Reading Challenges

Books to Read Before I Die reading challenge is sponsored by Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea. The idea of this challenge is similar to a "Bucket List" and, as Diane said so well, what better way to start off 2010, than with a Challenge that encourages us to "Read the Best Books First"!

Here are the guideline for the challenge:
*Between now and December 31, 2009, make a list of between 10 and 20 Books to Read Before You Die. (depending on interest, this may be an annual event challenge).
*The books on your list can come from your stacks or the library, and be in print or audio format.
*Overlaps with other challenges is fine with me.
*Once you've created your post with tentative titles, THEN sign up using Mr. Linky, by pasting the link to your post, along with your name/blog name. This is how you will be registered. Finalize your list by 12/31/09 (no changes to the list after 12/31/09).
*All bloggers who complete the challenge will be entered in giveaway to win an Amazon Gift Card.

My list of Books to Read Before I Die:

1.The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
2.Hotel du Lac by Anita Brookner
3.Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
4.Snow by Orhan Pamuk
5.The Gathering by Anne Enright
6.Jantzen's Gift by Pam Cope
7.God is Not Great by Christopher Hitchens
8.Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
9.Felicia's Journey by William Trevor
10.Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
11.Generation A Douglas Coupland
12.The Help by Kathryn Stockett
13.Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
14.The Welsh Girl by Peter Ho Davies
15.The Help by Kathryn Stockett
16.The Wilderness by Samantha Harvey
17.The Sea by John Banville
18.Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
19.The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry
20.Molly Fox's Birthday by Deidre Madden



The Awesome Author Challenge is being hosted by Alyce at At Home with Books.

"The idea behind this challenge is to read works by authors who have been recommended to you time and again, yet somehow you haven't managed to read any books by those authors. These are the authors that everyone else tells you are awesome, thus the "Awesome Author Challenge" title."

The challenge begins January 1, 2010 and ends December 31, 2010 so there's a lot of time to read your Awesome Authors!
The Rules for this challenge:
**Crossover from other challenges is allowed
**Choose the level at which you would like to participate, post about it and leave a link to your post in Mister Linky.
**Titles and authors do not have to be predetermined, and can change at any time.
**Books can come from any genre or reading level, the only requirement is that you have heard great things about the author, but haven't yet read any of their works
The Levels of the challenge:
*Easy: Choose three authors and read at least one title from each author
*Moderate: Choose six authors and read at least one title from each author
*Challenging: Choose ten authors and read at least one title from each author.
*Over-Achieving: Anything over ten authors

I have a long list of authors that have been recommended to me many times and I have yet to read so I am going for the "Over-Achieving" Level and make a good dent in my list. I have updated my list here and listed some of the books I plan to read or choose from!

Away by Amy Bloom
An Expert in Murder by Nicola Upson
Native Speaker; A Gesture Life; Aloft by Chang-Rae Lee
The History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey
Housekeeping; Gilead; House by Marilynne Robinson
Disgrace; The Lives of Animals; Elizabeth Costello; Summertime by J.M. Coetzee
The Moons of Jupiter; Runaway; View of Castle Rock by Alice Munro
The Raphael Affair by Iain Pears
Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
The Prodigal Summer; The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver
The Master; The Blackwater Lightship; Mothers and Sons; Brooklyn by Colm Toibin
March; Years of Wonder by Geraldine Brooks
Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
Intuition; Paradise Park; The Other Side of the Island by Allegra Goodman

Book Review - Double Take: A Memoir

Title: Double Take
Author: Kevin Michael Connolly
ISBN: 978-0-06-179153-6
Pages: 240
Release Date: October 10, 2009
Publisher: Harper Studio.
Genre: Memoir
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Summary: Kevin Michael Connolly is a twenty-three-year-old who has seen the world in a way most of us never will. Whether swarmed by Japanese tourists at Epcot Center as a child or holding court at the X Games on his mono-ski as a teenager, Kevin has been an object of curiosity since the day he was born without legs. Growing up in rural Montana, he was raised like any other kid (except, that is, for his father’s MacGyver-like contraptions such as the “butt boot”). As a college student, Kevin traveled to seventeen countries on his skateboard and, in an attempt to capture the stares of others, he took more than 30,000 photographs of people staring at him. In this dazzling memoir, Connolly casts the lens inward to explore how we view ourselves and what it is to truly see another person. We also get to know his quirky and unflappable parents and his spunky girlfriend. From the home of his family in Helena, Montana to the streets of Tokyo and Kuala Lumpur, Connolly’s remarkable journey will change the way you look at others, and the way you see yourself.


