I hope FOX picks up Conan. If I watch anything at 11:35 (10:35pm my time), it’ll definitely be Conan O’Brien. NBC has seriously messed up.

This year I made the Book Awards Challenge quite a bit more difficult by requiring 10 different awards, but it’s okay to cheat a little, too. For instance, I’m mostly interested in the Pulitzer,  Orange, and Booker winners, but I can still find some of those winners on other lists, [...]]]>

Click to go to site

This year I made the Book Awards Challenge quite a bit more difficult by requiring 10 different awards, but it’s okay to cheat a little, too. For instance, I’m mostly interested in the Pulitzer,  Orange, and Booker winners, but I can still find some of those winners on other lists, too. So of course it’s acceptable to use double winners in that manner. For instance Lonesome Dove (a Pulitzer) also won the Spur Award, and Bel Canto (an Orange) also won the PEN/Faulkner. There are other examples below as well. In looking at my list below, I’m really surprised that I have that many titles as possibles for the Nebula. Maybe I need to read more from that award!

Hope everyone has fun attempting this challenge.

Here is what I’m thinking about for the Book Awards IV:

• Anthony Award – She Walks These Hills by Sharyn McCrumb
• Booker Prize – Disgrace by Coetzee
• Commonwealth Writers’ Prize – Andrea Levy, Small Island
  OR Kate Grenville, The Secret River
  OR Lawrence Hill, The Book of Negroes (U.S. title: Someone Knows My Name)
• Costa/Whitbread – Stef Penney, The Tenderness of Wolves
• Edgar – Blue Heaven by C.J. Box
• Giller – Alice Munro,  The Love of a Good Woman
• Hugo – To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis
• IMPAC – Michael Thomas, Man Gone Down
  OR Rawi Hage, De Niro’s Game
  OR Herta Müller, The Land of Green Plums
• James Tait Black – Rosalind Belben, Our Horses in Egypt
• Kiriyama Prize –  Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones
• Miles Franklin - Oscar and Lucinda, Peter Carey
• NBCC – Jane Smiley A Thousand Acres
• Nebula – The Yiddish Policemen’s Union by Michael Chabon
  OR The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon
  OR American Gods by Neil Gaiman
  OR Parable of the Talents by Octavia E. Butler
  OR Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
  OR Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card
  OR Neuromancer by William Gibson
• Newbery – Lynne Rae Perkins Criss Cross
• Orange Prize – Home – Robinson
  OR On Beauty – Smith
  OR The Idea of Perfection – Grenville
  OR Larry’s Party – Shields
• PEN/Faulkner - Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
• PEN/Hemingway – Marilynne Robinson, Housekeeping
• Printz – Jellicoe Road, Melina Marchetta
  OR Looking for Alaska, John Green
• Pulitzer – Empire Falls – Richard Russo
  OR American Pastoral - Philip Roth
  OR Breathing Lessons – Anne Tyler
• Spur – Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
  OR Tallgrass By Sandra Dallas
  OR The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint by Brady Udal
• World Fantasy Award - Ysabel by Guy Gavriel Kay
  OR Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami

Thanks to those 2009 Pub challenge participants who made it a great success! I hope you’ll consider joining the 2010 Pub as well. For those who didn’t participate last year but want to read more 2010 releases, join us. New members are always welcome! The challenge lasts [...]]]>

Click to sign up

Thanks to those 2009 Pub challenge participants who made it a great success! I hope you’ll consider joining the 2010 Pub as well. For those who didn’t participate last year but want to read more 2010 releases, join us. New members are always welcome! The challenge lasts for all of 2010.

