November's Just Around the Corner.....

For some of my friends, November means one thing - NaNoWriMo (for those of you who never heard of it, that's National Novel Writing Month). I've always thought it might be kind of fun to join them in trying to crank out a 50,000 word novel in just a month, but realistically, that's not going to happen while I'm teaching. I've been toying with the idea of trying to finish the last two chapters of my second WiP during the month, but .... inertia is hard to overcome!

Today, though, I came across a link to a different project for November - NaNoReaMo. YA author Natalie Whipple is going to read 3 books a week for a total of 12 during November. Depending on what the books are, that could be just as unrealistic for me as trying to write a novel during the month.  I was doing really well on my A-to-Z reading challenge until school started, but now I've stalled.  I just finished the "P" book, which leaves me only two months to try to get through 10 books (one of which was supposed to be Undaunted Courage - yikes!).

To write or to read???

Crazy, Ambitious...But I Like It!

After putting together the year-end review last night, I had a brainstorm of what I could do for my reading this year. I think I'm going to do an A to Z challenge: during this year, I'm going to read 26 books, one for each letter of the alphabet. Considering that I read only 19 books last year, this may be a bit ambitious on my part, but I'm going to try!

Here's the list I've put together so far, based on books that are on my shelves already. I've also added a few that I might be able to review for the Teen Lit Review site. The list is tentative; if something that looks interesting comes along, I'm flexible.

A - Alice in Love and War - Ann Turnbull (this is what actually gave me the idea)
B - Bud, Not Buddy - Christopher Paul Curtis
C - Caddie Woodlawn - Carol Ryrie Brink
D - Daughter of Fortune - Isabel Allende
E - Evolution of Calpurnia Tate - Jacqueline Kelly
F - Flygirl - Sherri Smith or Fever 1703 by Laurie Halse Anderson
G - Girl with a Pearl Earring - Tracy Chevalier
H - Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
I - Indian Captive - Lois Lenski
J - Jellicoe Road - Melina Marchetta
K - (nothing yet - any suggestions?)
L - Life on the Mississippi - Mark Twain
M - The Mysterious Benedict Society - Trenton Lee Stewart
N - (not sure)
O - Ophelia - Lisa Klein
P - Pioneer Breed - Glenn Vernam
Q - (nothing)
R - Rifles for Watie - Harold Keith
S - The Scarlet Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne
T - Twilight - Stephanie Meyer (am I the only person in the country who hasn't read this, ha ha?
U - Undaunted Courage - Stephen Ambrose (I'll try it one more time!)
V, W, and X - (no idea)
Y - The Year the Swallows Came Early - Kathryn Fitzmaurice
Z - The Zookeeper's Wife - Diane Ackerman

We'll see how it goes.

End of Summer (Reading Challenge, That Is)

I'm rather proud of myself. For once, I actually made a good-sized dent in the list of books I said I would read for a reading challenge at Teen Lit Review. Here's the original list, with the ones I finished in bold print:

Alex and the Ironic Gentleman by Adrienne Kress - this was a delightfully quirky adventure for young readers, with a delightful girl as the heroine. There were some VERY funny parts.
The Health of the Country: How American Settlers Understood Themselves and Their Land by Conevery Bolton Valencius - I thought this one was going to be the killer for the challenge; I am SO slow at reading nonfiction. But there was some good information, so I'm glad I read it.
Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose - still working on this....
A Difference of Opinion by Nancy Dane - a thoughtful historical romance - quite enjoyable, actually
My Brother Sam Is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier - I've had this book on my list for three different reading challenges, but never got around to it. I'm really glad I did this time. Although I hate what happened in the story, I thought it was a great book.
The River Between Us by Richard Peck - I liked this one, too. It sort of telegraphed what was going to happen, but there was an unexpected surprise at the end.
Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman
The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
Pioneer Breed by Glenn R. Vernam

I'm eager to start another list....

Summer Book Splash

The ladies at Teen Lit Review are hosting a summer reading challenge, and I've found in the past that challenges like this are a great way to motivate myself to actually DO the reading. Here is my wishlist of books for this summer:

Alex and the Ironic Gentleman by Adrienne Kress
(this is cheating, I suppose, because I'm almost finished with the book already!)
The Health of the Country: How American Settlers Understood Themselves and Their Land by Conevery Bolton Valencius
Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose
A Difference of Opinion by Nancy Dane
My Brother Sam Is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier (this makes the third time this book has been on my list for a reading challenge - maybe this time I'll actually read it!)
The River Between Us by Richard Peck
Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman
The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
Pioneer Breed by Glenn R. Vernam (one of those out-of-print books I remember from my youth and managed to find - hope it's as good as I remember)

That's not a very extensive list, but I think it's pretty ambitious for me, given everything that's going on this summer (our family is going to Yellowstone - I can't wait!) I also have a tendency to get distracted from my list, meaning something will catch my eye and I will pick it up and start reading. But it's a start! Maybe I will even exceed my list! (With two hefty nonfiction books on the list? I doubt that....)