Challenge: Fall Into Reading 2009 [FINAL UPDATE]

Ok. Here we are, December 20, the end of my very first Reading Challenge and I want to thank Katrina at Callapidder Days for the opportunity. It was a great way to give myself permission to do a thing that I wanted to do anyway. And it was also a way to push myself further than I would have on my own.

My final outcome, between September 22 and December 20, is mixed.

The original reading list of 10 books grew to include 20 titles, of which I finished 17. Not too bad, even though I see some of the other participants have left me in the dust. 


There were a few highlights:

First - and if you've done any meandering on my Blog at all, you know I love poetry - I had a chance to read some poets new to me, as well as some old friends. 

• Good Woman was just more of the Lucille Clifton I love. I am never disappointed when I spend time with her.    
• The Haiku Year is written by some unusual folks, (Well, I don't really know how unusual they are) singers and other entertainment professionals. A group of friends challenged one another to write a haiku a day for a year and this book is the result. Some of the names might surprise you.  
• Cat Haiku was just fun. Being a cat lover, I was defenseless. 
• And the strength and intimacy Linda McCarriston brought to bear in Eva-Mary was devastating. The topic is a difficult but far too familiar one, domestic violence, but I highly recommend the read.

Second, although I enjoyed everything, J. Bernlef's Out of Mind was hands down my favorite read of the Challenge. He tells the story of a man's descent into dementia - from the inside. It is a fictional story told from a very unexpected and effective point of view.


My final list as of December 20, 2009:

1. If Holden Caulfield were in my Class Room by Bernie Schein COMPLETE
2. Nine Parts of Desire by Geraldine Brooks COMPLETE
3. Good Woman by Lucille Clifton COMPLETE
4. The Way I See it by Temple Grandin COMPLETE
5. Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire by Rafe Esquith
6. Nickle and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich
7. The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexandra McCall Smith
8. Out of Mind by J. Bernlef COMPLETE
9. Far Beyond the Field by Makoto Ueda COMPLETE
10. A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking COMPLETE

11. Gone by Jonathan Kellerman COMPLETE
12. Cat Haiku by Deborah Coates COMPLETE
13. Obsession by Jonathan Kellerman COMPLETE
14. The Haiku Year by Various COMPLETE
15. Compulsion  by Jonathan Kellerman COMPLETE
16. Eva-Mary  by Linda McCarriston COMPLETE
17. Book of the Dead by Patricia Cornwell COMPLETE 
18. Scarpetta by Patricia Cornwell COMPLETE 
19. Cat''s Eyewitness by Rita Mae Brown & Sneaky Pie Brown COMPLETE
20. Dexter by Design by Jeff Lindsay COMPLETE

* My additional goal concerned my own writing. I did not fair so well with this goal, however. While I wanted to have the workings of one poetry manuscript put together from the body of work I had already, I am not even close. It seems that I have subject matter for four different ms. This leaves me short of my goal for this challenge, but well on my way toward my ultimate one.

Finally, although I joined the Challenge late, it was a wonderful experience. I was greatly inspired by the many other participants, and it gave me something to obsess about other than my own problems.

Here are the links to my other posts on the Challenge
First post: Challenge: Fall Into Reading 2009
Second post: Challenge: Fall Into Reading 2009 [UPDATE]

Challenge: Fall Into Reading 2009 [UPDATE]

Some of you may recall my Sept. 30 post about the FALL INTO READING challenge. I thought I'd share my status as of today. (click link for first post)



So far I have read:
5 books of poetry (I LOVE poetry - surprise!), 5 murder mysteries (my drug of choice - after chocolate!), 1 book that could sort of be classified as science (in lay terms), 1 beautiful piece of fiction which captures the growing quagmire of dementia from the inside (my no. 1 recommendation!), and 3 modern, thought provoking works of social analysis. That leaves three on the list to read.

If you read the original post you will notice that I've added to the list of books I want to read, bringing the total up to 18 as of this date. Ordinarily this would be a good thing, but I also have a writing goal and need to balance my time between the two.

I have spent less time writing than I had intended, so I think it's time to make a bit of an adjustment. Although I will probably add a few more books before the Challenge is complete, I plan to concentrate more time on writing.

You might also note that I not only listed the books I am reading, but provided a link for their purchase as well, if you are so inclined. I realize that it's the height of self-centeredness to think that you might care to follow my lead, but some of them are quite good and worth reading. This probably also runs into the subject of an earlier post about reading choices.

Challenge: Fall Into Reading 2009

I ran across this reading challenge as I was surfing the internet, and decided to join. I'm kind of late - but you know what they say . . . And it beats what I have been doing, obsessing about unemployment and my relative value (or lack thereof) to the universe.

The challenge is hosted by Katrina at Callapidder Days, and it's low-pressure. You create a list of books to read between September 22 and December 20 and add any other literary goals you would like to to meet in the fall season.

My goal is to read these books by December 20, 2009:

1. If Holden Caulfield were in my Class Room by Bernie Schein COMPLETE
2. Nine Parts of Desire by Geraldine Brooks COMPLETE
3. Good Woman by Lucille Clifton COMPLETE
4. The Way I See it by Temple Grandin COMPLETE
5. Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire by Rafe Esquith
6. Nickle and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich
7. The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexandra McCall Smith
8. Out of Mind by J. Bernlef COMPLETE
9. Far Beyond the Field by Makoto Ueda COMPLETE
10. A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking COMPLETE

11. Gone by Jonathan Kellerman COMPLETE
12. Cat Haiku by Deborah Coates COMPLETE
13. Obsession by Jonathan Kellerman COMPLETE
14. The Haiku Year by Various COMPLETE
15. Compulsion  by Jonathan Kellerman COMPLETE
16. Eva-Mary  by Linda McCarriston COMPLETE
17. Book of the Dead by Patricia Cornwell COMPLETE 
18. Scarpetta by Patricia Cornwell COMPLETE 
19. Cat''s Eyewitness by Rita Mae Brown & Sneaky Pie Brown COMPLETE
20. Dexter by Design by Jeff Lindsay COMPLETE


* My additional goal has to do with my own writing. I always wanted more time to write, but I've found that, as the sage says, "What can be done anytime, never gets done." Or thereabouts. So my goal is to complete one complete poetry manuscript in the challenge time frame. I have the raw material. It is doable.

If you would like to join the challenge as well simply click on the image.