Back to History Challenge

I have *found* a new 2008 Challenge. You're probably thinking, "Becky, is SO challenge-deprived. She'll have nothing to read ALL year." This challenge that I don't-really-need, but can't-say-no-to is the Back to History Challenge. It lasts all year. January 2008-December 2008. The post mentions nothing about being able to list alternates or about the 'freedom' to change your mind. But I'm going to hold on to both. The challenge is to read twelve books, but I'm going to make my list MUCH longer than that and choose twelve from it as I go. Let me repeat, I will not be reading each and every book on this list. I am not insane. I will be picking and choosing from this list. I will probably read 12-20 from this list.

These are "borrowed" from the "In Their Shoes" Challenge making these all nonfiction:

The Diary of A Young Girl by Anne Frank
I Have Lived A Thousand Years by Livia Bitton Jackson
(My Bridges of Hope by Livia Bitton Jackson)
(Hello, America by Livia Bitton Jackson)
No Pretty Pictures by Anita Lobel
Night by Elie Wiesel
Until We Meet Again by Michael Korenblit and Kathleen Janger
Alicia My Story by Alicia Appleman-Jurman
The Cage by Ruth Minsky Sender
To Life by Ruth Minsky Sender
Isabella From Auschwitz to Freedom by Isabella Leitner
The Tale of The Ring: A Kaddish by Frank Stiffel
Dry Tears: The Story of A Lost Childhood by Nechama Tec
A Special Fate Chiune Sugihara: Hero of the Holocaust by Alison Leslie Gold
In My Hands: Memories of A Holocaust Rescuer by Irene Gut Opdyke
I Will Plant You A Lilac Tree by Laura Hillman

These are borrowed from the Book Awards Reading Challenge

Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi
Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

I'm definitely wanting some Laura Ingalls Wilder:

Little House in the Big Woods
Little House on the Prairie
On the Banks of Plum Creek
By the Shores of Silver Lake
The Long Winter
Little Town on the Prairie
These Happy Golden Years

These would be *new* reads without being part of any other challenge--yet.

Patience, Princess Catherine by Carolyn Meyer
Hang A Thousand Trees With Ribbons: The Story of Phyllis Wheatley by Ann Rinaldi
A Ride Into Morning: The Story of Tempe Wick by Ann Rinaldi
Marie, Dancing by Carolyn Meyer
Escaping Into the Night by D.Dina Friedman
Shanghai Shadows by Lois Ruby
The English Governess and the Siamese Court by Anna Leonowens
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
Let the Circle Be Unbroken by Mildred D. Taylor
The Road to Memphis by Mildred D. Taylor
The Land by Mildred D. Taylor
White Lilacs by Carolyn Meyer
Jubilee Journey by Carolyn Meyer
An Unlikely Friendship A Novel of Mary Todd Lincoln and Elizabeth Keckley
*one or more of the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Juneteenth by Ann Rinaldi
the Hawk that Dare Not Hunt By Day by Scott O'Dell
Christy by Catherine Marshall
Savannah by Eugenia Price
To See Your Face Again by Eugenia Price
Before the Darkness Falls by Eugenia Price
Stranger in Savannah by Eugenia Price
Bright Captivity by Eugenia Price
Where Shadows Go by Eugenia Price
Beauty in the Ashes by Eugenia Price
Maria by Eugenia Price
Margaret's Story by Eugenia Price
Don Juan McQueen by Eugenia Price
The Beloved Invader by Eugenia Price
New Moon Rising by Eugenia Price
Lighthouse by Eugenia Price
London by Edward Rutherfurd

If Carolyn Meyer and/or Ann Rinaldi publish ANY new books in 2008, they're automatically on this list. Even though I don't know the titles or if there are any forthcoming at all. Maybe I should just say *any* novel by Ann Rinaldi or Carolyn Meyer to be absolutely clear should count for this challenge.

I am also *considering* reading biographies of Margaret Mitchell, Jane Austen, and Laura Ingalls Wilder. I don't know if I will. But if I do, I'd want them to *count* in this challenge.

Another loophole, ALSO ANY HOLOCAUST RELATED BOOK FICTION OR NONFICTION PUBLISHED IN 2008. This is my "subject" area of interest and if there are any new books out there that I want to read, I want them to count.

Yet another loophole, I reserve the right to indulge in any book related to Henry VIII and or any of his wives regardless of whether they're YA or YA-friendly. :)

Pride and Prejudice

This post is going to make the rounds. It qualifies as a "Christian" read since this edition was printed by Bethany House. This "insight edition" features notes relevant to everyone, generally speaking, but has a few targeting the Christian crowd specifically. It qualifies as appealing to the young adult crowd--which means I'll be posting it on Becky's Book Reviews. It also qualifies for three challenges I'm participating in: the Something About Me challenge, the book to movie challenge, and the Cardathon Challenge.

