Yes, I am aware its Monday but this is too good to wait a whole week.
Several of my blogging friends have signed up at The Sunday Salon and brought it to my attention. What better way to spend a Sunday afternoon that reading and sharing bookish thoughts with other book-lovers? Thanks to my blogging friends for pointing me to TSS.

I have several books competing for my attention lately. A look at my sidebar indicates that I currently have three books going and I am not close to finishing any of them. They are all very good. However, I have decided to feed my latest obsession and finding myself in a bookstore yesterday I purchased two other books that have been consuming my attention.

This has been a busy weekend and I have had little time for reading or blogging. However, I would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that The Sleepy Reader has moved. It can now be found at either of the following URLs:
http://www.thesleepyreader.net   orhttp://readingtoolate.net
I hope to be back in the normal swing of things in the next week with a couple of new book reviews.
Happy Sunday and Happy Reading!

I received "The last Single Woman in America" by Cindy Guidry directly from dutton, the publishers as I had emailed to them asking for it after reading about the giveaway offer in Dewey's blog. I am very much Indian and single, although I do not think I am the last single woman in India! I have read some 80+ pages and find it very interesting. Cindy writes it with a wry sense of humour. And I am finding it good to read. I can relate to it too in some instances.

I usually finish such books fast. But today I was sleeping most of the day with stomach cramps. I must have eaten something, which has played havoc with my digesting system. Although I am drinking a lot of fluids, still I feel weak and lethargic which is not conducive for reading.

I will post the review as soon as I finish it.

Another sunday has almost ended. It was a long day. I got up around 5 am and read for a while. I am moving house in mid April. Therefore, I had a house warming today. We Hindus do a Puja before moving into a new house. After the puja, there was a celebration lunch, which went on upto 4 pm! Then cleaning up.

However, nothing can stop me from reading. I started Twelve Red Herrings by Jeffrey Archer. It is collection of short stories. Each story has a red herring! Archer leaves it on the reader to discover it. I have read two and plan to finish it by tomorrow. I used to love Archer's novels. And this story collection is good too. Will write a review as soon as I finish it. One good thing about reading short stories is that one can randomly pick and choose. I am lovin' it!

I would call this a fruitful week in the sense that I finished two difficult books. The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood, which took me a long time to finish. However, when I finally completed, I felt it is worthwhile. I have a good mind to re-read it again and I know I will savour it.

I also finished The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco. This I read, while travelling to and fro for my seminar being conducted in another part of Delhi. I liked this very much. This is Eco's first book and he has done a great job of it. I look forward to read more from him. I will check out his other works. What I loved about this book is that it is entirely based on a library and revolves in and around it. By the description one can almost feel as if one is inside that mysterious library.

In this week I could manage to review only one book, that too a Tintin one, The Lake of Sharks. Comic books take less time to read and review. A new house entails a lot of work. Although I am nicely enconsed in my new home, all those paperwork for banks etc has to be completed. In India, nothing gets done by telephone or the internet. One has to go there and get things done.

In a week's time, I leave this house where I have lived for 14 years. It is my parents house. My dad passed away in 2002 and I live with my mom. Both of us are moving to be nearer to my younger brother. We will stay apart yet near. In India family is important. In a way, I never left home, always living with my parents and then only mom. My three brothers come home, on and off. I am the permanent fixture. Although I am the third child, I am treated as the youngest one by my family.

Enough about that. I had started reading My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk, in January, I think. Somehow it just receded to the background. I again picked it up this week. I am in the middle of it. This is not an easy read. Not by substance or by font.

According to the book Blurb:

I could only read two books in the past book. Considering, one was 688 pages and the other 415, I think I did well. Both were difficult and thoughtful reads.

One was Roots by Alex Haley and the other, Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Both deal with the slave trade in America. After reading the former, I had to re-read the latter. Both left me asking questions and made major impact on my mind. That too despite knowing about slavery all along.

This Sunday morning has been a little more hectic than most but this afternoon promises to be a quiet one for reading.

I only managed to finish one title this week. I had been looking forward to reading it for quite a while since I enjoy the urban fantasy genre from time to time for a little fun & light reading.

Title: The Sounds of Poetry
Author: Robert Pinsky
ISBN-13: 9780374526176
Publisher: Farrar, Straux and Giroux/1998
Pages: 117

Robert Pinsky is a poet of US, who teaches graduate writing programme at Boston University. Here in this book, he takes up poetry in the vocal form. He wants that we shoud how to read out poetry loud, where should we pause and where to stop. He gives stress on diction, syntax, accent, verse form..ie..rhymed poetry, metric poetry, free verse and blank verse.

Susan Gregg Gilmore
293 pages

Reason for Reading: ARC, Pub '08 Challenge

Catherine Grace Cline was 6 years old on the hot summer day that her mama went to pick berries, fell into the river, and died. The indelible influence of growing up in a small town without a mother makes Catherine long for the day that she can leave Ringgold, Georgia behind her.

When I received the ARC of this book I thought I was in for a fun, light-hearted read. It was that. It was charming, humorous and fun but it was also touching. The evolution of Catherine's relationship to her sister, father, Sunday School teacher, and next door neighbor, Gloria Jean made reading the whole book worthwhile. However, I enjoyed getting to know the residents of Ringgold, warts and all, and I enjoyed the way that the author drew the story to a close. (4/5)

My reading time has been limited today. I have several chores that, despite my best efforts, seem to be left waiting for me on Sunday. I am always trying to multi-task though and so I did manage to listen to a bit more of The Poet by Michael Connelly. This is another one of the books on the list of Agatha/Anthony/Edgar Award winners and is therefore apart of my quest to read all the winners. I finished The Chatham School Affair on Friday which is also on the list. I didn't love it as some reviewers have but I did end up enjoying it after a rough start.

