A New YA Challenge

Because I read so much children's lit/YA literature, when I heard through my online buddy Les that there was a YA challenge for 2008, I went searching for it. I'm glad to say I found it, and have signed myself up. I haven't created a list yet but I intend to study Mt. TBR (the YA version) and get to some of these books which have been patiently awaiting their turns. Making the list will be half the fun! If you're interested, the link is found at http://thoughtsofjoyblog.blogspot.com/2007/10/sweet-and-simple-choose-12-young-adult.html.

~taminator40

What's A Ghoul To Do?

I accomplished a rarity (for me these days) this weekend---I picked up a novel and read the entire thing in one weekend (and no, it wasn't a YA novel). It was just so much fun and the pages flew by. It's the first in a new series by Victoria Laurie called What's A Ghoul To Do? and I really enjoyed it--it was just the right amount of brain candy I needed right now. It's a paranormal mystery with liberal doses of humor and romance thrown in and perfect for an engrossing read. Here's the link to my amazon review:

http://tinyurl.com/332kwx

I picked up my next tbr_challenge book, Sean Astin's There and Back Again, mostly to fuel my Lord of the Rings obsession and to fulfill my May goal. It's started off a bit slow, dealing with Sean's work before LOTR, which frankly at this point isn't all that interesting. I'm thinking of skipping ahead to where he actually signs on to the movies so I can get to the good stuff. I've got bits and pieces of Fellowship of the Rings and The Two Towers on regular tv these past two weekends and I'm having the feeling that a viewing (all 3 movies in extended form) cannot be too far off. Perhaps I'll reward myself when school's out May 25.

Did I mention school's out May 25? :)

~taminator40

TBR Challenge 2007

Here I am in 2007, ready to tackle Mt. TBR! I've joined a yahoogroup, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/tbr_challenge/, that has as its aim for us to whittle down (at least a little bit) our out of control TBR piles (to be read piles for the uninitated!). Heaven knows I need help and encouragement. My father-in-law sheepishly admitted to me recently that he's got over 30 books in his house he hasn't read. Har! I *admitted* to over a 100, and if truth be told, with the YA/children's lit, it's probably closer to 300. I know I've got a problem walking on my side of the bedroom, and I'm having trouble deciding where to put those books that somehow found a home in my home. I've simply got to quit adding to the masses! With that in mind, I figured the challenge would be a good incentive. So, here, without further ado, is my list of TBR Challenge Books for 2007:



Morning Glory by Lavyrle Spencer
Limits of Enchantment by Graham Joyce
September Girls by Maureen Lee
Helen of Troy by Margaret George
The First Princess of Wales by Karen Harper
She Walks These Hills by Sharyn McCrumb
Fearless by Lucia St. Clair Robson
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
There and Back Again by Sean Astin
City of Dreams by Beverly Swerling
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
A Bloody Field by Shrewsbury by Edith Pargeter

I may add some for extra credit later on, but these will make a nice dent in my pile. And most of them qualify for the chunkster challenge I've joined at:

http://bookfoolery.blogspot.com/2006/12/you-asked-for-it-chunkster-challenge.html

This is the year I promise myself to quit ordering so many books and actually read some of the ones I already own. I'm seriously going to try to not order anything unless it's a sequel or it's by an author I adore. And I mean it. Seriously. :)

I also promise to try to stay more up-to-date on this blog. Four months is too long to go without posting! I will post some thoughts on our recent Hawaii trip soon.

Slainte'! Happy New Year!