Dewey 2017: Mid-ish Check-in Point

I'm a little late on the mid-point check-in blog post, but close enough.

I've finished graphic novel #3, Locke & Key, Vol. 1: Welcome to Lovecraft by Joe Hill.  It was sick and twisted and wasn't afraid to move the story slowly to build characters, heighten dread, etc.  And before that, I read about a third of Joyland.  So some progress has been happening. 

But that was about an hour ago. I've taken some time to play around on twitter to see how all the folks are holding up.  I'll jump back into the book and maybe pick-up another graphic novel before I get some sleep in.

Current snack:  kettle corn and ice water.
Current music:  Baroque music channel

Dewey 2017: Progress Update: Graphic Novels to the Rescue

I am making a little bit of progress thanks to graphic novels.  Finished Doctor Horrible and Other Horrible Stories and The Walking Dead: Here's Negan!  Both ok graphic novels but nothing super exciting. 

Also working on a book of poetry called The Wedding House and hope to get some done on my Stephen King book, Joyland.

Break snacks:  watermellon and Scow (hard apple cider).

Break's over.

Dewey 2017: Challenge: 10 Years in 10 Books

My book recommendations for 2007 to 2017...

2017  The Walking Dead: Here's Negan! by Robert Kirkman (The only 2017 book I've read so it wins by default.)
2016  We Stand on Guard by Brian K Vaughan
2015  The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
2014  The Girl Who Was Saturday Night by Heather O'Neill
2013  The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
2012  The Martian by Andy Weir.... a very close second is Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
2011  Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
2010  Room by Emma Donoghue... a another close second is Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith
2009  Catching Fire  by Suzanne Collins
2008  The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
2007  Still Alice by Lisa Genova

Dewey 2017 - Yet Another Plan of Attack!

2017 is my year to win it all at Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon!!

Ok, maybe not really.

But this is the year I hope to have the most fun.  No pressure.  Lots of breaks.  And thanks to global warming, it might be the first year I can read for a little bit outside.  (Murphy's Law state that now that I have put my secret wish out there, it will not happen.  It will either rain, or be really windy cold, or just super buggy.  Cross fingers!)

And there will be the morning farmer's market run to gather all the fun food that will keep me going.  I'm picturing the German baker family and their many, many awesome cookies.  And then there is the chibati sandwich thing (the best one is the feta cheese one even though the guy who used to make them is no longer there and now it looks like the grandson is stepping in and isn't as cute but a lot less serious.)  Or the korean bbq.  Or noodles... Okay enough of this, this isn't supposed to be a food post.

So the #1 priority is to keep it light and keep it to the quick reads.  I think I'll be focusing on graphic novels and stuff that is less than 300 pages.  And if I can take care of some of my challenges, it would be great.

A-Z Title Challenge
J - K - Q - R - V - X - Z

Graphic Novels
The Walking Dead: Here's Negan! by Robert Kirkman
Lumberjanes #1 by Noelle Stevenson
Locke & Key, Volume 1: Welcome to Lovecraft by Joe Hill
Saga, Vol 7 Brian K Vaughan
Dr. Horrible and Other Horrible Stories by Zack Whedon
Poetry
The Wedding House by Alison Smith

Novels
Joyland by Stephen King

Dewey Post #6: Last Book Finished Under the Wire and Post-Op on the Whole Readathon Thing

First things first.... I finished my last book 30 minutes before the ring of the bell.  The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman was a perfect pick for a late night read.  Unfortunately, it didn't keep me up but I don't think Neil should be blamed for that.  It was subtle creepy and fun and I shouldn't have waited this long to read it.  If you love his work, you'll like this one.

I didn't get a super amount completed but getting three completed isn't all that bad.  I'm not sure if this got me caught up on the GoodReads challenge of 50 books before the end of the year but hopefully I'm not so far behind anymore.

It also looks like I didn't hit that much on my Plan of Attack post; I can go back and scratch 2 from that page.  It was the sleeping that did me in.  If only I had Dewey in my life 10+ years ago, I would have rocked it!