My Thoughts: I read about Double Take: A Memoir by Kevin Michael Connolly in the Shelf Awareness Newsletter and jumped at the chance to read an ARC of the book. I was intrigued by Connolly's photo project, The Rolling Exhibition, as well as his participation in the X Games. Connolly traveled around the world taking pictures of people staring at him as he toured their town, village or city on his skateboard. I am also physically disabled, thus, am also very familiar with being stared down and stared at. Whether I am walking on crutches or in a wheelchair, there are always people who cannot stop gaping at my scarred and bowed legs. Being intrigued to read about the experiences of a man who grew up without legs, you can imagine my surprise and disappointment when Kevin Michael Connolly doesn't write about his X Games experiences, and gives few details about his travels and his photo project! Connolly includes pictures from his exhibition in the memoir, for example, along with a blurb about the exhibition on the back cover but not little else about this terrific accomplishment.

Double Take: A Memoir focuses on the author coming to terms with being a man without legs, what that means for him and its impact on other people. Connolly's parents are strong, full of love and willing to do whatever it took to make sure, growing up, Connolly's life was as normal a life as possible. He also has the love and support of his two sisters, two sets of grandparents and other family members. Connolly's mother always told him: "This isn't just your show". But it takes Connolly many years to understand what his mother is saying.

His normal life at home didn't apply at school where Connolly realized that he was different from the other children. He wanted to be included, like most children, and to participate in the same sports as his friends, but he wasn't able to, despite some very valiant efforts. Then Connolly's father helped him get involved in mono-skiing which means using a single ski or board rather than two skis. One ski makes it very difficult to balance, turn or stop, which resulted in a few concussions and other minor injuries to the author while he learned the sport. But Connolly soon excelled although he doesn't tell his readers how well. And once he tasted victory, everything in Connolly's life became about winning. He wanted to be the best, go the farthest and get the girl. Connolly tells the readers that he saw every task as a competition and he didn't want to lose. Connolly became driven to succeed. His single-minded purpose blinded him to other important things in his life such as his family. But it would be quite a while before the author realized that there's more to life than winning..

While in college, Connolly replaced mono-ski racing with travel, determined to see as many places as possible regardless of limited funds and his disability. At some point, irritated by people's stares and other reactions, Connolly began taking pictures of the people he encountered. It soothed his irritation and made Connolly feel he had the upper-hand. The picture-taking became a project that provided Connolly additional impetus to see as many countries as possible. But, after seeing a victim of the war while in Sarajevo, the author began to feel guilty about taking the pictures, wondering about the effect he was having on the people who saw him on the street. It felt narcissistic and self-serving to Connolly. His girlfriend, traveling with him, pointed out that he's not hurting anyone by taking their picture. The pictures show people with guilt, pity, sadness, joy, shame and surprise on their faces. Connolly realized that they're as curious about him as he is about them, making the picture project cathartic. In other words, he doesn't feel victimized when he has his camera with him..

Connolly writes honestly about the emotional turmoil he experiences while trying to figure out who he is and where he belongs in this world. By the time Connolly returns home from his travels, he has learned quite a bit about himself and the world. He is no longer blinded to the good things in his life by his single-minded purpose to win at everything. He realizes there is more to life than winning and he is happy to see his family again. Connolly has a very good sense of humor and no longer takes himself too seriously. But I wish he had written a chapter about competing in the X games and told us more about his photo project and how it came to be The Rolling Exhibition. I appreciate that Connolly shares his journey from being the legless boy to a man who happens not to have legs. And for me, personally, he has given me a different perspective from which to view the people who stare at me on the street. So, despite a lack of detail in the more important areas of his life, Connolly provides wonderful and important insight into what it's like to be different. Perhaps a follow-up is in order to fill in the blanks of this memoir, as well as to keep us updated about a very special person who's found the ability to write his way into our collective consciousness.

Teaser Tuesday 12.29.09

Teaser Tuesdays is a very fun, weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

My Teaser:

' "You didn't take care of my baby. And now she's gone." He said nothing.
"What are you going to do about that?" she asked. '

Promise Me by Harlan Coben (p. 113)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anyone can play along! If you'd like to participate, Just do the following:

*Grab your current read
*Open to a random page
*Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
*BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
*Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their
TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

*And, finally, don't forget to link your post to MizB's at Should Be Reading. If you don't have a blog, simply share your "teasers" in a comment.

