Read 100+ Books in 2012 discussion

1. Read the 9th book of a series or the 9th book by an author.
2. Read a book with a S-E-P-T-M-B-R in the title or author's name.
3. With the start of school, read a book about your favorite subject in school.
4. In honor of the beginning of autumn in the northern hemisphere, read a book about fall or autumn.
5. Read a non-fiction book.
6. Read a book about a subject you know nothing about.
7. Read a book about a beverage or drink.
8. Read a book about your dream job.
9. Your choice

September already here? Hard to believe!
1. Read the 9th book of a series or the 9th book by an author.
2. Read a book with a S-E-P-T-M-B-R in the title or author's name.
"The Harvest Gypsies" by John Steinbeck
"The Horse Whisperer" by Nicholas Evans
3. With the start of school, read a book about your favorite subject in school.
4. In honor of the beginning of autumn in the northern hemisphere, read a book about fall or autumn.
"The Long Walk" by Stephen King (Takes place in the fall)
5. Read a non-fiction book.
6. Read a book about a subject you know nothing about.
"The Squares of the City" by John Bruner (chess)
7. Read a book about a beverage or drink.
8. Read a book about your dream job.
"Straight Man" by Richard Russo." Always wanted to be a teacher!
9. Your choice
"Battleborn" by Claire Vaye Watkins

Starting September 12th thru the 23rd, my wife and myself will be visiting Canada - Trying figure what books to take along!

Now reading "Straight Man" by Richard Russo.

"In this uproarious new novel, Richard Russo performs his characteristic high-wire walk between hilarity and heartbreak. Russo's protagonist is William Henry Devereaux, Jr., the reluctant chairman of the English department of a badly underfunded college in the Pennsylvania rust belt. Devereaux's reluctance is partly rooted in his character--he is a born anarchist-- and partly in the fact that his department is more savagely divided than the Balkans. In the course of a single week, Devereaux will have his nose mangled by an angry colleague, imagine his wife is having an affair with his dean, wonder if a curvaceous adjunct is trying to seduce him with peach pits, and threaten to execute a goose on local television. All this while coming to terms with his philandering father, the dereliction of his youthful promise, and the ominous failure of certain vital body functions. in short, Straight Man is classic Russo--side-splitting and true-to-life, witty, compassionate, and impossible to put down."

Chuck wrote: "Now reading "Straight Man" by Richard Russo.

"In this uproarious new novel, Richard Russo performs his characteristic high-wire walk between hilarity and heartbreak. Russo's protagonist is William..."

Thanks for the synopsis. I have it on my shelves but haven't gotten around to reading it yet.

Chuck wrote: "Starting September 12th thru the 23rd, my wife and myself will be visiting Canada - Trying figure what books to take along!"

Enjoy yourself. I'm jealous. I'd like to do that.

Sheila wrote: "Chuck wrote: "Starting September 12th thru the 23rd, my wife and myself will be visiting Canada - Trying figure what books to take along!"

Enjoy yourself. I'm jealous. I'd like to do that."

We're both ready to go - Flying from Los Angeles to Calgary. We'll travel to Jasper and Banff, visit the national parks and lots of hiking. From there we board the train in Calgary and then travel west to Vancouver. We'll spend a few days exploring the city (and restaurants we've seen on 'Dinners, Drive-ins and Dives). Then back home again!

Also started a short read by John Steinbeck, "The Harvest Gypsies."

This a work that consists of 7 newspaper articles written about the "Okie" migration to California to find a better life . . . Heart breaking stories and conditions.

Chuck wrote: "Also started a short read by John Steinbeck, "The Harvest Gypsies."

This a work that consists of 7 newspaper articles written about the "Okie" migration to California to find a better life . . . H..."

Another fantastic book about the Great Depression and the dust bowl of the Texas/Oklahoma Panhandle is Timothy Egan's The Worst Hard Time. It follows 5 families from the late 1800's through today. Heartbreaking also.

This month, I'm just hoping I read more than one book LOL!

Actually, I'll confess, that in August I participated in Camp NaNoWriMo, where the goal is to write a 50,000 word novel in a month. I finished (barely) but not sure I'll go any further with it.

Kristy wrote: "This month, I'm just hoping I read more than one book LOL!

Actually, I'll confess, that in August I participated in Camp NaNoWriMo, where the goal is to write a 50,000 word novel in a month. I fi..."

50,000 words? WOW! Can you share any of the writing with us?

Kristy wrote: "This month, I'm just hoping I read more than one book LOL!

