Thursday, June 21, 2007

Whaaa? Summer's Here Already?

Kudos to Katrina over at Callapidder Days for keeping the Spring Reading Thing challenge going! At last we're officially into summer, and thank goodness I have the longest day of the year to post my recap:

What I read:
1. The Birth House by Ami McKay
2. The Good Guy by Dean Koontz
3. The End of the Alphabet by CS Richardson
4. The Historian (Audio) by Elizabeth Kostova
5. Charlotte's Web (Audio) by E.B. White
6. Blood Sports by Eden Robinson
7. To Kill a Mockingbird (Audio) by Harper Lee
8. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
9. Conceit (ARC) by Mary Novik
10. Dreamcatcher by Stephen King
11. Life on the Refrigerator Door (ARC) by Alice Kuipers
12. Everything's Eventual by Stephen King

What was the best book you read this spring?
By far, the book that moved me the most was The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne. I don't think I've cried so much in a long time!



My absolute favourite audiobook which I will listen to again and again for years to come was Charlotte's Web by E.B. White.



What book could you have done without?

That silly audiobook starring The Count. Err, I mean, The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. I shouldn't make fun, but seriously, the whole book was ruined by Dracula's stereotypical blood-sucking voice.

Did you try out a new author this spring? If so, which one, and will you be reading that author again?

Yes! Mary Novik is a first-time novelist from BC, and her upcoming historical fiction Conceit was a great read. I enjoyed it as much as the Philippa Gregory and Tracy Chevalier titles out there.

If there were books you didn't finish, tell us why. Did you run out of time? Realize those books weren't worth it?

Oy, I did just what I said I would. I went to the book sale and my whole Spring Reading Plan flew right out the window. Here's what I had intended to get to in this challenge:
1. The Keep by Jennifer Egan
2. The World Below by Sue Miller
3. The Wreckage by Michael Crummey

But they were usurped by shiny new titles from the book sale (That I still haven't gotten to):
1. Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky
2. Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures by Vincent Lam
3. The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian
4. Perfume by Patrick Suskind
5. A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon

Did you come across a book or two on other participants' lists that you're planning to add to your own to-be-read pile? Which ones?
Oh there were too many to count and keep track. The one that kept coming up over an over at the beginning of the challenge was The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian.

What did you learn -- about anything -- through this challenge? Maybe you learned something about yourself or your reading style, maybe you learned not to pick so many nonfiction books for a challenge, maybe you learned something from a book you read. Whatever it is, share!
I'm going to say what I think a lot of challengees will say here: I have way too many books to read! Still! But that's a great thing. I love being surrounded by the piles.

What was the best part of the Spring Reading Thing?
Reading other bloggers' reviews and finding some new favourite reads!

Would you be interested in participating in another reading challenge this fall?
Any other thoughts, impressions, or comments.
Yes. For sure. You betcha. Bring it on. Til then, I'm off to the beach with a paperback in hand.

Happy Summer!

6 comments:

Katrina @ Callapidder Days said...

I'm right there with you in having too many books to read! I just picked up The Good Guy and am looking forward to digging into that one. Thanks for being part of the Spring Reading Thing! See you for the fall challenge!

Anonymous said...

I don't know if I will ever finish reading everything I want to read -- but that's fine -- I don't know what I'd do with myself if I didn't have a list of books to read! :)

To Kill a Mockingbird is one I definitely need to read some time.

Nise' said...

The Boy In The Striped Pajamas was just recommend to me! I will add it to my TBR list!

Literalicious said...

Thanks for the feedback girls!

To Kill a Mockingbird was amazing...I can't believe I hadn't read it until now!

The Good Guy is a fun fast read...great for summer, I think. And man, I'm bummed I gave away my copy of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas because I definitely will want to read it again someday.

Next, I'm thinking I might hop on the Oprah bandwagon and read Middlesex.

alisonwonderland said...

i picked up The Birth House from the library, so hopefully i'll get to it shortly. i also put a hold on The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. thanks for the recommendations!

Literary Feline said...

You did a great job with the challenge. I have heard wonderful things about The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Maybe it's time I add that one to my wish list.

That's too bad about The Historian. It was one of my favorite reads last year. I don't listen to audio books and so I am not familiar with just how much the narration might influence the story, but I imagine it would.

 
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