Movie Monday! 12.28.09

Feature Presentation...
MONDAY MOVIE MEME

We're coming up on the end of the year, as hard as that is to believe! At this time of the year, it's common for people to stroll down memory lane and to think about the past. Many movies focus on different times in the past and different things that have happened in the past of our country and the world. Molly has aptly chosen historical films as today's movie category! Share on your blog those movies that take place in the past, covering a specific period in style or subject. Post these movies and then link your post back to Molly and Andy's at The Bumbles Blog!

My list ended up rather long but I kept coming up with more movies (with some help from Sam!)


A Man for All Seasons (1966) A film based on the play about Sir Thomas More by Robert Bolt. Directed by Fred Zinnemann, the film won 6 Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Actor. The movie concerns King Henry VIII's desire to have his marriage to his first wife, Catherine of Aragon annulled so that he can marry Ann Boleyn. Sir Thomas Moore refused to assist the King in this endeavor and resigned his office rather than take the "Oath of Supremacy" declaring King Henry the VIII the "Supreme Head of the Church of England". More is portrayed as a man of principle, devoted to his roman catholic faith, his family and the people of his country.

Elizabeth (1998) Directed by Shekhar Kapur and starring Cate Blanchett in the title role with Geoffrey Rush and Joseph Fiennes as well as 12-year old Lily Allen! This movie is loosely based on the life of Protestant Queen Elizabeth I of England who takes the throne after the death in 1558 of her half-sister Roman Catholic Mary I of England who dies from a cancerous tumor. Elizabeth had been jailed for supposedly conspiring to murder Mary but was released for her coronation! There is a sequel to this movie Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007)

Bobby (2006) directed by Emilio Estevez and starring a very large cast including Anthony Hopkins, Harry Belafonte, Sharon Stone, Helen Hunt William H. Macy, Laurence Fishburne, Lindsay Lohan, Ashton Kutcher. This is a fictionalized account of the hours prior to the assassination of U.S. Senator Robert Kennedy at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles after he won the California Democratic Party primary.

Good Night and Good Luck (2005) this is a black & white movie directed by George Clooney about broadcast journalist Edward R. Murrow's campaign in the 1950's to bring down the Senator of Wisconsin, Joseph McCarthy particularly regarding his anti-Communist actions and use of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. This movie has a terrific cast and received 6 Academy Award Nominations.

Driving Miss Daisy (1989) this movie stars Jessica Tandy as a 72-year-old Jewish widow living in Atlanta, GA in the late 1940s Her son hires a chauffeur for her, played by Morgan Freeman. She is determined not to like or trust the African-American man.. He is a kind and gentle man with a good sense of humor who isn't easily offended. During the course of their time together they, which spans many years, they come to rely on each other become very good friends. This movie won an Academy Award for Best Picture, the last PG-rated movie to do so!

O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) an adventure film directed by Joel & Ethan Coen loosely based on Homer's "The Odyssey". This movie is set in 1930's Mississippi during the great depression and stars George Clooney as Everett Ulysses McGill. It details his adventures with his buddies Pete and Delmar O'Donnell played by John Turturro and Tim Blake Nelson when they escape a chain gang and go in search of lost treasure. Everett claims to have stolen $1.2 million from an armored car which he buried prior to his arrest. They have just 4 days to find and retrieve the money before the valley it's buried in is flooded to create a new lake for a hydroelectric project. On the way, they encounter a host of interesting characters including 3 sirens, the KKK, the notorious bank robber George "Baby face" Nelson and blues guitarist Tommy Johnson. For easy money they record the song "Man of Constant Sorrow" at a radio broadcast station and name themselves "The Soggy Bottom Boys"! This is a wonderful, funny, unique movie with a fantastic soundtrack!

Beethoven's Nephew (Le Neveu de Beethoven) (1985) a costume drama, this movie, directed by Paul Morrissey, is about the last years of the composer Ludwig van Beethoven's life when he became embroiled in several nasty court battles with his sister-in-law over the custody of his nephew, Karl the son of his brother, Karl Caspar. Beethoven is somewhat obsessed with Karl, a musical genius, who he snatched away from his "demon" mother. The movie stars Wolfgang Reichmann as Beethoven and Dietmar Prinz as his nephew, Karl and Jane Birkin who plays Karl's very unhappy mother.

The Remains of the Day (1993) a Merchant Ivory Film directed by James Ivory, based on the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro, stars Anthony Hopkins as Stevens, a butler and Emma Thompson as Miss Kenton with Christopher Reeves and Hugh Grant included in the cast. The movie is set in England in the 1950s but much of it is a flashback to the days prior to WWII when Stevens and Miss Kenton worked together as servants of Darlington Hall where Stevens still works. Miss Kenton left Darlington Hall just before WWII broke out and married. Twenty-years later and no longer married, Miss Kenton has contacted Stevens who tries to persuade her to return to her former job.