So the goal for next October, try to get some of those other books read & removed from the list so I don't have them yet again to pick from.  It makes for a stale list.

So, until next year, keep reading!

Dewey Post #5: Mini Challenge - Alphabet Soup - Incomplete - Fail

So I didn't finish this challenge and I don't have the heart to erase it.  I'll just keep it for the memories.  The goal was to find words that started with every letter in the alphabet.  I didn't know that Neil was so adverse to X & Z words.  haha!

Neil Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the Lane
A architecture (4)
B bakery (9)
C china (3)
D  driveway (10)
E earth (5)
F fairy (4)
G grandmother (2)
H house (4)
I intelligent (10)
J jellies (9)
K kitten (10)
L lords (10)
M meadows (5)
N newspaper (9)
O ocean (1)
P polish (6)
Q queen (23)
R roads (3)
S shirt (3)
T trifles (9)
U upset (12)
V vinegar (26)
W woman (6)
X xylophone (100something)
Y yourself (21)
Z

I couldn't find anything with Z.  The closest was azaleas.

Dewey Post #4: Graphic Novel to the Rescue!

Just when I needed something light, graphic novel was here to help.  Saga, Vol 5 by Brian K Vaughn.  Great read, crazy story, even weirder characters, all about family and love.  If you are not into graphic novels but want to give them a try, I think Saga would be an excellent one to start with.  Not that many volumes to get caught up with and gets top marks for creativity.  If you liked Firefly, you'll like Saga; space opera at its finest.  

Up next:  The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

Dewey Day Post #3: First book finished!

It feels good finishing a book during the readathon.  The Illegal by Lawrence Hill.  Recent winner of the Canada Reads 2016 and all round good book.  Easy read and it gets to a point when you just will it to have a happy ending.

I did take a break this afternoon.  A couple loops around the block to get some fresh air and a boost of energy.  Only about 10 minutes but it was a good break.... think I'll break for some cereal next.

Up next:  Saga, vol 5 or The Walking Dead, vol 11.

Dewey Day Post #2: 12:00PM(AST) Break and Meme/Challenge Catch-Up

Woohoo! Three hours down, 19hrs to go.  :)  Making no promises on how it will go today but loving it so far.  Especially like taking these little mini-breaks to keep brain from tiring out.  I'm old, you know.  So this break is to catch up on challenges and watch The 100.

Hour 4 Mini-Challenge
Find the perfect road trip song for you and your traveling companion to rock out to as you burn through the miles, and tell us why it's such a great fit for this character.

Eminem - Till I Collapse
For the character Keita from The Illegal by Lawrence Hill
Keita is a marathon runner, running from the authorities in his old country, from the man who sponsored his escape, from the authorities who want to deport him from his new country.  Running in marathons for prize money to help his family.  He is not in good shape but he keeps running, despite the pain.  This song isn't a strong energized type, just an insistent, just keep going song.

I have a third of the book left to complete but I want Keita to come out on top so bad by the end. Recommend this book to everyone!


Hour 3 Mini-Challenge

Make a five word story on the theme of books. 

Dewey's making me finish books.

(I have started and abandoned books that I mean to get back to.  Hopefully I'll get to finish one or two of those today.)

Hour 2 Mini-Challenge

TOP 5 BOOKISH CHILDHOOD MOMENTS with the PEOPLE and the BOOKS that made them so special!

1) Mom and My Golden Book Collection.  My mom was great at having the patience in reading to me every book I dragged to her.  She'd even keep reading aloud when my three year old attention span got distracted.  She says that my asking her to read those books improved her reading and helped her develop her own love of reading.

2) The Secret of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien

I loved the book, I loved the movie.  It was even my hiding place when I needed to tuck notes/money/tickets away for safekeeping.

3) Charlotte's Web by EB White

Like the challenger said, no notes required.

4) The teen years.  This is when the love of reading really took off.  Sweet Valley Twins, Sweet Valley High, Fear Street and Christopher Pike books, 

5) Carrie by Stephen King

My folks were great for buying books for me but I think they were getting tired of paying for books that only lasted about a day.  (Thinking back, hey really should have introduced me to the library.)  So it was an easy sell to convince them to sponsor thicker books that lasted me a little longer.  Carrie and Misery was my intro to adult books and my springboard to a lifelong love of the work of Stephen King.  

