)
4. I'm well on my way to completely my personal goal of 52 books read this year, so that one should be easy to do.

Math for the first half of the year: 90 books in (the last one being Lean Mean Thirteen), 36 books read, 54 books behind. One better than last week!

I've been doing much better on reading since I grounded myself. Until yesterday, when I spent all day sewing.

We went to the circus on Saturday night. The Monkey rode an elephant. He's the teeny boy in the red shirt in the middle. I had to look away.

Books Awards Reading Challenge

Ok, just ONE more challenge. Then I'm done. Actually, this one is so easy it doesn't even hardly count. The Books Awards Reading Challenge is hosted by 3M and the goal is to read 12 award winning books between July 1, 2007 and June 30, 2008. Books CAN overlap with other challenges, which means my list is mostly made already! Just a handful more and a full year to add them, I think this should work out just fine. As a bonus, I don't have to have my full list now, so I can add things from other, TBD, challenges later.


Here's what I've got so far:

1. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry (Newbery 1990)
2. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D Taylor (Newbery 1977)
3. Up A Road Slowly by Irene Hunt (Newbery 1967)
4. A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine D'Engle (Newbery 1963)
5. The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Spear (Newbery 1960)
6. The Optimist's Daughter by Eudora Welty (Pulitzer 1973)
7. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett (Orange Prize 2002)(PEN/Faulker 2002)
   
8. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (Governor General's Award 1985)
   
9. Possession: A Romance by A. S. Byatt (Man Booker 1990) (not on any other challenge, but on my shelves)
   
10. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides (Pulitzer 2003) (ditto)
11. The Road - Cormac McCarthy (Pulitzer 2007) (not on another challenge, but feels like something I should read.)
    
12. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by JK Rowling (British Book Award 2006)

Ok, there's my first 12. I've only added 3 that aren't already on another challenge. Now here's the best part- there are PRIZES- credits from paperbackswap! Woohoo! The more books you read, the more chances you have to win. I'm in it to win it!

3M has set up a nice little blog for this challenge, so come by and sign up- Books Awards Reading Challenge.

Gina, this would be the perfect place for you to get your feet wet on blogging. Come on over, I'll vouch for ya if you look like trouble.

Southern Reading Challenge

Maggie over at Maggie Reads is hosting a Southern Reading Challenge this summer. After much deliberation I have decided on my three choices, and they are:

1. 1. gods in Alabama by Joshilyn Jackson
2. 2. The Optimist's Daughter by Eudora Welty
3. 3. Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns

All three of these are on my bookshelf already, so I can dive right in.