Owlowiscious Girls

I will be blunt here and say One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez will have wait.  This book sounds like it has all the hard stuff that I don't necessarily enjoy reading about but sometimes you do hard books to check it off a list and to dig deep to see things from a different perspective.  See you on the other side of this project in another time and another challenge you book of crazy magical realism you.  Here is my crazy stack of books while I attempt the Readathon but I am really not getting much reading done as I try to get on top of this project.  I own this book and bought it from the used book store so I have plenty of time to read it down the road. 

Well this sounds fun....insert sarcasm.... The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway, I have read about 36 pages so far and it is basically what one can expect from Hemingway.  I have loved and hated his books in equal measure so I wasn't exactly sure what expect but after what I just read this is pretty drivel and average for a book so I wonder how it got on  the list .  All the characters seem to be bored writers in Paris passing around their "lovers" around, drinking a lot of alcohol and coffee and feeling sorry for themselves- lovely (insert some more sarcasm).  Well, thank goodness it is short. Got this book at Value Village- I hoped it would be more like A Farewell to Arms but it is far more whiny and I have less sympathy for these characters already.  It makes me think I might actually like The Old Man and the Sea if I gave it another chance.   

The Shack by William Paul Young is a book that came out around the time I graduated from college and was on the road to getting married and starting a family.  I didn't read much then.  But I still remember the controversy surrounding this book in conservative circles.  This book takes place in Oregon so that is cool.  I am looking forward to this book even if some people thought it was spiritually misguided. Getting comfy for Read-a-thon but will have to move on quickly to the next book as I am on a tight schedule.  I own this book.  I bought it Goodwill or Value Village- I can't remember which one like it is even important. 

I am finally officially back from our trip and it is the first Reverse Readathon which is also my first read-a-thon where I am signed up with the Facebook group.  The first read-a-thon I ever did was in April this year and it was so much fun so when I heard that Dewey's 24-Hour Readathon was having a BRAND NEW event this summer I was wigging out!!!  Especially with all the catch up I have to do to be on track with The Great American Read List .  If I did my math right (which is questionable but I try to make the effort) I am about 9 books behind (I should be on book 65 today). So these next few posts will probably be pretty short.  Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neal Hurston is about a black girl growing up into a woman who goes through a lot of men and heartbreak to find her identity.  It sounds sort of sad.  I will pull up a quick video summary. I was assured by my fellow read-a-thon participants that this is a good book, but it was tough for me at first so

I am super excited about this book!!!!  Ready Player One by Ernest Cline is a book that has been on my TBR pile for nearly 3 years.  At one time my husband owned the book but lent it to someone and just when I thought I was ready to read it- I found out we didn't have that book any more and he couldn't remember who he had lent it to.  It happens.  So my husband bought me my own copy!  I was told this book is chalked full of 80s references.  They 80s was when I began my life so they hold a special place for me.  I got more reading done from this book than any other book I took on the trip (50 pages worth) so you know it must be good.  Basically this book is about a future where just about everyone is connected in a virtual world called OASIS and the creator of this system has died but left clues (like Easter eggs in video games) and the person who finds all the keys will get his fortune.  It sounds like a mix of Mr. Lemoncello's library and Willy Wonka's chocolate facto

Looking for Alaska by John Green is a Young Adult novel, but I know very little about it.  I have, however, recently read my first John Green book though Turtles All the Way Down which I thought was alright or fairly average for a story but the main character I did thoroughly enjoyed.  John Green also said that The Catcher and the Rye is one of his favorite books (which I finally finished and hated) so I have mixed feelings going into this book.  I do enjoy John Green's Youtube channel Crash Course and he seems likeable.  We will see what I think about this book.  I made it to only 7 pages but I am enjoying the main character, Miles.  One of the kids who graduated recently from high school and use to attend our youth group told me he picked up this book thinking it was going to be about an adventure in Alaska and he told me Alaska is the name of a girl- hahaha! mean trick John Green.  So at least I am not led astray by the title.  I was looking for Crater Lake (not Alaska)

This last week my husband and I took our youth group on a road trip through a few places in southern Oregon, but I wanted to try to keep up with a few books at least.  I thought it was appropriate to start off the trip with The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan.  I know this is considered a Christian classic and I profess to be a Christian, but I haven't really enjoyed this story very much.  It is very labeling and I don't think I am good at reading allegory.  That being said I still should read it.  I know it is a dream and the main character is named Christian and he is trying to get to the Celestial City which is on top of Mount Zion.  Along this journey he meets many trials, temptations, and various characters.  Just to get an idea Christian first meets a couple guys named Obstinate and Pliable.  The names obviously reflect the person's characteristics.  I remember it going on like this for a long time and I don't remember a very satisfying ending- but then aga

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden is a book I that has come across my radar once in awhile on lists and I think even my husband has read it or listened to it on audio- although I could be confusing it with another book.  Any way, I haven't really ever been very interested in Japanese culture, but from what I could gather it is easy to follow and sounds lovely- beautiful metaphors and similes and a lot to learn and reflect on.  I found a few of the chapters on Youtube to listen to while I was working on the food for the trip so that was helpful.  I bought this book at Value Village and I have never thought much of it till now, but I think I will enjoy it. 