Go Dewey readers, go!

Dewey Day Post #1: Opening Meme

Opening Meme
1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?
Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?
Neil Gaiman's Ocean at the End of the Lane

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?
NutriGrain bars or naan crisps with coffee.... perhaps a few gin & tonics later tonight.

4) Tell us a little something about yourself!
Credit analyst by day; movie fan, computer geek, and reading fiend at night.

5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today?
Tried to participate last October but was on a plane, flying to India for work.  Not that same when you can't check in.  Plan to participate in meme's and cheer people on this year.

Dewey Attempt #2 Plan of Attack!

This post will be a work in progress....

Challenge Info
Book Title -- Starts with...
A - B - D - E - F - H - J - K - L - M - Q - R - U - V - W - X - Y - Z

Author Last Name -- Starts with...
B - D - F - G - I - J - N - O - P - Q - R - S - T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z

Short Stories/Novellas

The Professor (At The Lake, #1) by Bentley, Bella
For One Last Kiss (A Grim Reaper Romance, #0.5) by Taylor, Calista
The Diary of Darcy J. Rhone by Giffin, Emily
An Etiquette Guide to the End Times: A Novella by Sepp, Maia
Try Me (One Night with Sole Regret, #1) by Cunning, Olivia
12 Years a Slave by Northup, Solomon
Ru by Thúy, Kim

Graphic Novels
Saga, Vol. 5 Completed!!

The Walking Dead, Vol 11

Short and Short-ish Novels

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Gaiman, Neil  Completed!!
Stop What You're Doing And Read This! by Haddon, Mark
BeSwitched by Snow, Molly
A Gift of Ghosts (Tassamara #1) by Wynde, Sarah
You're a Horrible Person, But I Like You: The Believer Book of Advice by Spitznagel, Eric
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Beah, Ishmael
A Child of a Crackhead by Speight, Shameek
Why Not Me? by Kaling, Mindy

Looks like my plan of attack isn't that much different from last year...

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

Oh man, oh man.  This book really creeps up on a person.  I had heard good things from friends and it won a 2015 GoodReads award for Best Thriller so I shouldn't have been surprised.  It was a little slow going at first and the only thing that kept me going is the fact that the library waiting list was 10 months long.  But it gets to a point where you can't put it down, so not all was lost.

Rachel is an alcoholic who suffers from blackouts.  She has been having a rough couple of years.  Her husband has left her for another woman and they had a baby she desperately wanted.  She's living with a roommate that hates her drinking.  And even though Rachel lost her job, she still takes the train into the city everyday so the roommate doesn't kick her out of the house.  She is obsessed with her ex and often makes drunken phone calls, shows up at their house, etc.  Her daily ritual on the train is to look at the houses in the old neighbourhood and make up fantasies about the couple living a few doors down from her old house.  Something bad happens and fantasy wife with the perfect marriage goes missing.  Rachel knows something about that night but her blackouts make her memory spotty and untrustworthy.  The cops don't take her seriously and all she wants is a drink, back together with her ex-husband, a baby, and another drink again.

So, I think the reason I found it slow going at the first was because I didn't find these characters very likeable.  I could empathize with what Rachel and Megan were going through but it takes almost the whole book to really understand who these people are.  Once you get there, it is totally worth it.

So I guess it was a good thing that I had to wait 10 months to check this one out of the library.

Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-thon

That time of year again. Unfortunately, last year's attempt to participate was a wash due to a business trip. So here is attempt #2!

http://www.24hourreadathon.com/

Sign up now and join me for a day of reading anything and everything!

Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon - Reading Plan

This is by no means set in stone... But I figured it would be a good idea to have a list of potential books I might like to read during Read-a-Thon to reduce the amount of thinking required on game day.

