The Books Heather T is Reading

This was so hard. And there are new lists up since I chose my books, so I may have to add some to my list here. I pocked 5 to start with. Those are:

Diary of Anne Frank (from Pattie's List)
The Dance of the Dissident Daughter by Sue Monk Kidd (from Bonnie's List)
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (from Kathrin's List)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith (From Becky's List)
Dakota: A Spiritual Geography by Kathleen Norris (From Beachreader's List)

I have already begun to read Jane Eyre. I am journaling my progress over at A Reader and A Thinker.

Other books on my list include:

The Awakening by Kate Chopin (Also from Pattie's List)
Operating Instructions by Anne Lamott (from Nattie's List)
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards (b/c of the UK link we share - from 3M's List)The Writing Life by Annie Dilliard (From Megan's list)
So Many Books So Little Time by Sara Nelson (Have heard so much about - From Vasilly's List and the List of a.book.in.the.life)
Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell (Can you believe I haven't read this - From Bookworm's List)
The Five Gifts of Illness by Jill Sklar (From Dana's List)
Zel by Donna Jo Napoli (From Sarah Miller's List)
The Giver by Lois Lowry (also From Sarah Miller's List)
Because it is Bitter and Because it is My Heart by Joyce Carole Oates (from Judith's List)
Uglies by Scott Westerfeld (From Faith's List)
The Never Ending Story by Michael Ende (from Little Willow's List)
Nine Parts of Desire by Geraldine Brooks (from Gracie's List)
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (from Karlene's List)

Heather

Athena's Reading List

This is my tenative reading list for the challenge. I'm unsure if I can read all these, but a lot of the books I've wanted to read for awhile. I've also read a lot of the books mentioned so far, so I'll definitely be interested in discussions about them.

Ellen's List
The Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Chris's List
The Seven Daughters of Eve by Bryan Sykes
Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier

raidergirl3's list
A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

Tiny Little Library's List
Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery

The bookworm's List
The Poinsonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb

Also, I recently finished Diary of Anne Frank which this read along encouraged as it was on the original list above.

Christina's Picks

I'm surprised by how many of the books I've already read! Everyone had such great picks.

Books I've Already Read:
East of Eden (Vasilly)
Pride & Prejudice (Bookworm, Pattie)
Gone With the Wind (Bookworm)
The Poisonwood Bible (Bookworm)
The Time Traveler's Wife (Dewey)
Angry Housewives Eating Bon-Bons (Tiny Librarian)
Anne of Green Gables (Tiny Librarian, Trish, EnnaVic)
Bridget Jones' Diary (Tiny Librarian, Trish)
The Historian (A Book in the Life, Maryanne, Heidijane)
The Mayor of Casterbridge (A Book in the Life)
Anna Karenina (Athena)
To Kill a Mockingbird (Stephanie)
Wuthering Heights (Suey, Trish)
The Amateur Marriage (Nattie)
Lolita (Heather)
The Awakening (Pattie)
Charlotte's Web (3M)- I sort of remember reading it.
Evening Class (raidergirl)
The Eyre Affair (Heidijane, Valentina)
Heidi (Heidijane)
I, Elizabeth (Soleil)
Little Women (Lucca, Alyson)
The Canterbury Tales (Faith)
The Secret Life of Bees (EnnaVic)
Island of the Blue Dolphins (Juli)
Lovely Bones (Chasida)

My Choices:
Crime and Punishment (JMC)
Chocolat (Chasida, Margo)
Can you keep a secret (Kathrin)
Of Human Bondage (Athena)
The Thirteenth Tale (Kristin)
To Kill a Mockingbird (Janet, Stephanie) *I just finished this yesterday
The Robber Bride (Ellen)
Anne of the Island (Becky)
Anne of the Windy Poplars (raidergirl)
Breakfast at Tiffany's (Lucca)

Alternates
The Red Tent (Sarah Miller)
March (Dewey)
The Writing Life (Megan)
Anne Frank (Pattie)

Breaking Down the List... Including My Official Reading Plans for the Challenge

I’ve dissected the list (and wow, what a list it is!) and split things up into four categories:

Pre-challenge books: (Books I recently read or am planning to read before the challenge officially begins)

I Am the Messenger (it was first going on the official list, but just available from my library hold yesterday, so I’ll have to read it now!)
I Am Legend
Sixpence House
Operating Instructions
So Many Books, So Little Time
A Cook’s Tour
Biblioholism
The Quilter’s Apprentice
Papa Married a Mormon
The Amulet of Smarkand

Official Challenge Books: (someone stop me before I add more!)