Actually, I'll confess, that in August I participated in Camp NaNoWriMo, where the goal is to write a 50,000 word novel in a month. I fi..."

Congratulations on doing it! That is a lot of writing.

Thanks 50,000 was indeed a lot of words, it didn't seem like it, until last Friday afternoon and I was about 3,000 short.

I'm proud that I did it, I know it will give me more confidence in the future, but this is the roughest rough-draft of anything... ever.

After writing for an entire month, I don't even want to look at it right now, but I do plan to go back and edit, rewrite and add to the story. Maybe one day I'll release it as a free e-book. But it's no where near readable yet!

Thanks for the support and interest everyone! You'll be the first I let read it when it's ready!

Kristy wrote: "Thanks 50,000 was indeed a lot of words, it didn't seem like it, until last Friday afternoon and I was about 3,000 short.

I'm proud that I did it, I know it will give me more confidence in the fu..."

Thanks for the update - I'd love to be able to read it.

Finished reading "The Harvest Gypsies" by John Steinbeck yesterday afternoon.

Chuck wrote: "Finished reading "The Harvest Gypsies" by John Steinbeck yesterday afternoon."

How was it?

Sheila wrote: "Chuck wrote: "Finished reading "The Harvest Gypsies" by John Steinbeck yesterday afternoon."

How was it?"

Well done . . . Scenes of the living conditions and what the families went through were gut-wrenching. The non-existent support by the California state government was unbelievable.

John Steinbeck certainly wanted people to see what really was happening - Not sure what was really accomplished.

Chuck wrote: "Sheila wrote: "Chuck wrote: "Finished reading "The Harvest Gypsies" by John Steinbeck yesterday afternoon."

How was it?"

Well done . . . Scenes of the living conditions and what the families went..."

If nothing else it's a piece of history that we can look upon and be grateful for things that have been put into place (and which our politicans are trying to undo) to protect us.

1. Read the 9th book of a series or the 9th book by an author.
2. Read a book with a S-E-P-T-M-B-R in the title or author's name.
Fifth Business by Robertson Davies
3. With the start of school, read a book about your favorite subject in school.
4. In honor of the beginning of autumn in the northern hemisphere, read a book about fall or autumn.
5. Read a non-fiction book.
Don't shoot! I'm just the Avon Lady by Birdie Jaworski

6. Read a book about a subject you know nothing about.
7. Read a book about a beverage or drink.
hot cocoa cookbook.

8. Read a book about your dream job.
9. Your choice
11-22-63 by Stephen King
The Walk By Lee Goldberg
Blood And Sunlight by Jamie Wasserman
Pet Shop Boys by Kim Harrison
Death has a name By Jerry Hanel

Kristy wrote: "1. Read the 9th book of a series or the 9th book by an author.
2. Read a book with a S-E-P-T-M-B-R in the title or author's name.
3. With the start of school, read a book about your favorite subjec..."

You'll enjoy "11/22/63," one of my favorite Stephen King works.

I actually just finished listening to it. It was long, and I got a little tired of the narrators voice towards the end. It was a really well thought out story. I really liked it, but I think if I had read rather than listen to it, I would have loved it.

Now for my list:
3/9, 6 books
1. Read the 9th book of a series or the 9th book by an author.
2. Read a book with a S-E-P-T-M-B-R in the title or author's name--The Measby Murder Enquiry--Ann Purser--finished 9/6/12.
3. With the start of school, read a book about your favorite subject in school.
4. In honor of the beginning of autumn in the northern hemisphere, read a book about fall or autumn.
5. Read a non-fiction book--A Beautiful Mind by Sylvia Nasar--finished 9/23/12.
6. Read a book about a subject you know nothing about.
7. Read a book about a beverage or drink.
8. Read a book about your dream job.
9. Your choice--Attack of the Shark-Headed Zombie by Bill Doyle--finished 9/4/12

Bonus books:
Wicked Appetite by Janet Evanovich--finished 9/9/12
Diary of a Parent Trainer by Jenny Smith--finished 9/26/12
Buttons and Bones by Monica Ferris--finished 9/29/12

Finished reading "Straight Man" by Richard Russo, 4/5 stars.

Now reading "The City of Squares" by John Bruner - A book club selection.

"Built in the heart of the jungle, The City was an architect's masterpiece - and the scene of a flesh-and-blood game of chess where the unwitting pawns were real people!"

Sheila wrote: "Now for my list:
2/9, 2 books
1. Read the 9th book of a series or the 9th book by an author.
2. Read a book with a S-E-P-T-M-B-R in the title or author's name--The Measby Murder Enquiry--Ann Purser..."

