Book Challenge by Erin 20.0 is finished! I’m so impressed that Erin has hosted a successful book challenge 20 times. Wow! And now it’s time to compile my reading list for 21.o. (I know, I’m behind schedule. Sigh.) But first, I thought I’d wrap up what I read for Book Challenge by Erin 20.0. Here are the categories and the books I read with some comments: Building on cover: The Hacienda by Isabel Canas I double-dipped by reading this historical…
It’s book challenge time! It’s been a while since I posted (as in stating the obvious). I’ve been busy. I know, I know, you are, too. Hey, thanks for reading! What have I been up to? you ask. Or even if you didn’t. Writing-wise, I’ve done some lackadaisical agent querying for my upper middle grade novel and am working on my new women’s fiction contemporary WIP. I’m about 20k words into the new novel and now have a BIG pile…
The new Book Challenge by Erin 17.0 approaches! In case you don’t know what this is, Book Challenge by Erin 17.0 is a reading challenge [you guessed that, right?] that runs from July through October. For more information and to join in the fun, check out Erin’s Facebook page. As usual, I had lots of fun coming up with books to fit the categories. If you enjoyed participating in scavenger hunts as a kid, you know the thrill that comes…
It’s Book Challenge by Erin time. And I’m already more than one month in. Cleary, I’ve been remiss in posting. As my fifth grade teacher used to say, “Fifty lashes with a wet noodle.” That done, here are the categories of the book challenge and my choices and comments so far: 5 points: Freebie – Read a book that is at least 200 pages A Trick of the Light/Penny Finished. I returned to this series after an absence, partly because…
Every October I participate in a common read of the Supernatural Fiction Readers over at Goodreads. The group selection this time is The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole. We have been having a super lively discussion of this supernatural classic. Check out the discussion here. And great news! You can read The Castle of Otranto for free here on Gutenberg. The Castle of Otranto is supernatural lite, the paranormal elements consisting primarily of a giant helmet and a haunted painting….
It’s time to announce my selections for Book Challenge by Erin 15.0! Book Challenge by Erin 15.0 is a reading challenge (you guessed that, right?) that runs from July through October. For more information and to join in the fun, check out Erin’s Facebook page. Here are the book categories and my selections: 5 points: Freebie – Read a book that is at least 200 pages Mary Coin by Marisa Silver 10 points: Read a book whose first word starts…
Book review of Exit by Belinda Bauer My first completed book for Book Challenge by Erin 14! Exit is about a man who belongs to a dedicated group of people called Exiteers. (No, I’d never heard that term before.) Felix aka John lives alone, is seventy-two, and watches people die. An Exiteer is a volunteer who witnesses euthanasia and then clears the scene of all evidence—the most damning item being a canister of nitrous oxide. Who knew nitrous oxide could…
It’s time to announce my selections for Book Challenge by Erin 14.0! Book Challenge by Erin 14.0 is a reading challenge [you guessed that, right?] that runs from January through April. For more information and to join in the fun, check out Erin’s Facebook page. Here are the book categories and my selections: Freebie, read any book of your choice Book Woman of Troublesome Creek I’d never heard of the blue people of Appalachia. Sounds like a fascinating read. Plus,…
Sweet are the uses of adversity, Which like the toad, ugly and venomous, Wears yet a precious jewel in his head; And this our life, exempt from public haunt, Finds tongues in trees, books in running brooks, Sermons in stones and good in everything ~William Shakespeare I’m sitting here on election eve feeling jittery. I mean, jittery. Staying up all night…
‘Tis the season for ghosties and goblins and things that go bump in the night. Or, as in the case of Salem’s Lot by Stephen King, things that go bite in the night. If you’ve spent any time reading this blog, you know my heart belongs to the ghost set. However, I always participate in the Supernatural Fiction Readers Group read over at Goodreads (join us!), and this year the members voted for Salem’s Lot, a novel about a small…
So, it’s been a looooong time since I last posted. Sorry, Guys! (That is if you were waiting with baited breath.) How do you bait breath, anyhow? I’m guessing not with worms. I have been writing (working on my novel), just not posting. I’m also halfway finished with a book review of The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander. It’s such a heavy book that I’ve felt a bit intimidated writing about it. So watch for that review in the…
Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend was, for me, a moving experience. On the surface, it’s a simple story–Budo, Max’s imaginary friend, details their life together. Budo advises Max on the ways of the elementary school world. Max is a smart child who resides somewhere on the autism spectrum and often cannot express himself or understand the motivations of others. That’s when he turns to Budo for help. I thought Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend would be a simple, albeit poignant,…
So, 2019 has dawned, and that means it’s time for another Book Challenge by Erin! For any of you unfamiliar with Book Challenge by Erin, it’s a reading challenge in which you select books based on categories that change each round, twice a year. You can then go to the Facebook group and chat about what you’re reading. You can find out more and sign up here: https://bit.ly/2GZmDDn. (I can’t hyperlink at the moment; WordPress revamped its format, and now…