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See (Juli)
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishigiro (Lucca)
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (Diane)
Sea Glass by Anita Shreeve (Beachreader and Library Lady)
The Petit Prince by Antoine De Saint Exupery (Soleil)
The March by E.L. Doctorow (Jill)
The Stand by Stephen King (A Book in the Life)
Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel (Maryanne)
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglas Wiggin (Stephanie)
The Writing Life by Annie Dillard (Megan)
Ida Mae Tutweiler and the Traveling Tea Party by Ginnie Siena Bivona (Lynne)
Evening Class by Maeve Binchy (Raidergirl)
The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards (3M)
Tracon by Paul McElroy (Lisa)


Post-challenge Books: (Books from the list that I want to read in the near future)

The Talisman
My Sister’s Keeper
Baden-Powell
The Never Ending Story
A Tiger in the Well
The Canterbury Tales
Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Dairy Quenn
The Bell Jar
Beach Music
Chocolat
Traveling Mercies
March
The Robber Bride
Seven Blessings
SAHM I Am
Cheaper By The Dozen
Fall On Your Knees
The Seven Daughters of Eve
The Namesake
A Walk in the Woods
In the Shadow of Man

Books from the list that I’ve already read:

Island of the Blue Dolphins
A Wrinkle in Time
Wuthering Heights
Anne of Green Gables
Mrs. Dalloway
The Secret Life of Bees
The Eyre Affair
Little Women
Uglies
To Kill a Mockingbird
Where the Red Fern Grows
Inkheart
A Northern Light
The Winthrop Woman
The Red Tent
The Giver
The View from Saturday
Number the Stars
The Tale of Despereaux
The Screwtape Letters
Crime and Punishment
Good Grief
These Happy Golden Years
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Ender’s Game
Anne of the Island
Persuasion
Flowers in the Attic
The Other Boleyn Girl
On Writing
Stargirl
Just Ella
The Lord of the Rings
The Princess Diaries
Jane Eyre
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Blindness
East of Eden
Pride and Prejudice
The Poisonwood Bible
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
The Time Traveler’s Wife
Angry Housewives Eating Bonbons
The Historian
The Mayor of Casterbridge
Educating Esme
Peter Pan
Anna Karenina
The Thirteenth Tale
Twilight
A Girl Named Zippy
This Side of Paradise
My Name is Asher Lev
Anne Frank
The Awakening
Anne of Windy Poplars
Charlotte’s Web
Rebecca
In the Shadow of the Wind
Grapes of Wrath
Heidi

EnnaVic's Reading List

This was hard - what a lot of great books I would like to either read / re-read. I whittled it down to these:

1. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee (F) (I have read this before but was over 20 years ago and it seemed to be pretty much the top pick for greatest US novel in a recent Booking Through Thursday.) - From Janet and Stephanie's suggestion lists
   
2. The Tale of Despereaux by Kate diCamillo (JuvF) (Have just got a copy of this and intend to read to my kids) - from Booklogged's suggestion list
   
3. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle (JuvF) (I feel sure I must have read this as a kid but can't remember it and it keeps being mentioned so would like to read / refresh my memory of it) - from Juli's suggestion list
   
4. The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillippa Gregory (F) (I'm a history buff - particularly the Tudors, Victorian England, NZ, and the Romanovs) - from Margo's suggestion list
   
5. The Dance of the Dissident Daughter by Sue Monk Kidd (NF) (I had The Secret Life of Bees on my suggestion list so this sounded interesting) - from Bonnie's suggestion list
   

And 2 extra's (at the moment *chuckle)

• Penguin History of New Zealand by Michael King (NF) (this was off my list and is supposed to be a really good read, so I have added it as an extra here so that I will actually read it. Also in the faint hope that a family member might take the hint and get me a copy for my birthday. *g*) - from my own suggestion list
  
• Nicholas and Alexandra by Robert Massie (NF) (I have lots of books about N&A but haven't yet read this one) - from Kristin's suggestion list
  

I have also read a frightening number of books off the lists so will probably join in other discussions along the way.

Just a thought: It would be pretty cool to eventually (post Challenge) have a copy of all the suggestion lists available in a downloadable file. There are some really great books suggested there and I am sure I would refer back to it later if I had a copy on my drive.