I found out this morning that I snagged a copy of "Have You Found Her: A Memoir" by Janice Erlbaum from LibraryThing's Early Reviewer Program . I am looking forward to reading this!

It has been a pretty good reading week at my house. Because the weather has been bitterly cold, we have limited our activities to only those that are absolutely necessary.

I was able to finish and review two books for challenges. I read People of the Book and The Septembers of Shiraz. Hopefully, this puts me in a pretty good spot for my January reading goals.

Today, everyone was feeling under the weather so we decided to stay home from church so as not to share our bug. That means it should be a pretty good day for reading for me.

There is paint work going on in one part of our house. The air is smelling of fresh paint. I love the smell of paint but it is getting too much lately. 10 more days to go. I am going nuts over it. I keep reading. This time I read a novel from a collection of three by Patricia Gaffney. I had not heard of her before this. I got this book as an advance birthday gift for March 22! (Anyone else interested to send me birthday gifts?! :D)

Circle of Three is one of the three novels in one FAT volume. I say fat becos, this in itself is 421 pages. I started it on Friday and managed to finish it a while back. It took me a while as I had to evaluate answersheets in the midst of it all, i.e, blogging, writing poetry, reading. You get the gist?

Amal Rifa'i and Odelia Ainbinder
150 pages

Reason for Reading:
Triple 8 Challenge, Book Around the World, Expanding Horizons Challenge.

Amal Rifa'i(a pseudonym used for her protection) and Odelia Ainbinder are teenagers who met through a student exchange program to Switzerland. Amal is Palestinian and Odelia is Israeli. Their first meeting wasn't great but through the mediation of a foreign correspondant, they were able to start a frank discussion about what it is like for each side in the conflict that rages in their homeland.

As my school is far from my present residence, I have been reading a lot while travelling. I have finished three books. Posted review for the other two. Today I will post a review for Did I Expect Angels? by Kathryn Maughan. I read it in April though. Sunday Salon seems like a good way to write a review. I plan to write poetry after posting my review. And catch up with my fellow bloggers. I have slacked enough.

Title: Did I Expect Angels?
Author: Kathryn Maughan
ISBN: 9780595402595

Kristin Hannah
479 pages

Reason for Reading: LT Early Reviewers ARC, Pub '08 Challenge, A-Z Challenge, Chunkster Challenge.

From the Publisher:

After arriving home from a pleasant day of shopping with my family yesterday, I found a package that contained The Shipping News. I won this in a drawing from Michelle over at 1 More Chapter . I was excited to have received it and can't wait to read it! Thanks so much Michelle! I love free books and I really love reading your blog!

Dalia Sofer
338 pages

Reason for Reading: Expanding Horizons Challenge, Triple 8 Challenge, Book Around the World, and The Notable Books Challenge.

On the Flap
"In the aftermath of the Iranian revolution, rare-gem dealer Isaac Amin is arrested, wrongly accused of being a spy. Terrified by his disappear-ance, his family must reconcile a new world of cruelty and chaos with the collapse of everything they have known."

My Thoughts:

Lori Copeland
141 pages
Read "Justforthehelluvit"

Back of the Book:
"It’s that time of year again, and with excitement and high expectations, Rose has planned the perfect Christmas for her family and friends. But when she feels them drifting away during a time that should celebrate togetherness, Rose is forced to slow down in the most unexpected way. In this whimsical, uplifting story, she discovers the true meaning of giving."

My Thoughts:

Geraldine Brooks
368 pages

Reason for Reading: Pub'08 Challenge, Interest.

From the Publisher:

Michael Connelly
391 pages
Read for: The Book Awards Challenge

Terry McCaleb used to be a top FBI profiler but the stress has taken it's toll on him. He suffers a heart attack which leaves him him in need of a heart transplant. He receives his heart transplant and is recovering at his boat when Graciela, the sister of his heart donor, shows up and asks him to help her find her sister's killer. Things get twisty from there.

Kim Harrison
416 pages

Reason for Reading: TBR Challenge'08

Back of the Book:
"All the creatures of the night gather in "the Hollows" of Cincinnati, to hide, to prowl, to party ... and to feed.

Vampires rule the darkness in a predator-eat-predator world rife with dangers beyond imagining -- and it’s Rachel Morgan's job to keep that world civilized."

My Thoughts:

Rachel Caine
337 pages

Reason for Reading: What's in a Name Challenge, TBR Challenge '08

Back of the Book:
"Joanne Baldwin is a Weather Warden. Usually, all it takes is a wave of her hand to tame the most violent weather. But now, she's trying to outrun another kind of storm: accusations of corruption and murder. So, she's resorting to the very human tactic of running for her life..."

My Thoughts:
I was looking for a book to get lost in this afternoon and this fit the bill perfectly. While it's actually a challenge book for me, it would have been great in the "Justforthehelluvit" category too.

I loved the whole different twist on magical powers in this story. There are three types of Wardens: Earth, Fire and Weather. Each has it's particular benefits but they work best in conjunction with Djinn.

Michelle from 1 More Chapter was kind enough to add my name to a drawing that she was having for a book giveaway. I won Buying a Fishing Rod for My Grandfather. Since I am participating in the 2008 A-Z Challenge this year, I will use this book for my "X" author. Now, to find my "X" title.

Thanks so much, Michelle!

Title: My Name is Red
Author: Orhan Pamuk
ISBN: 0375706852
Publisher: Vintage International/2001
Pages: 413

I had started this book in January. For some reason, it stayed at page 43 for a few months. I again picked it up in April. I only read upto page 59. However, finally I decided to finish it this week. Today I did. You can say that I plodded through the book. It could only hold my interest after I had read it half way through.