My rash, excessive and exuberant joining of challenges in the last few weeks has had an unexpected effect: it has spawned a new and fascinating challenge which I now must be a part of. It's the Science Book Challenge, hosted by Bearcastle, who is a newbie to the book challenge world. As part of his company Ars Hermeneutica, besides the previously mentioned Sun Truck project, there is a great area of his website called Book Notes; this challenge wants people to contribute to that area. If you like reading science-related books, of any kind, join up and check out some of the book notes which already exist on his site.

Okay, one more challenge! My eye has been caught by the reinvigorated Chunkster Challenge, being hosted this year by So many books, so little time. Even though I didn't come close to meeting my goals with this one last year, it was fun. And I think it would make a lovely counterpoint to the Short Story Challenge -- a few stories, a reaaallllly long novel. Balance. So I'm going to sign up again, and fortunately, cross-challenge books are permitted. Yay, War & Peace!

Joy at Thoughts of Joy is hosting the Non-Fiction Five challenge again. I missed it the first time. It's supposed to encourage people to read more non-fiction but that's not really a problem for me as I read LOTS of non-fiction. I still want to participate though!

My list:
I Sleep At Red Lights: A True Story of Life after Triplets by Bruce StocklerSiblings Without Rilvary by Adele Faber and Elaine MazlishNibbles and Me by Elizabeth TaylorStolen Lives : Twenty years in a desert jail by Malika Oufkir and Michèle Fitoussi ; translated by RosSchwartz.Stick figure : a diary of my former self by Lori Gottlieb

This is a good idea. It will help me read from my other challenges. From July 1, 2008 to December 31, 2008 I need to read one book from six challenges I'm signed up for or will sign up for before then. Find out more here.

A tentative list is coming.

Jeff has introduced the Science-Book Challenge. Read 3 non-fiction books that related to the theme "Living a Rational Life." They should be science related.

Muses, Madmen and Prophets: Rethinking the history, science and meaning of auditory hallucinations by Daniel B. Smith

A Clone Of Your Own: The Science and Ethics of Cloning by Arlene Judith Klotzko

Quirkology: How We Discover The Big Truths In Small Things by Richard Wiseman

Extra/Alts: (More to come)

Have your book-tastes changed over the years? More fiction? Less? Books that are darker and more serious? Lighter and more frivolous? Challenging? Easy? How-to books over novels? Mysteries over Romance?

My reading has changed over the years. In school, I preferred fairy tales and or Enid Blytons. In my college days, I used to read mysteries, thrillers and lots of romances. I used to read classics too but those were not so very often. I rarely read non-fiction. Unless it was to do with travelogues. Now I read more serious books. I can read non-fiction although not too much of it. I also have taken to fantasies. Although paranormal erotic fiction is beyond me even now. I do read lighter stuff but with underlying seriousness. I stay away from frivolous, meaningless reads.

One of my New Year's Resolutions is to not take on more than I can handle, especially when it comes to challenges. In 2007, I discovered Reading Challenges and signed up for everything and completed very little. I still have a few books to finish for the TBR Challenge and The Something About Me Challenge. I really hate not finishing things.

Now the new run of challenges is starting and I find myself being drawn in. They're just so tempting. Why is that? Is it the camaraderie of people working towards the same goals? The cute buttons?

Anyway, I'm sticking to a few rules before I join:

I found links at Joy's Blog to two more challenges that I just couldn't resist!

Both of these challenges are hosted by J. Kaye's Book Blog.

Okay so I meant to sign up for this challenge back in February. Oh well. I should be able to read 5 nonfiction books about health and wellness by Nov. 14.

1. The Hidden Dangers of Soy by Diane Gregg
2. Nourishing Your Daughter by Carol Beck
3. Stick Figure: A Diary of a Former Self by Lori Gottlieb
4.
5.

My summer is officially over. With that, here's a review of everything I read during June, July, and August. I set a few challenges for myself. I failed a few challenges for myself. Oh well. I read a lot. That's all that matters.