Lisa's Reading List

Hi all! Guess I should post my reading list too, since I'm hosting this challenge!! As I wrote on my book blog, I wasn't really thinking when I started this challenge and it happens to run the same months that I will be studying for my Licensing exams to be a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in the state of California. Ugh. Anyway, originally I wanted to read one book from each person's list. I had no idea so many people would sign up!! There's no way. So here are my lists; sorry I didn't have time to alphabetize and link them nicely like many of you did!

I couldn't narrow my list down to one book a month, so there are six I'll definitely read:

The Eyre Affair (heidijane and Valentina)
Number the Stars (booklogged) or The Giver (Sarah Miller) - whichever I can get
Stick Kid (JMC)
I Am The Messenger (Jill)
The Thirteenth Tale (Kristin)
Operating Instructions (in memory of Nattie)

I also want to read these, and will if I have time:

Ender's Game (Becky)
Pride and Prejudice (Bookworm and Pattie)
March (Dewey)
Twilight (Suey)
Papa Married a Mormon (Suey)
Evening Class (Raidergirl)
Fall On Your Knees (Christina)

I have already read many of the books chosen:

Island of the Blue Dolphins
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
Bridget Jones' Diary
The Secret Life of Bees
Little Women
Fahrenheit 451
Where the Red Fern Grows
Remains of the Day
A Thousand Splendid Suns
Gift from the Sea
The Red Tent
All I Need To Know I Learned in Kindergarten
Le Petit Prince
Beach Music
Chocolat
Good Grief
The Lovely Bones
The World According to Garp
These Happy Golden Years
Me Talk Pretty One Day
Postsecret
Flowers in the Attic
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire/Sorcerer's Stone
East of Eden
Gone with the Wind
The Poisonwood Bible
She's Come Undone
The Time Traveler's Wife
The Historian
Like Water for Chocolate
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Lincoln
The Amateur Marriage
Lolita
The Diary of Anne Frank
The Memory Keeper's Daughter
The Echo Maker
Charlotte's Web
Rebecca
The Shadow of the Wind
The Grapes of Wrath
The Namesake
A Walk in the Woods
Booked to Die

Pattie's Choices

Pattie's Choices for the Reading Challenge (and in parentheses, the person whose list it is from):


Why I Wore Lipstick to my Mastectomy by Geralyn Lucas (Dana, from her original list)
My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok (Heather T)
Sixpence House: Lost in a Town of Books by Paul Collins (Nattie - in her memory)
The Writing Life by Annie Dillard (Megan)
Generation NeXt Parenting by Tricia Goyer (Kristin) - also a Nonfiction Five Challenge choice
Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh (AlisonWonderland, Beachreader) - I've started this more than once & never finished.
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell (Juli) - also a Newbery Challenge choice
Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote (Lucca)

JMC's Reading Choices

I have posted my choices on my blog. The post is reproduced below:


A while back, I joined a reading challenge. It is now close to the time to begin fulfilling the second part of the challenge, the first part being listing 5 books that say something about me. The second part of the challenge is to read books from the lists of others who are participating in the challenge. After scouring the lists for books that I hadn't read that looked interesting, I have decided on the following, in no particular order except that in which my notes ended up after I dropped them:

From Bonnie's list: Booked to Die by John Dunning

From Twiga's list: The Atonement Child by Francine Rivers

From Chasida's and Margo's lists: Chocolat by Joanne Harris, because I love chocolate and it's usually part of what I sacrifice during Lent.

Also from Chasida's list: Good Grief by Lolly Winston

From Dewey's list: The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

From Wendy's list: Place Last Seen by Charlotte McGuinn Freeman

Also from Wendy's list: The Borrowers by Mary Norton, because we have it and it can double as my 6- and 4-year-olds' bedtime story.

From Christina's list: The Seven Daughters of Eve by Bryan Sykes, because I, too, am interested in genetics and genealogy (though I'm too lazy to actually DO any genealogy).

From Jill(mrstreme)'s list: Christ the Lord by Anne Rice

From Suey's list: Papa Married a Mormon by John D. Fitzgerald, because I was raised Mormon (though I am no longer one).

From Booklogged's list: From the Corner of His Eye by Dean Koontz, because coincidentally, I had just asked to mooch this book on Bookmooch when Booklogged posted her list.

