Ok, I spoke too soon about not finding reading challenges that I wanted to join! These last couple of days I've become addicted and found lots to join, so I'm going to list them all here together so that I can keep track of them. The good thing is that most of them can be crossover books, so one book can be counted for a few of the challenges.





The Countdown Challenge started from 8/8/08 and goes on until 9/9/09, so I'll start with this first. The rules are as follows:

• The goal of this challenge is to read the number of books first published in a given year that corresponds to the last digit of each year in the 2000s — 9 books from 2009, 8 books from 2008, etc. The total number of books required, therefore, is 45.
• This challenge lasts from 8/8/08 through 9/9/09. Yes, it is retroactive to August 8th!
• Crossovers with other challenges are allowed and your lists may change at any time.

Interested readers can still sign up here. You can follow my progress here on my dedicated page.

 

The Chunkster Challenge is to read fat books! For more info, go here.

I'm taking the 3rd option:

Mor-book-ly Obese - This is for the truly out of control chunkster. For this level of challenge you must commit to 6 or more chunksters OR three tomes of 750 pages or more. You know you want to.....go on and give in to your cravings.

My dedicated page is here.

 

 

The World Citizen Challenge is for non-fiction books. Here's the link to the official page and the rules.

I'm doing the Majors, which is:

The Major Level Despite the occasional, impertinent “And what are you going to do with a degree in that?!” question, you’ve realized that World Citizenship is where your passion really lies, so you declare your major. For this level, you need to commit to five books, from at least three different categories.

And here's the suggested reading list. And my dedicated page is here. 

The Read Your Name challenge is to read your name in book title first letters, ultimately spelling out your name. You can use any name you want, your real name, your blogger name, the name you always wished you were called, like maybe Princess Aurora, or Superman. LOL!

The challenge runs from Jan. 1st 2009, to Dec. 31st 2009, you can join anytime before Dec. 31st 2009. (Well, if you join on Dec. 30th, you can always just read one book that starts with your initial. *g*)

You can sign up with Mister Linky at the Read Your Name Challenge blog. And you can follow my progress on my dedicated page.

Mission: Read 12 books you deem "dangerous." between January 1st and December 31st 2009. They may be banned or challenged books, new-to-you genres, books that seem to inhabit a permanent space on your stacks, or authors you're afraid of. The possibilities are endless! If it's dangerous to you, it's challenge-worthy to us!

For more information, go to the Challenge blog.

I'm taking this one up because there are some books on the recommended list that I plan to read anyway, but I do have to add more later that I didn't plan to read. That's ok though, that's what challenges are about. =)

To see the list of books I will be reading for this challenge and for more information, go to my dedicated page.

The Well-Seasoned Reader Challenge runs from Jan 1 until March 31, 2009. The goal is to read three(3) books that:

have a food name in the title / be about cooking/eating / have a place name in
the title / be about one (or more) person's travel experience / be about a
specific culture / be by an author whose ethnicity is other than your own

More information and sign-ups here. My dedicated page is here.

The Casual Classics Challenge starts on Jan 1, 2009 to Dec 31, 2009. The challenge is to read four(4) classics in 2009. Easy enough, I guess. Sign-ups here.

Visit my dedicated page to see the classics I've read.

The What's in a Name (Part 2) Challenge is great and I think I'm going to have lots of fun with this one. The challenge is to read one book from each of the categories:

1. A book with a "profession" in its title. Examples might include: The Book Thief, The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Historian
2. A book with a "time of day" in its title. Examples might include: Twilight, Four Past Midnight, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
3. A book with a "relative" in its title. Examples might include: Eight Cousins, My Father's Dragon, The Daughter of Time
4. A book with a "body part" in its title. Examples might include: The Bluest Eye, Bag of Bones, The Heart of Darkness
5. A book with a "building" in its title. Examples might include: Uncle Tom's Cabin, Little House on the Prairie, The Looming Tower
6. A book with a "medical condition" in its title. Examples might include: Insomnia, Coma, The Plague

For more details about this challenge and to sign up, go here. Follow my progress on my dedicated page.

The New Author Challenge is to read books by new authors (kinda obvious, isn't it?). It's for the whole of 2009, and you can set your own goal for how many new authors you want to read. More info and sign-ups here.

My dedicate page is here, click to see new authors I've read. 

And lastly, the 2009 - 100+ Reading Challenge to read 100 books or more in 2009. Info and sign-ups here. My own dedicated page can be found here.

 

That's about it for now, and hopefully, that's gonna be it for 2009!

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
• You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
• Please avoid spoilers!
  

My 2 Teasers:

“She thought she dimly remembered an old story about someone having their heart turned to stone and then restored by tears, but she wasn't sure where the memory came from. No, riddles usually had simple, commonsense, one-word answers.” ~p.215, Holly Black's Tithe

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own Teaser Tuesdays post, or share your 2 Teasers in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks!

