Challenge Wednesday #19

It's Challenge Wednesday again folks!  And when I challenge Tracey...well, she doesn't take it lightly.  You'll see what I mean in a second.  


I am excited it was her Wednesday for a challenge, because today is J#4's FIRST BIRTHDAY!!  


So, I am going to spend the day celebrating her, and will report back tomorrow. 


But for now, read on!


#   #   #


Hi. I'm Tracey. I write at Control the Chaos. Jen is my friend, and on Wednesdays we take turns challenging each other in a variety of ways.


Last week, Jen posed this challenge:
"Tell me what your favorite fictional book of all time is and why.  Because that will be my next read."  


This question was much harder than I thought it would be, and still, I haven't settled on just one. I tried, I really did. But the best I can do is give you some top choices in different genres. 


I tend to read older works of fiction, but a newer series I recently read and loved is The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. I could not put them down and read all three within a couple weeks, which is unusual for me, Mrs. Slow Poke Reader. Husband put it best when he said these books got him reading modern fiction again, which is something both of us had gotten away from in recent months. In the spirit of full disclosure, there are some rather adult themes in this book, and yes, it is relevant to the story because it helps define the main character.

A couple other modern fiction works that are rather entertaining:

• A Prayer for Owen Meany: lighthearted but not completely predictable
• A Confederacy of Dunces: laugh out loud, other people in the room will think you are crazy, funny
• The Unconsoled, Never Let Me Go, and The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro: fantastic. I think The Remains of the Day might be the most famous, but I loved them all.
• I am currently reading The Help, and it is turning out to be quite the page turner.

As far as more classic literature is concerned (read: before GenX), here are a couple of my top picks:

• All of John Steinbeck's books, although Of Mice and Men continues to be my favorite
• To Kill A Mockingbird: Harper Lee (psst, the movie is good too)

Fantasy books - I know you aren't a fan, but these books conjure warm memories of my childhood, watching my dad read and re-read his tattered copies:

• The Hobbit: JRR Tolkien
• Chronicles of Narnia: CS Lewis

And even though you asked for fiction, I'm going to throw in my two absolute all time favorite non-fiction books as well:

• Gift From The Sea: Anne Morrow Lindbergh was Charles' Lindbergh's wife, and her collection of essays is, in a word, breathtaking
• Traveling Mercies: Anne Lamott is a crazy California hippie who has been down all sorts of roads. She is without a doubt my favorite author, and I've read every one of her books to date. Her nonfiction ramblings are the best, though, and I find myself eating up every. single. word.

And that, my friend, is my list of fantastic books. And I am 100% sure I will wake up at 2AM realizing I forgot a biggie. Oh well, there's always next week.

Speaking of...for next week I want you to share what kinds of fruits and veggies you've been incorporating into your diet recently, because I happen to know you are trying to eat at least five servings a day. Sooo, what are your favorites? Got a recipe you can share? Or at least how you like to eat them? Raw? Steamed? Drizzled in butter? Dunked in dressing? Smoothie? Hmmm?


#  #  #
Well, friends, if you can't find a good book to try in that list...well, you're just hopeless.

Kidding!  Kidding, of course.

And the fun part?  I've only read one of those {The Help...loved it!}.  So I have some reading to do! 

Blogs...the new book?

I have this list of 100 books that I want to finish reading.  See it up there?  Up along the top of the page?  I'll read them too.  But...I am often pulled away.


By blogs.


I am on a never ending cycle.


I find blogs I like, and a few that I love.  And I keep finding more and more to read. And then my google reader list of blogs becomes overwhelming, so I unsubscribe to a bunch.  But then I find NEW (to me) blogs to follow.  And so on and so on.


There are a few that remain constant.  A few that I have read since I discovered this blog world, about a year ago.


And then there are a few that I find (the ones that I mentioned loving above?), that I read from the beginning.  And they read like a book.


In the last few weeks I have found two that I wake up each morning hoping they have posted something...






Laura is quite literally a hollywood housewife.  Her husband is the mind behind the Jacka*s series (and more), and she started her time in California as a production assistant on movies and television.  Which would lead me to believe that I wouldn't be able to identify with her.  at. all.   But, quite the contrary.  I am amazed at how down-to-earth she is.  


And get this.  I linked up to her blog with my post about my "one word" for the year.  And she came to my blog and commented.  For realz.   The times where the link-up hosts actually visit my blog?  Few and far between.  And then actually comment?  Slim to none.   


Love her.  She is funny, a mom of two, and has interesting and varied posts.  Right now she is in the middle of a story about her faith.  If you have a minute or two, check her out.   


The other awesome blog I am addicted to right now?  

Momastery.    You know that "Don't Carpe Diem" post that has been very quickly been finding its way around Facebook, Twitter and the like?  First published on Momastery.  I went to check it out, and then stayed.  


Glennon has one of the most intriguing and inspiring (to me) stories that I have heard in a LONG time.  Seriously, read her story on her "about me" page.   What she created with her blog is a community, a network of friends...and I hope with the new found fame that her "Don't Carpe Diem" post garnered, that doesn't change for them.  


Alright...so there you go.  A few new blogs to add to your reader.   


You're welcome.  

Challenge Wednesday #18: Whatcha Readin'?

So, last week Tracey asked me the following question: What are you reading right now, how do you like it, and do you have any reading recommendations for us?


And, this week, on Tracey's blog, Control the Chaos, I am telling you all what I am reading right now, and what a few of my favorite books {that I got back to read more than once} are.    Oh, and Tracey offers a great book recommendation too! 


You better click on over and check it out! 

Books, books, books

I have always been a big reader.  You can ask my mom, she will tell you.  I used to take books to movie theaters.  We would go to the bookstore in the evening after she would get home from work, and by the time I went to bed I would have the book SHE JUST BOUGHT ME finished.  

isn't this considered a classic?

So, when I heard about the list of 100 books the BBC put out, I was interested to check it out.  I have done some additional research and seems like the list that is on my tab was only on Facebook, and never actually published on the BBC website.  But, even so, it seems like a good collection of mostly classic and a few more recently published books that should be read.  

Over the next year (and I am sure longer than that--have you seen how HUGE of a book War & Peace is?) I am going to read each of the books.  I have noted on the list (see 100 books tab above) which books have already been read, and will note when I finish the rest of them as well.  First up?  Pride & Prejudice.  

 I am a big fan of "chick lit" books, so this will be a challenge for me.   I will wait to read any other fiction books until I finish this list.  Hmm, I wish Hunger Games was on this list.  

Non-fiction?  Doesn't count.  I will continue to read non-fiction books now and then as I go through the list.  

Do you have any favorites on the list?  Books I should read sooner rather than later?