Sunday, December 23, 2012

BW52: Year End Wrap Up


Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah or Happy Holidays to you and yours.  Another year has flown by, full of exciting and interesting reads. We have a few days left and I'm sure,  if you are like me, you are looking forward to some relaxing reading time, possibly some new reading material that is just waiting for you under the tree or using those wonderful gift certificates for browsing the after Christmas sales and some end of the year acquisitions.   So how did your reading year go?   I'm going to mix is up a bit this year and borrow a few questions from Jamie's (Perpetual Page Turner) end of the year book survey.


1) How many books did you read this year?

2) Did you meet or beat your own personal goal?

3) Favorite book of 2012? (You can list more than one or break it down by genre)

4) Least favorite book of 2012 and why? 

5) One book you thought you'd never read and was pleasantly surprised you like it?

6) One book you thought you'd love but didn't?

7) One book that touched you - made you laugh, cry, sing or dance. 

8) Any new to you authors discovered and you can't wait to read more of their stories?

9) Name the longest book you read?  Shortest?

10) Name the most unputdownable book you read?

11) Book that had the greatest impact on you this year?

12) What book would you recommend everybody read?

13) Share your most favorite cover(s)

14) Do you have a character you fell in love with? 

15) What was your most favorite part of the challenge? Did you do any of the mini challenges?

What are your goals for the new year?  To read more non fiction? To dip your toes into a mystery or a urban fantasy?  What book are you most looking forward to reading in 2013?   

Congratulations and thank you to everyone for joining in.  No matter how many books you finished this year, the important thing is that you read and that makes you a winner in my book.  Reading to me is as necessary as breathing. And reading is also like drinking a fine wine or enjoying a beer with your friends.  Whether you sip and savor or drink it down, the joy is in the experience.   I'm glad to have shared the experience with all of you.  I'm looking forward to hearing about everyone's reading year and to more fun in the coming new year.


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Link to your last read and/or wrap up post for 2012. Please link to your specific post and not your general blog link. In the Your Name field,type in your name and the name of the book in parenthesis or indicate wrap up post. In the Your URL field leave a link to your specific post. If you don't have a blog, leave a comment in the comment section about your reading year.

Sunday, December 16, 2012

BW51: Pride and Prejudice



Happy Birthday Jane Austen


Pride and Prejudice
Chapter One 


"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.

However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering a neighbourhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families, that he is considered as the rightful property of some one or other of their daughters.

"My dear Mr. Bennet," said his lady to him one day, "have you heard that Netherfield Park is let at last?"

Mr. Bennet replied that he had not.

"But it is," returned she; "for Mrs. Long has just been here, and she told me all about it."

Mr. Bennet made no answer.

"Do not you want to know who has taken it?" cried his wife impatiently.

"You want to tell me, and I have no objection to hearing it."

This was invitation enough.

"Why, my dear, you must know, Mrs. Long says that Netherfield is taken by a young man of large fortune from the north of England; that he came down on Monday in a chaise and four to see the place, and was so much delighted with it that he agreed with Mr. Morris immediately; that he is to take possession before Michaelmas, and some of his servants are to be in the house by the end of next week."

"What is his name?"

"Bingley."

"Is he married or single?"

"Oh! single, my dear, to be sure! A single man of large fortune; four or five thousand a year. What a fine thing for our girls!"

"How so? how can it affect them?"

"My dear Mr. Bennet," replied his wife, "how can you be so tiresome! You must know that I am thinking of his marrying one of them."

"Is that his design in settling here?"

"Design! nonsense, how can you talk so! But it is very likely that he may fall in love with one of them, and therefore you must visit him as soon as he comes."

"I see no occasion for that. You and the girls may go, or you may send them by themselves, which perhaps will be still better; for, as you are as handsome as any of them, Mr. Bingley might like you the best of the party."

"My dear, you flatter me. I certainly have had my share of beauty, but I do not pretend to be any thing extraordinary now. When a woman has five grown up daughters, she ought to give over thinking of her own beauty."