Today’s MUSING MONDAYS is about the giving & keeping of books!

If you keep your books, where do you keep them? And, if you give them away, who do you give them to? Do you participate in Bookcrossing, BookMooch, PaperbackSwap, or the like? Do you give your old books to family & friends, or donate them? Are any of your books in storage due to not having enough space for them all? Or, are you one of the lucky ones who has their own “library”? Feel free to share pictures, if you have them!

I'm a lucky one who has my own "library", but it's a small one, and I still can't seem to get all my books to fit. Actually it's my own fault coz I want them all to be organized, I would probably have enough space if I double-stacked, but I refuse to do that, so I'm left with not enough space.

I used to be a very active Bookcrosser, but I ended up buying and getting more books than I was giving away, and although it was really fun and one of the best times of my life, I couldn't keep up with all the books anymore, not to mention the money I spent sending my books overseas on trades and bookrings and all that. I'm using BookMooch, and it's not too bad actually, but kinda slow in helping me get rid of all my excessive books.

I've got lots of books in storage now, and I'm just waiting, waiting, waiting...for the day that I will have a house big enough to have a huge library. I can always dream, can't I?

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own Musing Mondays post, or share your thoughts in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks!

Over the years, I've gotten many books as gifts, and there were many I loved, but perhaps the most notable book I ever received as a gift would be The Light Bearer by Donna Gillespie.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Rating:

Neil Gaiman is one of those authors whose books I buy simply because they've got his name on the cover. It doesn't really matter what the book's about, I know I'd love it just because he wrote it. Every new story he comes up with always seems fresh, new, and exciting.

He has created so many new worlds for the delighted child in me to play in; with the magical Princess Bride-like world of Stardust, the earth-as-the-gods'-playground theme of American Gods, the nursery-rhymes-turned-reality of Anansi Boys, and my favorite world of all, Neverwhere's surreal, darker version of Alice's Wonderland.

His latest work, The Graveyard Book, creates yet another delightful world, one that I never imagined I would like at all. You can probably guess from the title of the book that it's a world set in a graveyard. One whose inhabitants can be kind and charitable, loving and nurturing, irritable and old-fashioned, friendly and dangerous....

Supposedly listed as a children's book, Gaiman nevertheless has many adult fans, and though the book is written simply in Gaiman's easy manner - the reason I love reading his writing - the story itself is mature and sophisticated.

It revolves around a boy whom the graveyard's inhabitants named Nobody Owens, Bod for short, when a ghostly couple adopted him after his family was murdered. Throughout the book, we follow Bod as he grows up in this unusual setting and learns the ways of the dead while trying to live his life. It isn't easy as he has many dangers to avoid, both from the world of the living and the world of the dead. Worst of all, the man who murdered Bod's family is still out there, looking for Bod so that he can finish what he started.

In many ways, Gaiman's The Graveyard Book is sad and poignant, yet it has its funny moments and terrifying ones as well. I felt sad at the ending, but then I usually do whenever I finish one of Gaiman's books. The wonder of reading a Neil Gaiman story is well worth the pain of saying goodbye to it at the end though, so I'm pretty sure I'll keep reading Gaiman's stories as long as he keeps writing them.

More books from Neil Gaiman:

Book-related, and fun! I found this meme on Booking Through Thursday, and i thought it'd be fun to answer, so:

What was the last book you bought?

Master, an erotica novel about The Count of Monte Cristo. Hey, I love The Count of Monte Cristo, and although I've never read erotica before, I've heard so much about it that I figured this book would be a great place to start. =)

Name a book you have read MORE than once

Whoa, I've got loads! Some I've read so many times that I don't even keep track anymore. The list includes:

• Gone With The Wind
• Scarlett
• Daddy-Long-Legs
• Anne of Green Gables
• Season of Passage
• The Light Bearer
• Imperial Woman

and so many more

Has a book ever fundamentally changed the way you see life? If yes, what was it?

Of course, every book I read makes me question things, some more than others, perhaps the one which started the change was The Valley of the Dolls, but that's probably because it was one of the first 'adult' novels I read.

How do you choose a book? eg. cover design, summary, reviews, recommendations

It depends on the type of book; if it's chic-lit, I choose by cover design, if it's literary fiction, I choose by recommendations and reviews, if it's non-fiction, I choose by subject matter....etc

Do you prefer fiction or non-fiction?

I honestly can't say. I enjoy both, and I probably couldn't choose between either. They both have their place and purpose, and both have contributed to my improvement and growth.

What's more important in a novel - beautiful writing or gripping plot?

Well, again, it depends on the type of book, doesn't it? =)

Most loved/memorable character (character/book)

Hmm....I have plenty and I like them all for different reasons. At the moment, the ones that come to mind are; Tyrion from George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, Aurianne from Donna Gillespie's The Light Bearer, in fact, at the moment, many characters from A Song of Ice and Fire are quite interesting to me, like Jon Snow, Arya Stark, Jaime Lannister, but Tyrion Lannister stands out the most. I'm really quite intrigued by him.