Also from Booklogged's list: The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread by Kate DiCamillo, because my oldest daughter has it and also said it was good.

From Vasilly's list: East of Eden by John Steinbeck, because I had to throw a classic in there somewhere, and this is one I have been meaning to read for years.

From alisonwonderland's list: Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli, because my daughter has it so I have easy access to it.

From Becky's list: Ender's Game (Ender, Book 1) by Orson Scott Card, because I am not a huge sci-fi fan, but Becky said she hadn't been either until this book.

From Kristin's list: The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Sutterfield

From Nattie's list: Fool's Puzzle by Earlene Fowler

From Stephanie's list: Oh My Goth by Gena Showalter

From Sarah Miller's list: The Giver by Lois Lowry, because it's another one my daughter has, so it's readily available.

From Faith's list: Uglies (Uglies Trilogy, Book 1) by Scott Westerfeld and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

From Juli's list: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle, because it's yet another that is in my daughter's room that I haven't read.

So I will be reading for quite a while. I selected them all because they sound interesting, and some for more specific reasons as mentioned above. Since the time limit for posting each participant's five books isn't over yet, I'll have to reserve the right to add to the list.

In addition, the books on other participant's lists that I have already read (and thus may join in the discussions of) are:
Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (but it's been so long, I may have to re-read in order to discuss)
The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer (also may need to re-read)
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath (another probably need to re-read)
Beach Music by Pat Conroy (which was also on my list)
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Book 4) by J.K. Rowling
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (another need to re-read, but I do have very vague recollections)
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Book 1) by JK Rowling
A Girl Named Zippy by Haven Kimmel
Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl
Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank Gilbreth, Jr. (LOVED this, and read it multiple times growing up. Frank Gilbreth, Jr., ended up in my hometown of Charleston, SC, as a humor columnist for the Charleston Post and Courier. He used the pseudonym "Ashley Cooper," which as anyone from Charleston knows, are the names of the two rivers on either side of the Charleston peninsula that come together to form the Atlantic Ocean. ;) Once a year, he would 'fess up and admit who he really was.)
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
Charlotte's Web by E.B. White

Rhinoa's Choices

I am putting my list up now as well so I can get started. I have a bunch of challenges running at the moment so need to get going... There are lots of books I want to read on the list, but am going to start with just 5. I figure if I have time I can add more as I go along.

A Short History of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson (Raidergirl)
To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee (Stephanie and Janet)
The Polysyllabic Spree - Nick Hornby (Athena)
Chocolat - Joanne Harris (Chasida, Margo who I have know online for a few years now. She raves about this book so I really want to read it and she why she likes it so much)
Genome - Matt Ridley (Juli)

Others I hope to read eventually:

The Historian - Elizabeth Kostova (Heidijane, Maryanne, A Book in the Life)
Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck (Kookiejar)
The Memory Keepers Daughter - Kim Edwards (3M)
Twilight - Stephanie Meyer (Suey)
The Amulet of Samakand - Jonathan Stroud (Suey)
The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver (Bookworm)
Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold (Chasida)
Crime and Punnishment - Fyoder Dostoyevsky (JMC)
Number the Stars - Lois Lowry (Booklogged)
The Giver - Lois Lowry (Sarah Miller)
Inkheart - Cornelia Funke (SheReads)
A Suitable Boy - Vikrum Seth (Lucca)
Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury (Faith)
The Iliad - Homer (Alyson)
A Tiger in the Well - Phillip Pullman (Valentina)
The Secret Life of Bees - Sue Monk Kid (Ennavic)
Mrs Dalloway - Virginia Woolf (Trish)
My Sisters Keeper - Jodi Picoult (Trish)

Books on the list I have already read:

Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
Bridget Jones' Diary - Helen Fielding
The Never Ending Story - Michael Ende
The Red Tent - Anita Diamante
The Bell Jar - Slyvia Plath
I, Elizabeth - Rosalind Miles
The World according to Garp - John Irving
The Other Boleyn Girl - Phillippa Gregory
Christ the Lord - Anne Rice
Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - JK Rowling
Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austin
Gone with the Wind - Margaret Mitchell
Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone - JK Rowling
The Time Travllers Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
Peper Pan - JM Barrie
Anna Karenina - Leo Tolsty
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
The RObber Bride - Margaret Atwood
Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
Anna Frank: Diary of a young girl
Charlottes Web - EB White
Rebecca - Daphne du Maurier
The Naughtiest Girl in School - Enid Blyton

I have read a lot it seems!

soleil's list of reads

i have narrowed my list down to ten books. since this challenge goes on until the end of the year i am pretty confident that i will get through these quickly and be able to add more books. but i am starting out conservatively.