Short Stories/Novellas

• The Professor (At The Lake, #1) by Bentley, Bella
• For One Last Kiss (A Grim Reaper Romance, #0.5) by Taylor, Calista
• The Diary of Darcy J. Rhone by Giffin, Emily
• An Etiquette Guide to the End Times: A Novella by Sepp, Maia
• Try Me (One Night with Sole Regret, #1) by Cunning, Olivia

Short and Short-ish Novels

• 12 Years a Slave by Northup, Solomon
• Ru by Thúy, Kim
• The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Gaiman, Neil
• Stop What You're Doing And Read This! by Haddon, Mark
• BeSwitched by Snow, Molly
• A Gift of Ghosts (Tassamara #1) by Wynde, Sarah
• You're a Horrible Person, But I Like You: The Believer Book of Advice by Spitznagel, Eric
• A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Beah, Ishmael
• A Child of a Crackhead by Speight, Shameek
• Why Not Me? by Kaling, Mindy

And a few books I need to read for different challenges or need to be returned to the library...

• Q
• X
• Authors...A, U, X, Y, Z

Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon

Just when you thought you had enough excuses to stay in pjamas all day....

The Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon is scheduled for October 17th.  I'll actually be on a plane flying to India so I'm not sure if this is a good thing or very much a bad thing.  I will have a lot of in-flight hours to kill.

So if you'd like to participate, please visit the GoodReads group Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon.

The Oakdale Dinner Club by Kim Moritsugu

I'm so excited to be the first half of the day before I get a follow back on my way home and watch movies with my life and the other hand is the only thing that would have to go back and I don't think that I have a great way of the day before I get a follow back.....

Sorry, I was just wondering what text the iPad would produce if I choose the middle option guesstimate. Looks like computers won't be writing books for us just yet. But if you broke it up in just the right spots, it might make intriguing poetry. Not that this has anything to do with this week's book.

Or maybe it does. One of the characters has a little bit of writers block and when you are staring at a blank blog post, not knowing where to start, a little inspiration is more than welcome. 

As for The Oakdale Dinner Club, it was a fun book. Sort of a what people feel about marriage after 20 years in. The main character, Mary Ann, the creator of the club, discovered that her husband had an affair with a co-worker and decides she wants to have one too. She decides the club would be a good way to ease herself into the dating pool and to vet possible fling options. 

That leads us into a whole cast of characters that make-up the club.  Like Alice, a single mom, who is not the marrying kind but it has been 4 years since she's hooked-up and perhaps it's time to make a connection. Or Sam, a stay-at-home dad who is trying to write his first novel and in a marriage that is not doing all that well. Like I said, this book is fun and airy and if you're not looking for deep angst, this is the book for you.

It is never too late to figure out who you are and if unhappy, make a change. I know I can relate some days.

Some other reviews of The Oakdale Dinner Club:
National Post
CBC
Sukasa Reads

The Girl Who Was Saturday Night by Heather O'Neill

This is the book that made me take the BookRiot article seriously. I've finished it over a week ago and it has stuck with me. Especially with our local government coming under fire for separate buses for French students. This book helped me see this issue from a totally different perspective.

This story takes place in Montreal, told from the point of view of a child star all grown up and trying to figure life out.  Nouschka's father was a famous folk singer who would use his children on the tv/radio stage to help his image. They filmed Christmas specials that they still aired 20 years later; their lives are still tabloid fodder. She and her twin brother are living with their elderly grandfather and it is a year before the referendum to decide if the province will separate from Canada. They have a very bad relationship with their father, he can't talk with them unless he wants something from them.  Nouschka is trying to get her life in order, going back to school to get her high school diploma and finding talent in writing. 

The best thing about this book is the writing. O'Neill is amazing. She makes the best word choices, vivid imagery, sharp characters. She made me want to binge on this book until, sadly, it was over. I have a feeling I'll be following this authors career for many years to come. Plus I can take solace in the knowledge that she has a debut novel to get caught up on. 

So if you want to read a book that is super Canadian, this is the book for you. Not only that, it is Quebec French Canadian and for some of us Anglo Canadians, it could be a positive learning experience. We need to be reading more books that give different perspectives on the Canadian identity, shine a spotlight on what's wrong with our country, maybe start a discussion. 