With that, I give you my summer in review (please note that the two starred entries refer to books I was, for whatever reason, unable to complete):

BOOKS READ IN JUNE
1. unSpun
2. Jude the Obscure
3. State of Fear
4. The Butterfly Revolution

I finally decided what I'll be reading for my Jewish Literature Challenge from Dec. 4, 2007 to April 26, 2008

The Christmas Revolution by Barbara Cohen
The Rabbi's Girls by Johanna Hurwitz
A Woman in Jerusalem by A.B. Yehoshua
Emil and Karl by Jacob Glatstein
Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy
The Illuminated Soul by Aryeh Lev Stollman

Plus I'll be reading Picture books and Children's Non-fiction on Hannukah and Passover that I just pick from the library at the time.

Ok, I know I'm crazy but this is THE LAST ONE! It has to be, I have no more room on my sidebar and I'm going to have to buy Barnes & Noble, or rent a room in the library if I keep going. So, I've joined another challenge. But this one will fit with my other challenges (likely excuse right?). I've joined the A to Z Reading Challenge hosted by Joy. If you think this will fit into your challenges, head on over to Thoughts of Joy and sign up like all us other crazy people =) I will add the Authors and Titles as I go along!

A -
B -
C -
D -
E -
F -

Stars: ****1/2I read this book for the Celebrate the Author challenge and the Reading My Name challenge.

Celebrate the Author Note:
Dr. Seuss is one of my favourite children’s authors so I didn’t want to cheat and just re-read some of his books that I’ve read a million times. So I decided I’d read a few of this books I haven’t read yet as well as a book about his life.

This book is a Children’s Non-Fiction book about he early life of Dr. Seuss, before he was known as that. It explains who he was as a boy and how he came to be an author and artist. The story itself is written like a picture book and ends when he is 22 and his writing life is taking off. After that is an explanation of how he came up with the idea for some of his books as well as information on his life after 22 such as when he was married and how The Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham were the result of bets by his publisher.

Since it's the beginning of November, I think it's a good time to see how I'm progressing with my reading challenges.

• RIP 2 Challenge. 4/4. Done. Hurray!
• The Something About Me Challenge. 4/10. This challenge ends December 31. Epp! I better get on that.
• The TBR Challenge. 8/12 (2/5 Alternates). I don't think I'm going to finish this one. It ends December 31 as well.
  

I must be out of my mind. I joined a few more challenges for 2008. I think I can overlap many of those. Click on the icons to know more about those challenges. Join as many as you can.

The challenges in alphabetical order are:

Total 52 books. 26 each for authors and titles.

The first Book Awards challenge is coming to a close and the second one will be starting soon. The rules are slightly different this time. From August 1, 2008 - June 1, 2009 I need to read 10 books that represent 5 different awards (in other words, they can't all be from the same award) This list can be made as we go and changed at any time. I'll post some tentative reads after I give it some thought.

I haven't participated in BTT lately, not because of my lack of internet access but because I didn't have anything to say for the topics. But this week I'm back.

"What fiction book (or books) would you nominate to be the best new book
published in 2007?(Older books that you read for the first time in 2007
don’t count.)

What non-fiction book (or books) would you nominate to be the best new
book published in 2007?(Older books that you read for the first time in 2007
don’t count.)

And, do “best of” lists influence your reading?"

Every year the same thing happens. As Good Friday approaches, I forget about my hubby's 'no meat on Friday' thing. I'm not Catholic, so of course, it doesn't really cross my mind. I don't know why hubby always forgets since he is Catholic and all. I happened to remember a couple of days ago, so it's halibut tonight.

Last night was the last new Lost episode until April 24. Kookiejar has the discussion. Talk amongst yourselves. Also here's a funny Lost show by show recap.

Anyway let's find take a peek around the web:

- Put on a bib, you're about to drool. Look at these bookshelves!

"What's In A Name?" Reading Challenge
Dates: January 1, 2008 through December 31, 2008
The Challenge: Choose one book from each of the following categories.