Surviving Picasso (1996) another Merchant Ivory production, this movie loosely based on the biography, Picasso: Creator and Destroyer by Arianna S. Huffington. It stars Anthony Hopkins as Picasso. He meets a woman named Francoise (Natascha McElhone) in Paris during the Nazi occupation of the city. She always wanted to be a painter but her father beat her when she told him she didn't want to be a lawyer. She and Picasso become lovers but she discovers that Picasso cares little about other people's feelings and is a wanton womanizer who feels he can sleep with anyone he wants. The movie is told through Francoise eyes and she is one of the few of Picasso's women who stood up to his cruelty and went on with her life. The producers were unable to get permission to show Picasso's works in the film so it's more about his personal life than his creative side. And, unfortunately the movie didn't fare too well with viewers or critics.

Full Metal Jacket (1987) directed by Stanley Kubrick this movie is based on the novel The Short-Timers by Gustav Hasford. Set during the Vietnam War, this movie follows a squad of U.S. Marines during their United States Marine Corps Recruit Training on Parris Island and shows some of what two of them experience during the Tet Offensive. The cast includes Arliss Howard, Vincent D'Onofrio, Matthew Modine and R. Lee Ermey.

Where the Buffalo Roam (1980) directed by Art Linson and starring Peter Boyle, Bruno Kirby and Bill Murray as Hunter S. Thompson, Tthe movie chronicles many of Hunter S. Thompson's experiences on the campaign trail in 1972 and his rise to fame in the 1970s as a Gonzo journalist.

And my final entry in keeping with Molly's great choice:

Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979) in this comedy film written, directed and mostly performed by the Monty Python comedy team, Graham Chapman plays Brian Cohen, a young Jewish man born on the same day as Jesus Christ and in the same location, a few doors down. This confuses the wise men, among others when they come to visit and they end up praising Brian Cohen as the King of the Jews. Suddenly Brian Cohen is mistaken for the Messiah!

Sunday Salon 12.27.09

This time last week I was watching snow flurries drift through the air and amass on the ground. It snowed for almost two days leaving Brooklyn covered with 12 - 15 inches of snow. Nothing compared to some parts of VA with 33 inches of snow! I can't even imagine that much snow....it's almost taller then me! I bet the snow drifts were! LOL I love snow especially when it first falls, it's clean, pure, it looks beautiful and it's always quiet and peaceful outside right after a big snowfall. Beautiful. Three days later is another story completely, especially on the side of the road were cars have been trying to park. The snow turns gray and dirty - blech! Was I ever surprised (and happy!) when I woke up this morning and the mounds of dirty snow lining the road outside were completely gone as was all of the snow covering the yard and sidewalk. It also felt like spring outside! This weather is so wacky! The cats were nuts this morning! Most of them weren't fans of the snow. They sat on the windowsills looking outside at it, wondering how to get around without touching it! When they discovered there was no way to avoid it, most of the cats stayed indoors. I've had a pretty full house for the last week. This morning it was like they broke free, there wasn't one cat inside! They were outside playing, running around, having a ball!. So cute!

I have been busy the last couple of weeks and very lazy about my blog! I guess I needed a break too. But I got a lot of reading done, some good books, some, unfortunately, not so good. I will be posting reviews...ummm...once I write them. lol I did say I've been lazy! I baked a lot of cookies thanks to some wonderful recipes from Kathy (Bermudaonion) that came with my Christmas Cookie Giveaway win! My husband's favorite so far has been the 7-Layer Bars. What's not to love of a cookie that combines graham cracker, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips and coconut?!

I have some new cat pictures to post on the sidebar of my blog and I'll do that this week. Bob has become a full-fledged member of the family and spends more time inside than out. He's getting along very well with the other cats and they are teaching him how to play properly. At first, since he's so big, I think it looks to the other cats like Bob is attacking them when he tries to play. But he backs off quickly and shows no menace so they are learning how to play with him. It's very cute to watch! Sadie still gets mad at Bob frequently and hisses at him to keep him in place. Bob just looks at her and cocks his head to the side as if to say "Who are you & what is the matter with you"?!Sadie is so much smaller than Bob she just can't upset him! Betsy and Magoo have become the best of friends and play constantly. Magoo cleans Betsy frequently, too. At first she didn't like it or thought he was playing but now she settles down and lets him clean her.