1. Canterbury Tales
2. Crime and Punishment
3. Fairies: Real Encounters with Little People
4. Grimm's Grimmest
5. The Memory Keeper's Daughter
6. The Undomestic Goddess
7. The Princess Diaries
8. Twilight
9. Uglies
10.Oh my Goth

the books on the lists that i have already read:

Anne of Green Gables
Bridget Jones' Diary
Little Women
Fahrenheit 451
The Red Tent
Chocolat
The Lovely Bones
Flowers in the Attic
The Lord of the Rings
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Anna Karenina
Like Water for Chocolate
Twelfth Night
Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl
The Awakening
Charlotte's Web
A Wrinkle in Time

if i could read all the listed books i wanted they would be:

The Secret Life of Bees
The Never-ending Story
A Room of One's Own
Mrs. Dalloway
All I Ever Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten
A Short History of Nearly Everything
Angry Housewives Eating Bonbons
Bait and Switch
Because it is Bitter and Because it is My Heart
Einstein's Dreams
I am the Messenger
Leave Me Alone, I'm Reading
Living Your Yoga
Lying on the Couch
Me Talk Pretty One Day
Memnoch the Devil
Nicholas and Alexandra
So Many Books, So Little Time
Stargirl
The Childless Revolution
The Echo Maker
The End of Faith
The Historian
Tracon
The Redhead Handbook

EnnaVic's selections

1. Anne of Green Gables - L.M. Montgomery.
My mother once, and only once, suggested that I was named after the fictional Anne. I also have freckles and felt much the same about them as a child as Anne does! And like her I was a bit of a rough and tumble type girl. To my great regret I didn't get her gorgeous hair to go with the freckles though. (F)

2. Three Men in a Boat - Jerome K. Jerome.
At the moment my life seems consumed by boats, with the America's Cup being raced, quite different from the boat in this book mind you. I have 3 kids and we read to them every night - this book was one I was read as a child and I remember it very fondly. I have plans to read it to my kids in the next year or so. (NF)

3. The Secret Life of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd.
I grew up in an urban family that made it's own soap (the very traditional way with lye and rendered fat off meat) and bread, and had a vege garden as well as growing 15+ types of fruit (on a 1/4 acre section), as well as having a beehive or two for honey. One day I will have a beehive as well, although since the varroa mite made it to New Zealand this is much more problematic than it used to be. This book is really there mostly because of the title and it is one I have wanted to read for a while. (F)

4. Penguin History of New Zealand - Michael King.
Michael King died in a car accident not long after this was published and I don't think knew how completely well received it was. I am a New Zealander and belong nowhere else in the world. I have an interest in our history and this book has been on my to read list for a long time. (NF)

5. Baden-Powell by Tim Jeal - The definitive biography of Baden-Powell the man who founded Scouting and Guiding. I am a guide leader and have been for around 20 years. I have read this biography before but not for a while, but remember it as a warts and all version of B-P's life, and as I would prefer to read an honest account about a real individual, rather than one about a man set on a pedestal, I want to read it again. Even with his quirks he was a remarkable man and his legacy has impacted on my life in a huge way. Next year is the 100th anniversary of Guiding in New Zealand so it seems like a good time to re-visit. (NF)

------------------------

Just for interest - other books I considered:

Scoop - Evelyn Waugh

Under the Mountain - Maurice Gee

In search of Van Gogh - Kenneth Wilkie

Tulip fever- Deborah Moggach

Walter: The Story of a Rat - Barbara Wersba

The Mysterious Benedict Society - Trenton Lee Stewart

The Court of the Last Tsar: Pomp, Power and Pageantry in the Reign of Nicholas II - Greg King

Why We Get Sick: The New Science of Darwinian Medicine by Randolph M. Nesse and George C. Williams

Jill's Reading List

I had quite a hard time deciding on which books to read for this challenge. Congratulations to the group for posting such wonderful novels. I am new to challenges and do not know many members yet; I am looking forward to gaining some insight into your personalities!

