A Couple New Challenges
Challenges are so much fun, and I’ve found a couple that I’m really looking forward to participating in. First up: The Fall Into Reading 2009 Challenge hosted by Callapidder Days.
This challenge actually started way back in September, but it runs until December 20th. I figure between now and then I’ll be getting plenty of reading done. The cool thing about it is that it’s up to you which books you read for the challenge! Here’s my tentative list:
- The Time Traveler’s Wife
by Audrey Niffenegger
- Along for the Ride
by Sarah Dessen
- Keeping the Moon
by Sarah Dessen
- It’s All Too Much, So Get It Together
by Peter Walsh
- Wives and Daughters
by Elizabeth Gaskell
- A Map Of The Known World
by Lisa Ann Sandell
- The House of the Seven Gables
by Nathaniel Hawthorn
I’m hoping to be reading a larger number of books than what is on this list, but I wanted to give myself plenty of breathing room.
The second challenge I’ll be joining is Women Unbound: A Reading Challenge. The challenge will run from November 1, 2009 to November 30, 2010, but you’re welcome to join anytime you like. The purpose of this challenge is to encourage participants to read nonfiction and fiction books related to the rather broad idea of ‘women’s studies.’ That sentence is a paraphrase from the challenge website.
For this challenge I’ve decided to be a Philogynist and commit to read at least two books, including at least one nonfiction one. After looking at the list that Eva from A Striped Armchair compiled, I’m currently thinking about reading The Body Project: An Intimate History of American Girls
How about you? How are your current challenges going? Have you found any new ones recently?
Book titles are Amazon affiliate links
What Do You Think?
Yesterday, while dropping off A Walk to Remember at the library (The fee wasn’t as bad as I thought!) the librarians told me that the copy of The Time Traveler’s Wife
I’ve seen several reviews of this book, and the thing I am both dreading and anticipating is it’s heartbreaking ending. I’ve been thinking about the ending a lot, and I’ve thought of almost every heartbreaking thing I can imagine. I’ll have to wait and see if I’m right. As I was drumming up possible endings, I began thinking that if knowing the type of ending will destroy a bit of my enjoyment of the book.
Since I know the ending is heartbreaking, will I be steeling myself through the entire book for the experience? How about you? Have you ever found an ending to be less climatic than you expected after knowing the type of ending it had?
*Amazon Affiliate link
A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks
This book was due at the library over a week ago (ack!), but I wanted to post a few of my thoughts before rushing back to the library. I rush because my parents occasionally threaten to take away library privileges until I learn to be more responsible and get things back on time. Sigh. I’m working on it, I swear. It hasn’t actually happened (the library privileges being taken away), but I don’t want to test them too much. Anyway…
Set in 1958, A Walk to Remember*
The reason I decided to give this book a try is that I had seen the movie*
In the beginning of the book, the book says that the book will first make you smile, then make you cry. I did a lot of smiling while reading this book. It’s a sweet story. I didn’t cry, but then I can’t remember the last time I cried while reading a book although I did come close to crying while reading Under this Unbroken Sky.
Overall, I’d say that this book would be perfect for someone who has a lazy day off, looking for a book to sink into for a couple hours.
SPOILER
Question for those of you who’ve read the book. Do you think that Landon Carter ended up becoming a preacher?
End of spoiler
If you’d like a few good reasons to not read Spark’s writing, or at least not his most recent book, check out The Book Lady’s challenge experience. It had me laughin’.
And now, off to the library.
*Amazon affiliate links