Sheila wrote: "Now for my list:
2/9, 2 books
1. Read the 9th book of a series or the 9th book by an author.
2. Read a book with a S-E-P-T-M-B-R in the title or author's name--The Measby Murder Enquiry--Ann Purser..."

Sheila, tell about "Attack of the Shark-Headed Zombie." Sounds like my kind of book!

It's a children's book but it was fun. Some interesting things in the house that the boys have to figure out to escape the zombie and get rid of it. It's perfect for 6-8 year old boys who are fighting reading. My nephew falls in that category so since I had it sitting amongst my books, I figured I'd read it and pass it on to him. We saw Para-Norman together so I think it will be his type of book also.

Sheila wrote: "It's a children's book but it was fun. Some interesting things in the house that the boys have to figure out to escape the zombie and get rid of it. It's perfect for 6-8 year old boys who are fig..."

What a great idea!

Some good ones. Is Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury?

Manda wrote: "Sheila wrote: "Some good ones. Is Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury?"

Yes it is! I read it for the Literary Horror group here Septembers read. Next month will be the works of Eliz..."

Well, Halloween is coming up!

I just finished A Beautiful Mind. I didn't think I'd ever finish it. The first half dealt with John Nash's early life and his mathematic studies. That part was way above my intellectual level. It was clear as mud. The second half was his schizophrenia, recovery, and how his friends/collegues stuck by him. Interesting second half. Was much easier to read.

Finished reading "Battleborn" by Claire Vaye Watkins, 5/5 stars!
In each of these ten unforgettable stories, Claire Vaye Watkins writes her way fearlessly into the mythology of the American West, utterly reimagining it. Her characters orbit around the region's vast spaces, winning redemption despite - and often because of - the hardship and violence they endure. The arrival of a foreigner transforms the exchange of eroticism and emotion at a prostitution ranch. A prospecting hermit discovers the limits of his rugged individualism when he tries to rescue an abused teenager. Decades after she led her best friend into a degrading encounter in a Vegas hotel room, a woman feels the aftershock. Most bravely of all, Watkins takes on - and reinvents - her own troubled legacy in a story that emerges from the mayhem and destruction of Helter Skelter. Arcing from the sweeping and sublime to the minute and personal, from Gold Rush to ghost town to desert to brothel, the collection echoes not only in its title but also in its fierce, undefeated spirit the motto of her home state."

One of the best collections of I've read . . . All are very dark.

Finished yesterday "The Long Walk" by Stephen King.

"On the first day of May, 100 teenage boys meet for a race known as "The Long Walk". If you break the rules, you get three warnings. If you exceed your limit, what happens is absolutely terrifying... "

Now reading "The Horse Whisperer" by Nicholas Evans.

"His name is Tom Booker. His voice can calm wild horses, his touch can heal broken spirits. And Annie Graves has traveled across a continent to the Booker ranch in Montana, desperate to heal her injured daughter, the girl's savage horse, and her own wounded heart. She comes for hope. She comes for her child. And beneath the wide Montana sky, she comes to him for what no one else can give her: a reason to believe."

How did your train trip go, Chuck?

Sheila wrote: "How did your train trip go, Chuck?"

It was terrific, thanks! After spending time in Calgary, Lake Louise, Banff, and Jasper we boarded the train in Banff once again. Spent 2 days and 1 night in Kamloops (love that name!) before arriving in Vancouver. Spent the last 3 days and 2 nights visiting the sights, touring the food trucks and Chinatown with the "Tour Guys" and a 4 hour bike tour of Stanley Park.

And now I'm tired!

Chuck wrote: "Sheila wrote: "How did your train trip go, Chuck?"

It was terrific, thanks! After spending time in Calgary, Lake Louise, Banff, and Jasper we boarded the train in Banff once again. Spent 2 days an..."

That's great!

Finished reading "The Horse Whisperer" by Nicholas Evans - Wow, a wonderful story! For me, 5/5 stars - Now a huge Nicholas Evans fan.

I like Nicholas Evans. I enjoyed his story The Loop. It's about introducing wolves back to the wilderness and the opposition from farmers.

Sheila wrote: "I like Nicholas Evans. I enjoyed his story The Loop. It's about introducing wolves back to the wilderness and the opposition from farmers."

"The Loop" is his 2nd work - I was lucky enough that my mother has given me all of his novels. What a writer - Very sincere and the pictures he paints with words is amazing.

I also read his The Divide. Very good also. I have his newest work The Brave but haven't found time to read it yet. There's always more books calling my name than I have time to read.