1. A book with a colour in its title.

This is a challenge to read 1 out of every 10 books in the first 100 books of the 1001 list. Wow that wasn't any clearer was it? LOL. I have from May 1 - Oct 31. The sections left blank haven't been decided yet. 1-1011-20 - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightime21-3031-40 - Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides41-50 - Life of Pi by Yann Martel51-6061-70 - The Human Stain by Philip Roth71-8081-90 - The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver or The hours by Michael Cunningham91-100 - The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy or Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

Booking Through Thursday

Do you get on a roll when you read, so that one book leads to the next, which leads to the next, and so on and so on?

I don’t so much mean something like reading a series from beginning to end, but, say, a string of books that all take place in Paris. Or that have anthropologists as the main character. Or were written in the same year. Something like that… Something that strings them together in your head, and yet, otherwise could be different genres, different authors…

Don’t forget to leave a link to your actual response (so people don’t have to go searching for it) in the comments—or if you prefer, leave your answers in the comments themselves!

Booknut is hosting this great challenge to read 4 books by authors that are not Caucasian. More details here.

I'm definitely participating as the majority of the authors I read are white. I don't have a list of books yet but I'll work on them. I'm going to do her second choice and read one from each of the categories listed (that's 6 books, but 4 minimum to finish this challenge) This challenges is from January-April 2008

I think I am getting cold feet looking at my own list. However, I have to do this. I can't go on procastinating!

Man Booker Challenge 2008
1) 2007 The Gathering by Anne Enright
2) 2006 *The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai
3) 2000 *The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood currently reading it
4) 1981 *Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie
5)
6)

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I finished the Non-Fiction Five Challenge. Given the crazy kind of month it has been at my house and my very limited reading time, I consider this quite an accomplishment. Here's what I read:

• Left To Tell - Imaculee Ilibagiza
• The Children's Blizzard - David Laskin
• Evidence Not Seen - Darlene Deibler Rose
• I Dared to Call Him Father - Bilquis Sheikh
• First They Killed My Father - Loung Ung

This Challenge has been on the horizon for a while and I looked at it repeatedly but was quite convinced that I'd taken on enough Challenges for the next year. However, as I see more participants' lists, and realize that double-Challenge books are permitted, I'm irretrievably tempted. There are quite a few books I could use for more than one Challenge, plus this just sounds so random and so entertaining. Besides, it runs the entire year -- there's no reason I couldn't do it, right? So with great humility I will eat my words and I will take on JUST ONE MORE CHALLENGE!

Stars: ****

I got this book for review from Annick Press. I also read it as part of the Baby Steps challenge.

This book was very interesting. I’m not usually one for Science Fiction type books, especially ones that depict a very high tech future, however this one intrigued me. In this “near-future” advertising has taken on a whole new meaning. Cars have ID so that when you go through a Drive-Thru, a sign overhead can greet you by name. It also automatically debits your account when you make a purchase. Children are outfitted with Safety Sentinel’s which is basically a GPS tracker to keep track of where your children are. There are ads on the back of cars so the car behind it can see them. There are large ads on the sides of buildings. Life-sized dummies just inside stores talk about the stores features and sales. It’s crazy!

Although I've read all my life and I've been reviewing books for a few years, I only got serious with my book blogging at the beginning of July. Until then I didn't record all the books I read so a good book may be missing although if I don't remember it at all, I guess it probably wasn't a five star book.

So of the books recorded here in 2007, I rated 25 books at 5 stars.

I started doing monthly reviews in July and these are the best books of each month:

July - The Everything Toddler Book by Linda Sonna Ph.D.
August - Magic or Madness by Justine Larbalestier
September - Marley and Me by John Grogan
October - Black Creek Crossing by John Saul
November - The Bookman's Wake by John Dunning
December - Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom

However not all of these made it to my top 10. So without furthur ado, here is my top 10 books that I read in 2007 (not necessarily published in 2007.)

3M has come up with another challenge.

In 2008 I need to read 8 books that are first published in 08. Most of these books will probably be review books I receive. So I will not be making a list beforehand. I will add the books I've read to this list as I go.