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold- finally a book I know a little bit about because I watched the movie.  Yes, I watched the movie but never read the book.  This book might be a little traumatic as it is about the rape and murder of a teen girl and told from her perspective in heaven.  I didn't really feel deeply about the movie except maybe a little skeevy- like how would you even come up with that idea for a book?  But I have also watched a lot of Criminal Minds in the last few months and have felt more deeply recently about victims.  I am not unfeeling person but more of a distant person.  One of the biggest reasons I read is to feel empathy and feelings I would otherwise not think much about.  Any way, I was able to give this book a couple more minutes and pages of my time while I was stuck in the kitchen and it is written so simply and beautifully that I think I could really dig down and appreciate what the author is conveying. This book I will probably read sooner rat

White Teeth by Zadie Smith- this sounds like a very unusual title.  I don't know anything about this book.  I tried to give it a small try during breakfast but that turned into a big flop as everyone needed something from me.  I even tried to find a summary to get a small gist of the book but that also seemed a bit of a bust.  This is one of the lesser known books for sure.  I found a book review and from the sound of it this book sounds so similar to Another Country and so filled with characters and odd relationships.  I don't have high hopes and doesn't sound like something all that interesting to me, but when I get there I will get there. This is a library book and I didn't have to wait for it at all.  In fact I found this book really easily and my library usually doesn't have the books I want.  

The unfortunate problem with doing a daily project such as this is that if you miss a few days they start piling up pretty fast and some books will not even get as much of a post as others especially incredibly long books such as War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy.  This book is just about as long as The Count of Monte Cristo but seems a lot more intimidating almost solely because it is Russian.  My roommate in college read it and I should have given her more props for such an amazing accomplishment.  Any way this will be the second to last book I get to on The Great American Read List .  Here are a few things I watched to give me an idea about what I will be getting myself into in the far far future.  One of the lamest and biggest reasons I want to read War and Peace is because one of the translators is named Larissa.  It is too bad Larissa is such a popular Russian name and Russian literature is so daunting to me.  This is a library copy and NOT the one translated by

Before I watched The Great American Read I had never heard of this book Another Country by James Baldwin.  I also couldn't seem to find it at my library.  It was on hold at the library and I was wanting for about a month before it finally showed up.  I had a feeling this one would be one of the hardest books to find especially learning what this book is about: (quoted from goodreads)  "(this is a novel) of passions-- sexual, racial, political, artistic-- that is stunning for its emotional intensity..."  Hum...well I don't know when I will be "in the mood" for this book, but I decided to at least get another person's perspective. This seems like the kind of book where I would benefit from discussing with other people with a wider world perspective.  I am curious but since I am very behind on this project in general I will stick with The Help till I can get in some more serious reading time. 

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen is a book my oldest daughter finished sometime half way through her 5th grade year....so not too long ago.  I remember she would randomly start talking about some guy named Brian.  She told me she felt sorry for some guy named Brian but was so glad to read about his survival and how he learned how to build a fire.  Since I have been working on Newbery Award and Honor books challenge this year I am excited to read this book.  I am especially looking forward to reading a book by Gary Paulsen because this year we recently read My Life In Dog Years and I found his life to be a little sad, compelling, entertaining, and even inspiring.  Hermione highly recommends this book.  I think I got this book from Goodwill.  I told Hermione that now I can read about Brian Robeson. 

*1. A book made into a movie you've already seen:  The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown- DONE *2. True Crime: Truevine: Truevine: Two Brothers, a Kidnapping, and a Mother's Quest: A True Story of the Jim Crow South by Beth Macy-DONE *3. The next book in a series you started: Emily Climbs by L.M. Montgomery-DONE * 4. A book involving a heist:  The Heist by Janet Evanovich- DONE *5. Nordic noir:  The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larson (January Group Read)- DONE  *6. A novel based on a real person: Gods and Kings  by Lynn Austin-DONE *7. A book set in a country that fascinates you: On the Road with Francis of Assisi: A Timeless Journey Through Umbria and Tuscany, and Beyond by Linda Bird Francke- DONE *8. A book with a time of day in the title: Afternoon of the Elves by Janet Taylor Lisle- DONE *9. A book about a villain or antihero: How to be a Villain by Neil Zawacki- DONE 10. A book about death or grief: NOVEMBER GROUP READ *11. A book with a female author who

On the original program The Great American Read Watch this book, The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, was one of the books given a special shout out or feature.  It totally got me interested.  I had never heard of this book before yet I have heard the term "Greaser" before.  Unfortunately for me I am struggling with a particular book right now and I am due a trip to the library.  I hope I can get back this book.  I was able to read the first 2 pages before a sneaky spider the size of a quarter crawled near my chair!  It gave me a great first impression and I can't wait to find out more about this guy- I didn't even get far enough to find out his name.  According to Goodreads it is Ponyboy.  This is a library book- too bad for me because I want to read it!  But look at my pretty panted toenails- thanks Mom!