Which books can be found on your nightstand at the moment?

Some chic-lit for light reading, a non-fiction book about book groups called Good Books Lately, an enlightening spiritual book called Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom, which talks about wisdom in relation to the 78 cards in a Tarot deck, a fantasy short-story compilation simply entitled Fantasy, and a book I'm reviewing called The Soul of Money.

What was the last book you've read, and when was it?

A Little Black Dress chic-lit, I stayed up late last night to finish it. =)

Have you ever given up on a book half way in?

Many times. Some I gave up for good and will never ever pick up again, some I still hold some hope that I will finish eventually.

---

That's about it. Anyone else who wants to have fun with this meme is welcome to play. Please put your link to your post in the comments too, so that I can check them out.

Hello fellow booklovers!

Is anyone in the Klang Valley interested in joining a 'real life' book group?

I've gone to book group gathering after gathering, hoping to meet with like-minded people whom I could have meaningful and thought-provoking book discussions with, only to meet people who talk about everything except books instead!

I joined countless online book groups, desperate to find people with whom I could connect online at least, if I couldn't find them in real life, but there were too many faceless, nameless people and too many posts that no one bothered to read unless it was in response to their own posts.

I despaired of ever finding any physical book groups around here, because what little book groups there are are usually filled with people who are more interested in socializing than in talking about books. They spend five minutes talking about books and then three hours talking about everything else under the sun!

I've almost given up ever finding the ideal book group...

Except now I've decided that if I can't find one, I'm going to start one.

I'm sure there must be some booklovers like me out there who want the same things I do in a book group, so I'm calling for booklovers who are interested in joining my book group!

I'm looking for ten booklovers; five men and four women to start this off with. I'm already one, and I was thinking that we should start small so that it's easier to manage. We'll see how it goes, and add more people later if there's more people interested.

I want an equal number of men and women because I don't want it to turn into a female gossip fest, and men can have a lot of interesting insights to share as well.

Here's what I'm looking for in ideal book group members:

• Obviously, you must be a Klang Valley resident, unless you really don't mind travelling long distances once every month.
  


• Able to meet one day/night a month. I'm a busy person too, and it's just one day a month. If you are truly interested in this, once a month shouldn't be too hard to arrange. Of course, occasionally things come up, I understand, but you should be able to be there the majority of the time.
  


• Outgoing members should be able to share and discuss without dominating the whole discussion and not giving others a chance to have their say. Shy members need to speak up and realize they have valuable opinions as well.
  


• Able to share their opinions openly while being respectful of others' opinions. No one should feel unable to share their thoughts in the fear that someone else may ridicule them or react in any non-constructive negative way.
  


• Open-minded and adventurous in our reading selection and discussions. I want to be open to all genres of books that could be great reads and thought-provoking books, including non-fiction once in a while.
  
  
• Willing to expand the boundaries of their own thoughts and explore other ideas and ways of thinking.
  
  
• Genuinely interested in stimulating conversation and intellectual growth through reading and book discussions.

Well, these are the main stuff, the other details like what books to read, where to meet, when to meet, etc. will be discussed as a group, since it depends on the convenience of everyone.

I would like to say also, after having listed my 'criteria' above, that I'm a pretty understanding person, and more of a 'guideline' person than a 'rule' person. As I've said, it's ok if you can't make a meeting once in a while, it's also ok if you don't want to participate in reading a particular book occasionally, and it's definitely more than ok to socialize and talk about non-book-related stuff before and after our discussions.

Having said that, let me emphasize that I am SERIOUS about having a PROPER book group. If anyone talks too much and doesn't allow others to speak, I will call them on it. If anyone doesn't talk at all and just let others contribute all the time, I will call them on it. If anyone chooses not to participate for too many books too often, I will call them on it. If anyone misses too many meetings, I will call them on it. If anyone won't stop talking about their bad day even if it's time for the discussion to start, I will call them on it.

Basically, if anyone's not serious about learning and sharing as a book group member, they shouldn't bother joining this group at all.

So... if you're genuinely interested in joining this book group, please send me an email at bettysbooks@gmail.com with some details about yourself, like your;

Name:
Age:
Gender:
Some of your favorite books:
Genres you read:

And please tell me a little about;

Why do you want to join this group?
What do you think you can contribute to this group?
What do you want to get out of this group?
Name one book which changed/affected you deeply, why and how did it affect you?

I'm really looking forward to making this book group a reality and a success. I'm sure there are at least nine other people in the whole of Klang Valley who must be interested in a proper book group as well. Please do email me if you're interested, or forward this to your book-loving friends if you're not.

Thanks to all!

Happy Reading!