January Status Report

In order to reach my goal of 100 books in 1 year, I need to average roughly 8 books a month. I got through 5 in January, so that puts me a little behind right out of the gate. But hey, one of them was nearly 1,500 pages! Gimme a break! So I'm still feeling optimistic.

Nothing boosts my motivation like finishing a really good book. It gets in my head and my veins and I can't shake it. (I had a really intense dream last night after finishing Hunger Games...)

I have 3 books on hold at the library, and I just placed an order for 4 more through Amazon. (Got a great deal: Buy 3 books get one free!) Some fantasy, some non-fiction, some classics...an interesting stack coming up.

Tonight: time to veg. Husband is watching Wedding Singer and I can't refuse those '80s tunes!

BOOK 5: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Rating: 4 stars

Cover Synopsis: In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps its districs in line by forcing them all to send one boy and girl between the ages of 12 and 18 to aprticipate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. If she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

I've seen this book come up in several news articles and book reviews lately. It's supposedly the latest and hottest young adult fiction series. The premise sounded pretty gruesome, but I thought I'd check it out and see if it's worth the hype.

It is.


It took me a while to accept the premise, but Collins does a good job of justifying it. And once I hit that point, I was sucked into the action and the emotion. This reminded me a short story I read in middle school, "The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell. But Collins certainly makes it her own.

I love the stark differences in good and bad -- and the VAST shades of grey here. For instance, Katniss is forced to compete against the boy who saved her from starvation several years earlier. Their relationship reminds her that while survival is the most immediate concern in the Hunger Games, staying true to yourself, and holding on to humanity even in such inhuman circumstances is of the utmost importance. What are the consequences when society rewards entertainment over substance and humanity? Katniss isn't just struggling for survival, but audience approval -- and in many ways, these two needs are one and of the same. It's a theme that is poignant for our reality-TV, image-obsessed culture.


The book moves quickly and the physical action and emotional struggles keep you moving. I read it in two days. But it leaves so many loose ends I'm dying to know how Collins ties them all together in the next book. Just placed a hold on book 2, "Catching Fire," at my library. I hope it gets here fast!

BOOK 4: Stephenie Meyer: An Unauthorized Biography of the Creator of the Twilight Saga by Marc Shapiro

Rating: 1 star

Cover Synopsis: The romance of vampire Edward and human Bella has captured the imagination of millions of readers and become an amazing success story. No less amazing is the story of how an unknown Arizona wife and mother became a superstar author.

My husband brought this book home for me as a joke. I sent him to the library with a list of books to pick up for me, and one or two of them weren't available. So he brought me this one instead, with a smirk on his lips. He knows I like the Twilight books, and he knows I hate him ribbing me about that. So I set this book aside, refusing to take the bait.

But after a couple of weeks I decided, why not? It looked like an easy read, and I did like her books. So I picked it up and started reading...and eye rolling.

Don't get me wrong. Meyer's personal story is pretty cool. But this "unauthorized biography" was so poorly written -- full of cliche's, tiresome repetition, recycled news stories and blatant typos -- that I could hardly read a page without laughing or gagging.

Part of my motivation in picking up the book was hope that Meyer's experience would motivate me to start writing again. I'm a journalist for a living, but reporting is different than creative writing. I haven't really written anything non-work-related since college. But this book -- that is pitched as an inspirational story -- turned me off from writing! It focused so much on the media circus that took over Meyer's life that I found myself saying..."No thanks!" Meyer's story is pretty amazing. But Shapiro's writing made me feel like I was reading a 12-year-old's school paper. Gak.

BOOK 3: Girl With a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier

Rating: 2 stars

Cover Synopsis: Chevalier transports readers to a bygone time and place in this richly imagined portrait of the young woman who inspired one of Vermeer's most celebrated paintings.

This book was a best seller, got rave reviews on Amazon and had a movie made out of it (that I haven't seen). I thought, "Hmm. Must be a good read. I'll check it out."

But this is proof that just because many other people like something doesn't mean I will. I found the book boring, stiff and contrived. I mean, I'm really supposed to believe that Vermeer needed the servant to tell him what was artistically wrong with one of his paintings because he couldn't tell? And a lot of the book focuses on how secretive the servant needs to be to help her master in mixing paint colors. Really? He's in charge! If your master asks you to mix colors, you do it and the rest of the family gets over it. I just didn't get most of the premise here. There are also several uncomfortable scenes that didn't seem pertinent to the story.

I award it two stars because I didn't flat-out detest the book. But I'm left wondering why I read it?