We have another cat who has been staying with us during the bad weather. He was coming by once or twice a day to be fed. He used to have a home but no longer does, we‘re not sure what happened to his home. He never showed an interest in coming inside until it got very cold out and snowed and then he walked right in like it was his right...such a cat!. We call him Burke. He's a very chubby boy, black with white markings. He's very, very cute but not very friendly. He’s afraid of my crutch which I feel badly about but I know he’ll get used to it as all the other cats have. Hopefully one day he’ll rub his chubby cheeks on it like Bob, Betsy, Magoo and Sadie do! Burke is timid, shy and nervous and keeps to himself. But we're happy to give him a place to stay warm & dry. I'm sure after Burke gets used to us a little more he'll become friendlier. I worry about the stray, homeless cats when it gets very cold and especially when it snows.

I hope you all had Happy Holidays and a Merry Christmas! It's strange to think that in a few days it will be 2010! I don't care for making a big deal out of New Year's Eve. I used to go to big parties but now I prefer a quiet night at home with my husband and the kitties or dinner with friends. Something like that! What are you all up to for New Year's Eve?

I should work on some reviews or my reading challenge lists which I have to finish in a day or two! No more laziness allowed!
Happy Sunday!

Teaser Tuesday 12.22.09

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

*Grab your current read
*Open to a random page
*Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
*BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
*Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their
TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Teaser:

" The girls all snicker. Eva's look grows steely. It is a look she learned from her mother when she'd turn militant, irritable with the girls, with Frank."

Precious by Sandra Novack p. 32


If you'd like to join in (please do!)don't forget to link your post to MizB's at Should Be Reading. If you don't have a blog, share your "teasers" in a comment.

Movie Monday - Holiday Favorites!

Feature Presentation...
MONDAY MOVIE MEME

It's that Wonderful Time of the Year! Molly has chosen to start of this Christmas Week posting about favorite Holiday Movies! So, fellow bloggers, come up with a list of your favorite holiday movies and post about them. Then link your post back to Molly and Andy's at The Bumbles Blog!


The Christmas Story (1983) Molly, I know you posted about this one already but it is one of my favorites. TNT (I think!) runs this movie for 24 hours Christmas Even to Christmas Day. I never tire of seeing Ralphie (Peter Billingsley) coming downstairs in that big pink bunny suit given to him by his aunt or in watching his face light up in awe as his father (Darren McGavin) unpacks his winning raffle prize, a lamp in the shape of a "woman's leg garbed in fishnet stockings" from the box and place it in the front window with it's tassle-strewn lampshade for all the neighborhood to see much to his wife's (Melinda Dillon) dismay! This brilliant movie is based on the short stories and semi-personal anecdotes of Jean Shepard. There are so many wonderful scenes in this movie. If you haven't seen it, be sure you do!

Miracle on 34th Street (1947) Poor, poor Santa Claus is put on trial! Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) complains to Macy's that their "Santa" is drunk and reluctantly agrees to appear in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade at the behest of Doris Walker, Macy's event director (Maureen O'Hara). Doris' 9-year-old, Susan (Natalie Wood) does not believe in Santa because her mother has raised her to be a practical child who has no imagination. This troubles Kris and he is determined to convince her otherwise. This is a wonderful, magical movie.

We're No Angels (1955) including Humphrey Bogart, Peter Ustinov, Aldo Ray and Joan Bennett. In this comedy, three convicts escape from prison and hide out in a nearby French colonial town. They find a store that offers goods on credit and discover the store is owned by a family in financial straits. The convicts decide to stay and help the family with the store as a cover for their ruse...and fun ensues! I don't want to reveal any more about this gem of a movie. Suffice to say, this is one of Bogart's few comedies and it's fun to see him in a different light. This is an extremely fun, cute movie!

The Shop Around the Corner (1940) A romantic comedy starring Jimmy Stewart and Margaret Sullivan who play employees in a shop in Budapest. They do not like each other at all. Both are pen pals and falling in love with their respective partner in correspondence. But what they don't realize is that they are each other's pen pals! This is a delightful, enjoyable movie!

Broadway Danny Rose (1984) A comedy in black & white written by and starring Woody Allen and including a cast comprising Mia Farrow, Nick Apollo Forte, Sandy Baron and Milton Berle. Allen plays a talent manager who does everything for his clients who are generally incompetent and talent-less except for one who is somewhat talented. This somewhat talented client needs Allen's help desperately the day of a big show. But by helping out, Allen gets himself involved in a romantic triangle that involves the mob! The story is told in flashbacks by a group of comedians who are telling stories and anecdotes over lunch at New York's Carnegie Deli. I often watch this movie over the holidays because there are some very funny scenes that involve Thanksgiving dinner hosted by Allen for his clients. This is a hilarious and wonderful movie that was nominated for an Academy Award.