"In such cases, a woman has not often much beauty to think of."

"But, my dear, you must indeed go and see Mr. Bingley when he comes into the neighbourhood."

"It is more than I engage for, I assure you."

"But consider your daughters. Only think what an establishment it would be for one of them. Sir William and Lady Lucas are determined to go, merely on that account, for in general, you know they visit no new comers. Indeed you must go, for it will be impossible for us to visit him, if you do not."

"You are over-scrupulous, surely. I dare say Mr. Bingley will be very glad to see you; and I will send a few lines by you to assure him of my hearty consent to his marrying which ever he chuses of the girls; though I must throw in a good word for my little Lizzy."

"I desire you will do no such thing. Lizzy is not a bit better than the others; and I am sure she is not half so handsome as Jane, nor half so good humoured as Lydia. But you are always giving her the preference."

"They have none of them much to recommend them," replied he; "they are all silly and ignorant like other girls; but Lizzy has something more of quickness than her sisters."

"Mr. Bennet, how can you abuse your own children in such way? You take delight in vexing me. You have no compassion on my poor nerves."

"You mistake me, my dear. I have a high respect for your nerves. They are my old friends. I have heard you mention them with consideration these twenty years at least."

"Ah! you do not know what I suffer."

"But I hope you will get over it, and live to see many young men of four thousand a year come into the neighbourhood."

"It will be no use to us if twenty such should come, since you will not visit them."

"Depend upon it, my dear, that when there are twenty I will visit them all."

Mr. Bennet was so odd a mixture of quick parts, sarcastic humor, reserve, and caprice, that the experience of three and twenty years had been insufficient to make his wife understand his character. Her mind was less difficult to develop. She was a woman of mean understanding, little information, and uncertain temper. When she was discontented, she fancied herself nervous. The business of her life was to get her daughters married; its solace was visiting and news."

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Link to your most current read. Please link to your specific book review post and not your general blog link. In the Your Name field, type in your name and the name of the book in parenthesis. In the Your URL field leave a link to your specific post. If you don't have a blog, tell us about the books you are reading in the comment section of this post.


Wednesday, December 12, 2012

2013 52 Books in 52 Weeks

2013 52 Books in 52 Weeks

Are you ready for another round of Reading 52 books in 52 Weeks? Whether you are just joining in or continuing on for another round, the rules are very simple. The goal is to read one book (at least) a week for 52 weeks. Make the year easy and casual or kick it up by exploring new to you authors and genres. Challenge yourself to read at least some classics or delve into that chunkster (more than 500 pages) you always wanted to tackle. The goal is to read 52 books. How you get there is up to you. 

Since this is our 5th year, I challenge you to a 5/5/5 challenge. Read 5 books in 5 Categories and/or 5 Genres. I have several mini challenges to make it fun:
A to Z challenge: Read books alphabetically by title and/or author.

Canadian Mini Challenge - read non fiction or fiction authors

C.S. Lewis: Read the works of C.S. Lewis

Chunky Mini Challenge -books more than 500 pages

Dusty Mini challenge: Limit buying new books for 1 - 4 months and read 4 to 12 or more books gathering dust on your shelves prior to 2013.

Inspiration Reading Project - Faith based or the Classics.

Mind Voyages: Explore the Hugo and Nebula winners, take side trips through the different decades reading the nominees.

Well Educated Mind: Explore the classics in five categories: Fiction, Autobiography, History/Politics, Drama and Poetry.
The mini challenges and weekly challenges are optional, Mix it up anyway you like. 

  1. The challenge will run from January 1, 2013 through December 31, 2013. 
  2. Our book weeks begin on Sunday. 
  3. Participants may join at any time. 
  4. All books are acceptable except children books. 
  5. All forms of books are acceptable including e-books, audio books, etc. 
  6. Re-reads are acceptable as long as they are read after January 1, 2013. 
  7. Books may overlap other challenges. 
  8. Create an entry post linking to this blog. 
  9. Sign up with Mr. Linky in the "I'm participating post" below this post. 
  10. You don't need a blog to participate. Post your weekly book in the comments section of each weekly post. 
  11. Mr. Linky will be added to the bottom of the weekly post to link to reviews of your most current reads.