Cooking with Ruth Reichl

Took a little detour yesterday to try one of the recipes from "Garlic and Sapphires." I made Reichl's rissotto primavera. I've never made rissotto before, but it's supposed to be fairly difficult because you have to constantly stir and tend to the rice, slowly adding liquid as you go along.

The recipe wasn't hard, but it was time consuming. Took me about an hour to do the whole thing. Not to mention I spent more than $6 on just a few cups of rice. The dish was good, but I'm not sure what all the fuss is about over rissotto. I'm no foodie, but this, to me, was just a rice dish with vegetables in it. Tasty, but nothing to write home about. Hmm.

BOOK 2: Garlic & Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise by Ruth Reichl

Rating: 4 stars

Cover Synopsis: In this New York Times bestseller, beloved food writer Reichl, an unlikely master of disguise, presents her adventures in restaurant reviewing for The New York Times.

After the deep emotional experience that was The Count of Monte Cristo, I needed something lighter. So I picked up this non-fiction book about an undercover restaurant critic. Reichl's writing is delicious and I found myself laughing out loud at some of the antics she and her accomplices go through to pull off the deception. Wigs, body padding, make-up artists... Plus she intersperses her tale with food reviews and personal recipes, and I found myself salivating over some of her descriptions (and clenching my stomach over others).

But this isn't all food and fluff. I appreciated Reichl's insights on the effect her disguises had on her actions. How certain costumes could turn her into the best version of her personality -- and vice versa. Interesting thought that we have several versions of ourselves inside, and it's up to us who we let out for the world to see.

Funny, fascinating and flavorful. Loved it.

BOOK 1: The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

RATING: 5 stars

Cover Synopsis: Thrown in prison for a crime he did not commit, Edmond Dantes is confined to the grim fortress of If. The story of his long imprisonment, dramatic escape and carefully wrought revenge offers up a vision of France that has become immortal.

Why not start off my project with a bang? At 1,462 pages (whew!), this book was an intimidating first choice. But it's been on my list of books to read for a while, I've just been lacking in motivation. And now that I've actually finished it (and in such good time) I have one question for Dumas:

Where have you been all my life?!

Seriously, this was an awesome book. I couldn't put it down. Reading it was far from the chore I imagined, and in it I've found one of my new all-time favorite reads.

I don't speak French, so I got hung up a bit on the French names and titles, but the plot keeps surging forward so this was a very minor issue. I expected the book to veer off on long historical tangents (a la Les Miserables), but I was wrong. Every single twist or turn this novel takes is pertinent to the story. And what a ride.

I was trying to think of my favorite scene, but too many came to mind. There's Edmond's terrifying escape from prison where he is unexpectedly thrown over the cliffs into the ocean in a body bag. The painfully suspenseful part where Morrel is counting down with gun in hand to the moment his debts are due that he cannot pay. (My fingernails were very short that day!) And the scene with Madame de Villefort and son that throws you through a half-dozen different emotions you're left unsure of what you're feeling. This is a book I should have blogged about as I read it instead of trying to sum it all up in one entry. But if I had to sum it up in one word: WOW.

My 100 Book Challenge

Once upon a time ... I was a voracious reader. But then I grew up, got a job, a husband and a family. In a word: Responsibility. I stopped reading for pleasure because I didn't think I had the time. I could probably count on one hand the number of books I read each year for myself. I'm constantly reading to my kids, and while I enjoy Dr. Suess as much as anyone, my mind goes a bit mushy after the 12th reading of "One Fish Two Fish" in a day.

A few weeks ago, I bought bookshelves and finally unpacked my boxes of books in the basement (after living in my house for 2 years). Oh, the memories! It was like saying "hello" to old friends. I can remember where I was or how I felt when I read each book. And I realized how much I miss reading -- how big a part of my life it used to be. Books have helped to shape who I am and how I think.

So I've issued myself a personal challenge for 2010:

I will read 100 books by the end of the year.

And I'm going to try to break out of my comfort zone. I usually stick to the classics. But I want to dip my toe in the pool of modern literature, nonfiction, young adult novels, short stories, plays...in addition to the classics. Unfortunately I cannot afford to buy 100 books, so I'll rely heavily on my local library. But I'd like to add at least 1 book a month to my personal collection.

I don't have gobs of time, so this will certainly be a challenge. I quit my job last year to stay home full time with my kids. But at ages 5, 2 and 10 months, they keep me on my toes! I also volunteer as a leader for my church youth group. However, I think it's important for my kids to see me reading, to see me excited about books. I want to fill my house with good books not only for myself -- but for my family.

Let the reading begin.