Perhaps a little naive but can't we just get along?

For some real reviews/info on this great book:  The Walrus; CBC Books; Montreal Review of Books; The Guardian; The Star; The Globe And Mail

Heather O'Neill's Tumblr Blog... and when I was there, I found out that she is has a new book coming out in April! Even more good news. 

Are you ready for the challenge? Am I?

I haven't visited or posted for way too long... But I happened by this post in my gmail promo folder and it made me feel like I should get out of my den of isolation. I've been trying to read more books but haven't given much thought in who I've been choosing. Mostly ones getting the most promotional attention by the kobo/Chapters/Indigio/Amazon marketing team.

Take a read of this and come on back to see if you are on the same page...

Book Riot: Support Rad Lady Authors

So, now you see why I broke my silence?  I like that there wasn't a lot of finger pointing.  Just some thoughts on how we could be more thoughtful in how we choose our next read.  Try to dedicate a month to female authors, or even dig deeper by picking female authors or colour, minority groups, etc.  I really should try that challenge, might be telling. Also, get the word out. Review, blog, book club them, etc.  My book club rarely meets but I can blog.

So let's try to revive my blog.  If you visit and want to post a review of an awesome book, please send it my way. Or have a link to a review you've posted elsewhere, send those too. And I'll try to post more reviews.

Strangers in Paradise Volumes 1-6 by Terry Moore

This is a review two to three years in the making.




I'm not sure when I started reading Strangers in Paradise but I loved them so much, I had to take a break before reading the last in the series. Once I finished volume 6, it would be all over. I knew Terry closed off the series at the end of volume six. I didn't want to live in a world where there was no more SiP left to read. Perhaps it was a holdover from the shock of no more Harry Potter but still, it would have been a sad state.

Strangers in Paradise was a long running comic book brought together in graphic novel form. Mostly it is about love and loss and all our crazy issues that keep ourselves from finding our true happiness. Katchoo is secretly in love with her best friend Francine who is with a horrible guy named Freddie. Katchoo meets art fan, David, and he seems to have a thing for Katchoo to give us a lovely love triangle. Then we find out that Katchoo has a mafia past and in the next six volumes, it all plays out in so many different and surprising ways. It felt a little soap opera in parts but it was written at a time when the mere idea of these complications of love would never have dared been breathed on national television. Not to mention, the story was told in a semi-nonlinear fashion that really appeals to me.

Moore trusts his audience to have a brain and isn't afraid to craft his story around that notion. He drew all the art himself and I love how much he mixes up styles to match the scene. Frantic, intense moments are drawn with a quick lack of detail that hurry you to the next panel. Quiet moments make you want to pause and take in all the detail that he has provided on that single page before moving on. I realize that is likely graphic artist 101 but it never gets tired.  He mixes light and dark and never wastes either to make his statement. The scariest part is his ability to write women so well that everyone should be able to find a character they identify with or wished they were.

So now my beloved SiP is all over. Surprisingly, you can choose to hold onto the last volume for three years and jump right back in as if you read the previous five just last week. As much as I liked having that one volume left to read and hold onto, a person has to move on. I'm sure I'll find something else to love just as much and I can always revisit my books any time I need a Katchoo fix.

The Reader by Bernhard Schlink

Another finished book. Long weekends without any definite plans and a lot of stuff around the house you are trying to avoid doing will give you good reading motivation. Long weekends are great.


But I really don’t have much to say about The Reader. I had seen the movie when it was in the theatres and loved it. A friend lent me the book and it has lived on my shelf for way too long. I’m going through my books and trying to make progress on what I have and what I need to return to people. At least I have one less borrowed book.

As for the book, it was beautifully written. Not a long piece and it gives an interesting perspective of the effect of the war on the German people, even to those in the next generation. Though it was a short read, every chapter felt like a piece of the puzzle that defined that man’s life in three acts to display how one person can become interwoven into the fabric of their character.

That might be a very bad description of what the book was about. I highly recommend the book and the movie. The movie was a faithful representation of the book and you could choose one over the other and not feel cheated out of the story experience.

Now, must find a happy novel to read.