I'm Participating in 2013

I'm Participating in 2013





Sunday, December 9, 2012

BW 50: Oh Canada!

As I mentioned last week, we have a Canadian Books mini challenge as well as a readalong  in the works for 2013 and I'm putting together a list of authors and books with the help of a few folks over at Well Trained Mind.  In my online wanderings I came across The Canada Council for the Arts 2012 Governor General's Literary Awards.  Awards in both English and French in seven categories: fiction, poetry, drama, non‑fiction, children’s literature (text and illustration) and translation.

 It reminded me of something Yann Martel (author of Life of Pi) did back in 2007 when he attended the 50th Anniversary celebration for the council. He was quite unimpressed with Stephen Harper's disinterest in the event and went on to start a project which lasted until 2011 -- What is Stephen Harper reading?  Which is where Life of Pi caught my attention as well as a few other books on the list.  As long as Harper was Prime Minister, Martel vowed to send him a book every two weeks to read expanding on the virtue of stillness.  There are 101 books on the list which is just going to add to your TBR piles and wishlists, because quite a few are well worth reading.


Which brings me back to the 2012 Award Winners.  Click here to find the French winners and list of nominees.


Fiction: The Purchase by Linda Spalding



 Monkey Ranch by Julie Brock
Drama:  It is Solved by Walking by Catherine Banks

Non Fiction: Leonardo and the Last Supper by Ross King



Children Text: The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen by Susin Nielsen

Children Illustration:  Virginia Wolf

Translation:  Mai at the Predators' Ball by Nigel Spencer



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Link to your most current read. Please link to your specific book review post and not your general blog link. In the Your Name field, type in your name and the name of the book in parenthesis. In the Your URL field leave a link to your specific post. If you don't have a blog, tell us about the books you are reading in the comment section of this post.

Sunday, December 2, 2012

BW49: Plans for 2013

Josephine Wall - Ripples

Happy December, dear hearts!   We have four weeks left in the year and we are coming down to the wire.  I hope everyone has had a fantastic reading year.   Are you ready for another round?  I've been looking at all the other challenges out there, what books I still have in my TBR pile and those still on my wishlist.  I think I have the my eyes are bigger than my stomach syndrome, because there are so many I want when already have a  huge teetering pile of books.  So.....    I'm personally going to institute a buying ban, probably through April and concentrate on those wonderful books that have been calling my name.   We've been discussing the new year over in the Well Trained Mind forums and have come up with some ideas.  

In our quest to read 52 books we'll be doing a Dusty Book Challenge which is just another name for read your own books.   Also a Chunkster challenge which are books that are 500 pages or more.   Start looking through your shelves and dusting off those old, huge books.   I'm going to make an effort to read more non fiction this next year so in that vein will have a C.S. Lewis Mini Challenge which takes the place of Jane Austen.   We'll continue with the Well Educated Mind and Mind Voyages Sci Fi/Fantasy challenges.  There is a Canada Books readalong in the works as well as reading books from other countries.   Plus random mini challenges along the way which I'll borrow shamelessly from on The Novel Challenges blog.

If you have any suggestions for a readalongs or  topics, authors and/or ideas you'd like to see covered next year, let me know.   I'll be posting the I'm participating in 2013 in a couple weeks, plus making changes to headers and links so don't be surprised by the construction.  

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Link to your most current read. Please link to your specific book review post and not your general blog link. In the Your Name field, type in your name and the name of the book in parenthesis. In the Your URL field leave a link to your specific post. If you have multiple reviews, then type in (multi) after your name and link to your general blog url.

If you don't have a blog, tell us about the books you are reading in the comment section of this post.