Why did I choose to read Pride and Prejudice? I love the novel. I haven't always *loved* the novel. There was a long period of my life where I was unfamiliar with this glorious work. I knew I wanted to read it one day. But I didn't have any immediate plans to make it happen. I picked up a copy--I believe it was a Dover edition--a really cheap edition, by the way, for under three bucks. I got to it in December 2005. Years after buying the book. My motivation then? Well, my best friend, Julie, loved the book. And we were discussing the movie. (The most recent movie had just reached theaters and I wanted to go see the movie...but not until I had read the book.) I read it in probably two to four days. I devoured it really. It was just so wonderful. I was graduating with my degree in library science at the time and had some gift cards to spend, so I bought the A&E DVD version with Colin Firth. If I hadn't been convinced of its wonderfulness before, I certainly would've been after seeing the movie! I remember spending the 23rd and 24th of December watching the movie and wrapping presents and feeling all wonderfully giddy. That January, I introduced the movie to my dad. I didn't know if he would like it. It is rather long. It does have a lot of dialogue. But as soon as Mr. Collins came into the scene, Dad was hooked. That summer, June or July 2006, I introduced the movie to my sister. She was skeptical at first. She thought the first hour or so rather boring. But soon she was a fan as well. Then I introduced everyone to Bride and Prejudice. Of course, Julie was the one who first introduced ME to Bride and Prejudice...so I can't take all the credit. So there was much fun and love being spread all around in the family.

But why reread Pride and Prejudice now? Well, I saw it on the Something about Me challenge. It was tempting. But when I saw that Bethany House was releasing a special edition of the book along with their novel Just Jane by Nancy Moser--and that this edition would feature book club type questions--I really couldn't resist it. So I did request a review copy. And it came late last week. As soon as it arrived, I began reading it.

Did I discover anything new the second time around? Well, I don't know about "new" discoveries, but I certainly appreciated it more. I was able to savor it more. I knew what to expect, what was coming. I knew which bits were the "best" parts. I knew the characters. I knew their strengths and weaknesses. I love the language, the style, the romance, the characters. It really is just oh-so-magical.

For those that are unfamiliar, the plot is relatively simple. Jane and Elizabeth are the two oldest sisters in a family of five daughters. It's Regency England. Their family connections aren't the greatest, and it's really imperative that at least one or two of the daughters marry well so that they can be provided for after their father's death. Mrs. Bennet is all about getting her daughters matched up and paired off. And she's a very silly woman. Mr. Bennet is a caring father, who dotes on Elizabeth and merely tolerates the three younger sisters--who rather take after the mother. Jane is a sweet dear. Elizabeth a wit. And the book is about the complicated courtships of the two oldest children. Of course, Lydia, the youngest has her moments as the center of attention. But this isn't her story, thank goodness! Mr. Bingley, Mr. Darcy, Mr. Wickham and, of course, the unforgettable Mr. Collins play the love interests.

It's a story of love, hate, friendship, family, disdain, disgust, joy, regret, and jealousy. Lots and lots of jealousy. It is a read I recommend to everyone!

What is it about the "Insight Edition" that makes it special? It does feature notes. Mostly cultural notes--not scholarly ones. It likes to comment on the various movie versions of the book. It likes to add in tidbits about Austen's life and time. It points out that Jane is a good "Christian" girl. And it does feature discussion questions. The only thing I am disappointed about in this edition was the fact that I found four typos. One on the very first page. They misspelled first. They even misspelled his on one occasion as "vhis." This is sad, but hopefully it will be corrected with subsequent printings. Typos do happen. But all four could have easily been caught even with spellcheck, and they definitely would have been caught with a human proofreader.

Just In Time for My Birthday....

I just discovered this gem on Amazon. Releasing November 27th (Just 2 days before my birthday--and Lewis' birthday, by the way) The Chronicles of Narnia Pop-up: Based on the Books by C.S. Lewis. Robert Sabuda. Matthew Armstrong. Matthew Reinhart. The publisher is HarperCollins. (Oh how I wish I had a contact in HarperCollins in the publicity department. Not only do I want this book, I want to review so so many of their children's books!!!!!)

Book Meme

I was tagged by Josette of Books Love Me to do this meme on how many books I own. If you are reading this and want to do it, then consider yourself "tagged" by me.

Total number of books owned: Too many to count. For one thing, I'm horrible at math. Seriously though, I probably own several thousand at least. More than I have room for. :) I'm not complaining. I like having books around.

Last book bought: In September, I bought a 7-in-1 Science Fiction Novels of H.G. Wells at the used bookstore. I bought Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer in August. Before that I bought Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan back in May. I'm fortunate that I'm a reviewer, or I would be in serious trouble :)

Last book read: I have listened to Charlotte's Web this week. And Little House in the Big Woods. The last book-book I finished was Dramarama by E. Lockhart. I am currently reading Pride and Prejudice. And I'm reading The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova.

Five books that mean a lot to me:

1) Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
2) Anne of Green Gables (and series) by L.M. Montgomery
3) The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
4) Umbrella by Taro Yashima
5) Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder

I could really list 500 books that mean a lot to me. So that one was hard, I can already think of a dozen I'd like to add. :)

Poetry Friday: English Grammar

Shields, Carol Diggory. 2004. Brainjuice: English. Illustrations by Tony Ross

Divided into three sections (rules, tools, and school and beyond) Brainjuice English presents 40 poems on some of the essentials taught in the English classroom. Don’t think there is a way to make grammar fun? Read some of these poems, and you might just be surprised to see yourself smiling.

Today's roundup is at Read, Write, Believe

Sentence Romance

by Carol Diggory Shields

A verb and noun met up one day.
Said the verb, “I think you’re sweet!
Together, you and I could form a sentence that’s complete.”
Noun winked. Verb grinned. A simple life they lived.
She gave him several adverbs, he brought her an adjective.
They added a conjunction, and when the time was ripe,
They had a little clause, of the independent type.
Prepositions followed, and then, without a pause,
They found they were the parents
Of a cute dependent clause.
The noun and verb both smiled and sighed,
“Our sentence sure has grown.
Though it is now compound-complex,
It’s still our home sweet home.”

From Brainjuice: English by Carol Diggory Shields, 22.