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde is a book I read in college.  I liked this book, but probably not enough to vote for it.  What I remember about it could fit in less than a thimble, but this is what I do remember- a guy has a picture of himself that ages while he gets to stay young?  That's right, isn't it?  Then at the end there is this horrible thing and that is all I remember.  I could really see this book making an impression on people in exploring the themes of youth and beauty.  It is worthy of a reread one of these days. I had this book once.  I guess I sold it back to college.  This is a copy from my local library.   

I'm back!  I have been busy on nonreading activities- if you can believe that!  Let's jump right back in to it.  Foundation by Isaac Asimov is another science fiction book.  I'm going to have read up on this book a little more but from what I gather from reading it for about an hour there is a math guy but with a fancier title who is really into statistics.  He says the planet of billions upon billions or just a lot of people on this planet and all of their culture is going to disappear or be destroyed in x amount of years.  I don't know if that is right but that is what I picked up.  It already seems more interesting and shorter than Dune but still not my cup of tea.  I got this book from the library.  I never really heard of this book before, but I might have heard of Isaac Asimov before but I can't remember where. 

So I guess this book, Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse, is a Buddhist or spiritual book?  I went into this book completely blind.  I have been listening to it casually and it is short, but I don't think I am going to get much out of it- maybe some inner peace?

Okay, I know I just said I was going to read short books but I needed a longer book to listen to while I worked out.  Dune by Frank Herbert is a world's best selling science fiction novel.  I don't read science fiction but I wanted to enter this with an open mind especially since it is one of my husband's favorite books.  I knew it was going to be hard for me to follow and one of the only ways I was going to get through this was with an audio book.  I looked up a lot of reviews and I am watching a guide on Youtube to get a little perspective on the story.  Since I do live in Oregon and I know Herbert based some of his writings on the sand planet on his research done in Florence.  I have not had the privilege of visiting but this book will make me wish I could soon.  The expression is for the wariness I feel about reading science fiction for the first time.  This is my husband's copy of the book. 

I bet you thought I was forgetting about these posts.  I am behind on these posts, but it is all good.  I decided to do some shorter books for a little while.  The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery is the shortest book on the list .  As of right now the version of this book is an original Neflix movie which I have seen with my girls.  We loved it.  I didn't grow up with this story although I did know about it because my mom's first language was French and this story was originally written in French. My mom said it was good story and every time I thought about reading it I kept confusing it with the story The Prince which is also a translated story but is actually Italian and not a children's book.  I haven't read the story to the girls, but I am not sure they would be interested.  So far the book is a little metaphorical but it is a lot good.  Can't wait to finish it. I don't own this book or else it would be easier to read it to the girls. 

I really like the The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.  There was a bit of a controversy surrounding it in a couple circles about how horrible it is with kids killing kids, but it is a book I am debating letting my 10 year old read at the moment because she has read so much.  She could probably handle it.  In this dystopian world we have The Capital that sets up "games" that pit one boy and one girl between the ages of 12-18 from 12 districts to fight to the death.  It centers around a girl named Katniss.  She has be the closest thing to my literary equal.  Not so much in character but in thought process.  I was introduced to these books by a girl in my husband's youth group.  She gave them to my husband to borrow and read.  I read them while he never even cracked one open.  I was hooked after the first book.  I just bought the set from Goodwill and haven't reread them, but I would love to do that.  But for now I will just have to be content with reading through th

The Help by Kathryn Stockett is a book I have wanted to read for a long time now.  I have seen it just about every where and nearly all my Goodread's friends have read it.  I have seen the movie and I absolutely loved the movie, but I don't think that will take away the enjoyment of reading the book.  I really want to feel the feelings of the characters especially Minny played by the beautiful Octavia Butler in the movie version.  If you don't know this book is about black maids in the 1960s and it centers around 3 strong and courageous women.   Impressions: I love historical fiction, this is the book for me, how can human beings treat each other this way?  I am going to love this book I just know it.  I found a new favorite quote, "Cause that's the way prayer do.  It's like electricity, it keeps things going."