Here are my "main" picks plus some "alternates" for this challenge:

MAIN SELECTIONS

1) Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (Alyson, Lucca) - I plan on reading Geraldine Brook's March for the Book Awards Challenge, but I wanted to brush up on the girls before I do.
2) Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote (Lucca) - A great excuse to finally read Capote!
3) A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (SheReads-Diane) - This book is burning a hole on my bookshelf. I must get to it soon!
4) The Red Tent by Anita Diamante (Sarah Miller) - I always wanted to read this book - I am beginning to enjoy Biblical Fiction.
5) Chocolat by Joanne Harris (Chasida, Margo) - I loved Five Quarters of an Orange, and I loved this movie, and I love chocolate! I can't believe I haven't read this book.
6) Blindness by Jose Saramago (Vasilly) - I share a lot of reading tastes with Vasilly, and she lists this one as one of her favorites - plus I can use it for the Book Awards Challenge.

ALTERNATES
1) The Archivist's Story by Travis Holland (Alyson) - This sounds like an intriguing story though I will wait for more reader reviews before I commit to reading.
2) I, Elizabeth by Rosalind Miles (Soleil) - I enjoyed reading some of Philippa Gregory's Tudor stories and thought this would be a nice addition.
3) The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella (Margo) - Kinsella's books are perfect after reading deep, complicated fiction - perfect for the poolside!

Dewey's reading choices

My reading choices:

I made my choices earlier this month, because I realized that with so many books on my list so far, I just had to draw the line and stop adding to it, no matter how tempting other people's picks might be! If I finish these early, though, I will go through the lists again and pick more. I also started reading early and have read a couple already.


1. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomer.(Tiny Little Librarian): How could I not have read this already? HOW? (Finished: review here.) I've got the second book from the library already!


2. So Many Books, So Little Time by Sara Nelson (also a.book.in.the.life): Definitely! I have been dying to read this. (This is my next book to read.)

3. The Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby (Athena): Probably. If I can mooch it. It's been on my wishlist a while. I like Hornby; he's not one of my favorite-favorites, but I try to read all his books.

4. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield (Kristin). Finished: review here.

5. Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglas Wiggin (Stephanie) I read this as a kid, but I don't really remember it, so I'll reread it.

6. Oh My Goth by Gena Showalter (also Stephanie): This sounds like a really fun YA book.

7. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte (Suey): I saw this available at DailyLit, so I might reread it that way.

8. Luncheon of the Boating Party by Susan Vreeland (3M): Definitely -- on my TBR list anyway.

9. The Five Gifts of Illness (Dana): I hadn't heard of this before, but I think I should read it.

10. The End of Faith by Sam Harris (Judith's pick). I've had this on my TBR pile for a while.

11. Chocolat by Joanne Harris (Chasida). I love this movie and have no idea why I've never read the book!

12. Stick Kid by Peter Holwitz (JMC's pick). Finished: review here. JMC: I've seen a couple people say they want to read this, and at least one blogger mentioned buying it!

Bonnie's reading choices

I haven't seen anyone post their reading choices here, but it seems like a good idea, so I'll start. Here are my picks, naming the person in parentheses who said it's "something about me."

My choices:
1. The Seven Daughters of Eve ~ by Bryan Sykes (Chris)
2. Place Last Seen ~ by Charlotte McGuinn Freeman (Wendy)
3. Einstein's Dreams ~ by Alan Lightman (Raidergirl3)
4. The Memory Keeper's Daughter ~ by Kim Edwards (3M)
5. The Tortilla Curtain ~ by T.C. Boyle (Dewey)
6. Sixpence House: Lost in a Town of Books ~ by Paul Collins (in memory of Nattie)

Alternates:
7. Luncheon of the Boating Party ~ by Susan Vreeland (3M)
8. A Thousand Splendid Suns ~ by Khaled Hosseini (Diane)
9. The Happy Room ~ by Catherine Palmer (Twiga)
10. The Time Traveler's Wife ~ by Audrey Niffenegger (Dewey)
11. The End of Faith ~ by Sam Harris (Judith)
12. Demon Haunted World ~ by Carl Sagan (Kookiejar)

This challenge lasts five months, August through December, so I chose five books. The sixth book on my list is for Nattie, one she chose to tell us something about herself; but Nattie died young, leaving behind two small children. Cancer took her before the challenge got underway, but some of us are reading books she chose, doing it in memory of Nattie.

If you have read any of these books, please tell me what you thought of them. Thumbs up? Or thumbs down?