Challenge Update: Its all looking scary

A-Z Challenge (Authors) 6/27
A-Z Challenge (Titles) 12/27
In Their Shoes 3/4
The Dream King 2/12
1% Well Read Challenge 2/13
Orbis Terrarum 4/10
The Genre Challenge 6/10
The Decades Challenge 4/10
The Carribean Challenge 0/6
My Year of Reading Dangerously 2/12
The World Citizen Challenge 0/3
Y.A Challenge 2/12
Deweys Book Reading Challenge 0/6
100 Shots of Short 53/100
The 2009 Pub Challenge 0/9
Themed Challenge 2/4
999 Challenge 17/81
Book Awards 2 4/10
2nd Canadian Challenge 1/13 ABANDONING - WILL NEVER COMPLETE
Latin American Challenge 1/4
The Rescue Challenge 0/6
The Graphic Novel Challenge 6/12
Manga Challenge 1/4
War Through the Generations: WWII 1/5
Lost in Translation 5/6
Notable Challenge 1/6
What's in a Name? 13/6
The Well Seasoned Reader 3/3 COMPLETED!
The Chunkster Challenge 3/6
The Guardian 100 novels 1/10
Banned Book Challege 1/4
Once Upon a Time III Challenge 1/5
Herding Cats 0/2
Its the End of the World 0/4


I'm off for the next two weeks so hope to finish the Latin American Challenge and make a dent in the Award Winners as they both finish soonish

My Thoughts: The Bagdhad Diaries and The Well Seasoned Reader

I was expecting a lot from The Bagdhad Diaries by Nuha Al-Radi and was very disappointed. I had seen this book talked about a lot a few years ago and was expecting a moving account of life in the war. The diaries are written by a female Iraqi artist, she is fairly wealthy and lives a life of freedom for a woman from this area, she travels widely, is widely read and had a varied social life. Her accounts of the war generally feature what she did each day, many days describing listening to bombs falling whilst sitting in her garden typing away. Yes she does also describe the lack of food, the extreme poverty and the increase in cancer as a result of the war but I never really felt for her. I read about two thirds then skim read the rest.

This was my final book for my first complete challenge of the year, The Well-Seasoned Reader. I also read Pyongyang a graphic novel about a French artists time in North Korea and The Narrative of the Life of a Slave. Both were okay but not great.
I actually didn't end up reading any of the books on my original list, if I had I may have found more books that I enjoyed.

My Thoughts: Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire

This book is the second in the Wicked series and in my opionion far better than the first which I thought needed a serious editing.
The novel focuses on Liir, the son (maybe) of Elphaba the Wicked Witch. The story opens when he is discovered laying half dead on the side of the road. He is taken to a nunnery and where they try and fix all his broken bones and find a musical girl, presumed a mute to play him back to conciousness. The first half of the book moves from the present with her playing to him, her thoughts and his bodily reactions to his memories of his recent past which are cojured up through her music.
We discover where he has been and all that had happened since the death of the witches. When he finally awakens he then goes off try and fulfill some of the promises he had made.

Challenges:
999 (Fantasy)
What's in a name? (relative)
Once Upon a Time III

Once Upon a Time III : Short Story Weekend II

Silver or Gold by Emma Bull can be found here on the fantastic Endicott pages.

This story is part folktale part fairytale, just as I like them.
Moon Very Thin is at the end of her training as a witch when Alder Owl, her teacher, is drawn to going away in search of the missing prince. Moon is uncomfortable with staying alone, and has the task of banging on the journey drum each night at sunset to call Alder Owl on in her journey. It is this drum call that allows her to know the Alder Owl is safe, but when one night the drum fails to sound Moon has to set out on a journey of her own in search of her teacher.
This is a journey of growth and self knowledge.
You should go and check it out yourself, it is long but definately worth the time and effort. The last paragraph is worth it just for itself, I would have copied it here but it would just spoil the story. Go have a read!

Last weeks:
Short Story Weekend:
GodMother Death


Check out Short Story Sunday, held here

My Thoughts: Y the Last Man: Unmanned (Vol 1) by Brian K. Vaugn and Pia Guerra

This fantastic graphic novel is the first in the series, I'm hoping that the rest are just as good.

This volume introduces us to a fairly recognisable world, in some jobs and careers women and men are equal in other inequality still exists. Then a series pf events occur and the men instataneously drop dead. All except one: Yorrick (and his pet monkey).

As the women try to come to terms with the recent events and keep their lives moving they have a series of problems to contend with: A need to clear away the dead bodies, a lack of food and services, a lack of a stable experienced government and the Amazons. The Amazons are a bunch of hard headed feminists, set out to control through fear and violence, they celebrate the destruction of the male society and seek ways to exploit their position. Their trademark: One burnt off breast.

The next volume is on hold at the library, can't wait to pick it up.

Challenges:
A-Z (Titles)
Graphic Novel Challenge 5/12

Sunday Salon - A Quick Post

We lost an hour here in England tody, with the clocks moving forward - really not what I needed when I have such a massive stack of marking to do! I've got Son of a Witch to tackle at some point today and I shall find a short story to read for the Once Upon a Time Challenge, but the majority of my time will be stuck under ten tons of marking.

I also decided today that I will definatly take part in Dewey's Read-a-Thon on April 18th. 24 hours of reading - although at the moment I will be working for 6 hours of that in a pub, that may change nearer the time. Anyone else thinking of participting read the details here

Herding Cats II: A tiny challenge for me (April 1st - December 31st 2009)

Herding Cats is held here

I remember seeing this challenge last year and being intrigued, this year I have a massive amount of challenges to complete so I'm just going to dip my toe in and read 2-3 of the books.

The premise is that everyone lists their 5 fav books of the last 3 years, then people can chose to read a number of books from the recommendation lists, if they decide to. I'm looking forward to spanning through the lists and may struggle to find just a couple. Other people's recomendations can be found here

My Top 5:
1.The Children's War, J.N Stroyar This is a mamouth book but weel worth the effort. The alternative history of Europe, waning: contains some violent scenes.
2. Milkweed, Spinelli. Yes this is a kids book, but it is also great for adults too. The book tells the tale of a homeless Polish boy in 1939 and should be read by all.
3. Gone With the Wind, Mitchell. This is a recommendation for people like me who seemed to have missed some of the major classics. This is a fantastic gripping read, you'll love and hate the characters all at the same time.
4. Fragile Things, Neil Gaiman. Gaiman's book of short stories is a real treat, a year on and I can still remember many of them vividly.
5.Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Lisa See . A fantastic book about chinese women's lives and the secret literate world that they shared.

Books that are on the list (so far) that I may tackle
1. Something Wicked This Way Comes, Ray Bradbury
2.We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families: Stories from Rwanda by Philip Gourevitch
3.Four and Twenty Blackbirds by Cherie Priest
4. The Good Fairies of New York by Martin Miller