Here are the 2010 rules:

1. Read a minimum of 10 books first published in 2010. You don’t have to buy these. Library books, unabridged audios, or ARCs are all acceptable. To qualify as being first published in 2010, it must be the first time that the book is published in your own country. For example, if a book was published in Australia, England, or Canada in 2009, and then published in the USA in 2010, it counts (if you live in the USA). Newly published trade paperbacks and mass market paperbacks do not count if there has been a hardcover/trade published before 2010.
2. No children’s/YA titles allowed, since we’re at the ‘pub.’
3. At least 5 titles must be fiction.
4. Crossovers with other challenges are allowed.
5. You can add your titles as you go, and they may be changed at any time.
6. Sign up at the Pub Challenge site using Mr. Linky.
7. Have fun reading your 2010 books!

10 months. 10 awards.

Thanks to all those who participated in the first three book awards challenges!! Are you up for a fourth? The challenge for Book Awards IV will last for 10 months, from January 1 through November 1, 2010.

Did you participate in the Decades ‘09 last year? Would you like to again? Or, if you didn’t take part in 2009, are you interested in doing so in 2010? We’d love to have you join us!

Decades 2010 Rules:

First, the books in translation:

Chinese

Japanese

This year, for 2009, I read 72 new-to-me authors, which emcompassed 65% of my total reading for the year. Still a lot of new authors, but I went back [...]]]> In 2007 I read 79 new-to-me authors which was 90% of my total reading, and in 2008 I read 90 new-to-me authors for 88% of my reading.

This year, for 2009, I read 72 new-to-me authors, which emcompassed 65% of my total reading for the year. Still a lot of new authors, but I went back to some favorites and also kept up with a few series.  Looking at all the wonderful authors below, it’s really impossible to say who my favorites were because there were so many. I really enjoy ‘meeting’ new authors, and though I know I always will, I’m also getting to the point where I want to delve deeper into more of my favorite authors’ works as well. Do I have a prediction for 2010? I’ll take a guess that the new-to-me authors will be somewhere around 50-60%.

1. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing by M.T. Anderson (2006, 368 pp.)
2. The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker (2009, 341 pp.)
3. The Houskeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa (2009, 180 pp.)
4. Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair by Pablo Neruda (1924, 1969 for English translation, 80 pp.)
5. Thousand Cranes by Yasanuri Kawabata (1952, 147 pp.)
6. Fear and Trembling by Amelie Nothomb (1999, 2001 for the English translation, 132 pp)
7. Fugitive Pieces by Ann Michaels (1996, 294 pp.)
8. Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer (2006, 352 pp.)
9. Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto (1988, 1993 for the English translation; 105 pp.)
10. The Reader by Bernard Schlink (1995, 1997 for the English translation; 224 pages)
11. So Long a Letter by Mariama Ba (1980-81, 90 pp.)
12. Solaris by Stanislaw Lem (1961, 204 pp.)
13. A Tale of Two Gardens by Octavio Paz (various copyrights, 111 pp.)
14. Beneath a Marble Sky by John Shors (2004, 344 pp.)
15. The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton (2008, 288 pp.)
16. A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park (2001, 152 pp.)
17. Kira Kira by Cynthia Kadohata (2004, 244 pp.)
18. The Midwife’s Apprentice by Karen Cushman (1995, 122 pp.)
19. Zlateh the Goat and Other Stories by Isaac Bashevis Singer (1966, 90 pp.)
20. Q & A by Vikas Swarup (2005, 318 pp.)
21. Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byars (1970, 144 pp.)
22. Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi (2002, 297 pp.)
23. Call It Courage by Armstrong Sperry (1940, 128 pp.)
24. Finn by Jon Clinch (2007, 304 pp.)
25. Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates (1961, 355 pp.)
26. Petropolis by Anya Ulinich (2007, 324pp.)
27. Natasha and Other Stories by David Bezmozgis (2004, 147 pp)
28. All the Living by C.E. Morgan (2009, 208 pp.)
29. Jane Austen Ruined My Life by Beth Pattillo (2009, 270 pp.)
30. The House of Paper by Carlos Maria Dominguez (2005 for Eng. trans., 103 pp.)
31. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz (2007, 339 pp.)
32. The End of the Alphabet by C.S. Richardson (2007, 119 pp.)
33. Ravel by Jean Echenoz (2007, 117 pp.)
34. Mistik Lake by Martha Brooks (2007, 224 pp.)
35. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (2005, 498pp)
36. The First Part Last by Angela Johnson (2003, 131 pp.)
37. An Abundance of Katherines by John Green (2006, 256 pp.)
38. The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer (2002, 380 pp.)
39. Yarrow by Charles de Lint (1986, 255 pp.)
40. The Tricking of Freya by Christina Sunley (2009, 342 pp.)
41. Skim by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki (2008, 142 pp.)
42. How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff  (2004, 194 pp.)
43. The Optimist’s Daughter by Eudora Welty (1969, 180 pp.)
44. A Summons to Memphis by Peter Taylor (1986, 224 pp.)
45. Intuition by Allegra Goodman (2006, 352 pp.)
46. Property by Valerie Martin (2002, 192 pp.)
47. The View from Castle Rock by Alice Munro (2006, 368 pp.)
48. The Help by Kathryn Stockett (2009, 464 pp.)
49. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver (1998, 576 pp.)
50. The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck (1931, 368 pp)
51. The Last Bridge by Teri Coyne (2009, 225 pp)
52. Siddhartha by Herman Hesse (1922, 102 pp)
53. Tess of the d’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy (1891, 472 pp)
54. Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively (1987, 208 pp)
55. Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice (1976, 352 pp)
56. Brooklyn by Colm Toibin (2009, 262 pp)
57. The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters (2009, 466 pp)
58. Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris (2001, 292 pp)
59. Still Life by Louise Penny (2005, 312 pp)
60. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley (2009, 373 pp)
61. Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill (2007, 384 pp.)
62. The Inhabited World by David Long (2006, 288 pp.)
63. The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh (2005, 352 pp.)
64. The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff (2008, 384 pp.)
65. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (2008, 274pp.)
66. Vampire Knight Vol 1 by Matsuri Hino (2007, 208 pp.)
67. The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova (2005, 656 pp.)
68. The Forest Lover by Susan Vreeland
69. The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti
70. The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist (2009, 268 pp.)
71. The Wonderful Adventures of Nils by Selma Lagerlof
72. Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

A

Only 16 current year titles this year. My favorites are marked with an asterix (*), and my #1 favorite is double asterixed (**).

These are the 2009 titles that I read this year:

We had to give 5 book recommendations, and then choose titles from a master list. My [...]]]> Renay from Bottle of Shine (who is an absolute hoot!)  hosted this fun challenge again, thanks Renay!

We had to give 5 book recommendations, and then choose titles from a master list. My goal was 5, and I read 6.

My 5 suggestions were:

1. The Houskeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa (read in ‘09) — Sweet, tender story about mathematics, baseball, memory, and finding family.
2. The Devil and Miss Prym by Paulo Coelho (read in ‘09) — I love Coelho, and this book raises an important question on the issue of whether humans are basically good or basically evil.
3. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick (read in ‘08) — This was recommended by Dewey last round, and it was one of the titles I read for the challenge and absolutely loved.  This one is NOT just for kids!
4. Atmospheric Disturbances by Rivka Galchen (read in ‘08) — Very quirky book that I enjoyed because I felt Galchen had a unique writing style and because I got the inside jokes and references about Argentina. A NYT Notable book.
5. Downtown Owl by Chuck Klosterman (read in ‘08) — Scarily enough, this book describes the small town I grew up in almost exactly.

The books I read for the challenge were:

1. Jane Austen Ruined My Life by Jane Patillo
2. The End of the Alphabet by C.S. Richardson
3. The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
4. Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
5. Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
6. Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman

The requirement was 5, and I ended up with 6 awards:

My goal was 6 [...]]]> Well, I made some goals but failed at others. I’m very happy that I was able to complete my goals for the Pulitzer, Newbery, Notable, and Nobel lists. I’m really disappointed, though, that I only read 2 Bookers, 2 Oranges, and 3 Science in Fiction books. But there’s always next year, right?

