The Challenge: Read any non-fiction book(s), adult or young adult. That’s it. You can choose anything. Memoirs? Yes. History? Yes. Travel? Yes. You get the idea? Absolutely anything that is classified as non-fiction counts for this challenge. I always like levels in my challenges, so here are mine: Dilettante–Read 1-5 non-fiction books Explorer–Read 6-10 Seeker–Read […]
Details: I’ll be hosting the Books in Translation Reading Challenge again for 2013. I failed pretty miserably at it last year, reading only two when my goal was 4-6. Oops. I hope to do better this year. The goal is obviously to read translations of books, from any language into the language(s) you’re comfortable reading […]
I’m a little late to post this, but I am hosting the 2013 Southern Literature Reading Challenge this year. Sign up and link your reviews below. The rules: Read a book(s)–non-fiction or fiction of any genre, for any age group–written by an author from the South and set mostly in the South. Definitions of the […]
How the world sees Scarlett I intended to write about a different character this week, but I hated to throw such a sweet guy into the mix of my Banned Books Week celebration, so I’m going with that minx, Scarlett O’Hara. I just cannot figure out how I feel about her. I’m still trying to […]
Badge reprinted by permission of the American Library Association. I can’t believe it’s Banned Books Week again! I said everything I really have to say about banning/challenging books in this post a couple of years ago, but I’ll give a quick recap. I believe that you have the right to choose the books you want […]
Briar Wilkes from Cherie Priest’s Boneshaker just tries to keep her head down and feed herself and her teenage son. The problem is, her life is overshadowed by her relationships to a couple of Seattle’s most (in)famous figures. First of all, there’s her father, Maynard. He’s a legend for going back into the city during […]
CeeCee Honeycutt. Bless her heart. She’s only twelve years old and her Mama’s crazy as a bedbug. She runs around town in old pageant dresses and tiaras, making a laughingstock of herself. She’s living in 1951 when she was the Vidalia Onion Queen and isn’t taking care of her daughter; CeeCee is the caregiver in […]
Oooh, Cal Morrisey. *sigh* The leading man in Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie, Cal is a dreamboat. Yes, it’s an old-fashioned word but that’s what he is. He’s good-looking, he’s effortlessly charming, he owns a successful business, he’s a great cook and a loyal friend… He has it all. But the charm is more out […]
Karou, the main character in Laini Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke and Bone, is a 17-year-old girl attending an arts school in Prague. She has funky blue hair; a short and awesomely sarcastic best friend; a beautiful, arrogant ex-boyfriend; amazing artistic ability; and a double life. Karou carries around a sketchbook with her wherever she goes […]
So we already know that I love Scout and Atticus. After my most recent re-read of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, I realized that I’ve never fully appreciated Jem. The book covers a pivotal few years in Jem’s life, between the ages of roughly 10 and 13. Those are some pretty formative years […]
Eleanor Vance is kind of the main character in The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. While I can’t really bring myself to recommend the book, Eleanor is a fascinating character. Eleanor is a fairly young woman (I want to say she’s 30-ish) who’s never had the opportunity to be young. Her mother was […]