To the Hilt

autumn reading challenge

{ 05:43, 2006-Sep-14 } { Posted in circuitous ramblings } { 1 comments } { Link }

I'm late, I'm late, I'm late! For once, it is due not to procrastination nor to lack of transportation, but sheer ignorance. I was not aware of the existence of the event that I have now found myself to be late for. That is, the Autumn Reading Challenge over at Season Soundings.

Those who know me may not be aware of it, but I am a list person. Unfortunately, I also happen to be the sort of person who makes these lists, misplaces them, and fails to find them once again until it is a month after the date for which the list would have been in context. Did I mention that I am a disorganized person? Yes, well, you may have already gathered that. If you have read my post about Paperback Swap, then you may have also guessed that I now have far too many books for the amount of time that exists in which to read them. Such is my plight. Now, having seen the autumn reading challenge looming in the distance (or, rather, having passed it on the highway and failed to notice it until it was waving at me in my rear-view mirror), I have decided to accept the challenge. I will not just keep a list of books that I wish to acquire. I will not just keep a list of books that have arrived and which are now sitting on my bookshelf, begging to be read. I will read those books.

At the very least, I will make another list.

Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss. This was the very first book that I received through Paperback Swap, but I have yet to breach the third chapter. This book caught my eye when I realized that part of it had been read to the eighth-grade girls' class at the Christian school that I attended, when we gathered on Friday mornings to await the arrival of what was undeniably the best day of the week (and not just because it happened to be the last one before the weekend). We never did get through it in class. Perhaps my current reading habits reflect this. At the very least, I do love the dress in the illustration on the front. That has to count for something, does it not?

The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett. I was inspired to read this book after watching Rian Johnson's "Brick", which I watched thrice in two days and have not yet tired of it. This is an oddity for me. Perhaps it was the language of the movie - which, to quote a reviewer, "took me about ten minutes to get used to the witty dialogue, but once I was settled, I fell into it like a worn pair of shoes" - or perhaps it was the whole package, but it intrigued me, and it continues to do so. Such is why, upon hearing the director's comments about how Dashiell Hammett's writing inspired him, I delved into Amazon.com. I found out that this was his most well-known work, and I ordered it. Ka-ching. It arrived just two days ago.

Under A Wing: A Memoir by Reeve Lindbergh. Ordered due to recommendation. It looks intriguing. We shall see. Or rather, I shall, and you shall too if you decide to pick up a copy. The chances are that you won't, though, so it shall primarily be sight of my own eyes. In case... you were wondering... eh-heh.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Why? Come now, why not? I have started it a couple of times since I picked up my copy at Barnes and Noble last year. I have seen the most recent version as well as the Bollywood parody, listened to Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks banter over it in "You've Got Mail", and even named a litter of kittens after its characters. I think I owe it a solid reading. (As I type this, I am repeatedly scolding Mister Darcy as he moves in on my mason jar of raw milk.)

Byzantium by Stephen R. Lawhead. This will be my second time reading this book, but it has been four years since I read it the first time, and things look differently when you're only a high school freshman. I found it to be a challenging but enjoyable read at the time, and I expect no less from it this time around.

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. I will get through this. I will. Oh bother.

Such is my list. A mere six books, but with Great Expectations weighing in at 528 pages, and Byzantium at 870, I do believe that I am allowed to be lax in the number that I read.
{ Post a Comment }

Autumn Reading Challenge

{ 05:40, 2006-Sep-15 } { Posted by Carol in Oregon }
I popped over here from Seasonal Soundings. I love looking at other people's reading lists. Several books on your list bring warm and fragrant memories to mind. I listened to Great Expectations on tape and marveled at the narrator's ability to give each character a distinct voice.

One of my goals is to read a Dickens and an Austen once a year. I've read through all of dear Jane's books, but I have several Dickens to go.

I just recently realized how much I enjoy reading memoirs. RL's has perked my interest. You will post your reactions to the books? I'm interested in your reflections. I enjoyed a biography of Anne Morrow Lindbergh a few years back. She was sooo literary and was reluctant to marry Charles (who was the most famous man in the world at that point) because, she told someone, "He's never read a book!" Can you imagine?

{ Last Page } { Page 96 of 203 } { Next Page }

About Me

Books Read '07

Blessed Child
Black
Red
All Flesh Is Grass
White
The Contrary Farmer

To the Hilt

autumn reading challenge

Autumn Reading Challenge

About Me

Links

Books Read '07

Categories

Recent Entries