My goal was 6 in each category, and here’s how I did:

Pulitzers (6 titles)

1. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz (2008)
2. The Optimist’s Daughter by Eudora Welty (1973)
3. A Summons to Memphis by Peter Taylor (1987)
4. The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck (1932)
5. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton (1921)
6. Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri (2000)

Booker Prize (6 titles)

1. Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively
2. The Remains of the Day by Ishiguro

Orange Prize (6 titles)

1. Fugitive Pieces by Anne Michaels (1997)
2. Property by Valerie Martin (2003)

Newbery Award (6 titles)

1. Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary
2. A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park
3. Kira Kira by Cynthia Kadohata
4. The Midwife’s Apprentice by Karen Cushman
5. Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byars
6. Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi
7. Call It Courage by Armstrong Sperry

Nobel laureates (6 titles)

1. Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair by Pablo Neruda
2. Thousand Cranes by Yaunari Kawabata
3. A Tale of Two Gardens by Octavio Paz
4. Zlateh the Goat and Other Stories by Isaac Bashevis Singer
5. The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
6. Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse
7. The Wonderful Adventures of Nils by Selma Lagerlof
8. Kristin Lavransdatter III: The Cross by Sigrid Undset

Notable Books (6 titles)

1. Finn by Jon Clinch (2008 ALA)
2. Petropolis by Anya Ulinich (2007 CSM)
3. Mistik Lake by Martha Brook (2007 PW)
4. Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junor Diaz (2007 NYT)
5. The View from Castle Rock by Alice Munro (2007 NYT)
6. Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill (2007 PW)
7. The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti (2008 NYT)
8. The Help by Kathryn Stockett (2009 CSM)
9. The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters (2009 NYT)
10. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (2008 PW)
11. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (2009 PW)

Fiction

Non-Fiction

Poetry

Young People’s Literature

I hadn’t read these or any of the shortlisted titles in any category, though I did have Lips [...]]]> And the winners are:

Fiction

• Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann

Non-Fiction

• The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt by T. J. Stiles

Poetry

• Transcendental Studies: A Trilogy by Keith Waldrop

Young People’s Literature

• Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose

I hadn’t read these or any of the shortlisted titles in any category, though I did have Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor checked out from the library. It was on the ya shortlist.

I have quite a few library books out now. I always like to have options, so I tend to always have a bunch of books out. I also like [...]]]> Hosted by Eva and Marg

I have quite a few library books out now. I always like to have options, so I tend to always have a bunch of books out. I also like to read a few pages of a new book to see if it grabs me. If you’ve read any of these, please help me determine which should go higher on the priority list, or vice versa, which books I can take back. Here are the ones I have checked out:

1. The Piano Teacher by Jelinek (German challenge)
2. Death in Venice by Mann (German challenge)
3. Crabwalk by Gunter Grass (German challenge)
4. I’ts Beginning to Hurt by Lasdun
5. A Woman Alone, edited by Conlon
6. The Day the Falls Stood Still by Buchanan
7. The Good Women of China by Xinran
8. The Weight of Heaven by Umrigar
9. The Spare Room by Helen Garner
10. Love and Summer by William Trevor
11. The Thing Around Your Neck by Adichie
12. Nocturnes by Ishiguro
13. Her Fearful Symmetry by Niffenegger
14. Leaving Tangier by Ben Jelloun
15. When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
16. Await Your Reply by Chaon
17. Wife of the Gods by Quartey
18. In other rooms, other wonders by Daniyal Mueenuddin
19. Wanting by Flanagan
20. Last Night in Montreal by Mandel
21. Marcelo in the Real World by Stork (I’m listening to this on audio right now)
22. Lips Touch: Three Times by Taylor
23. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate