Thursday, May 01, 2008

342,745 Ways to Herd Cats

I meant to post about this challenge (otherwise known as tl;dr*) last week but time has really gotten away from me lately. It only officially starts today so I guess I'm only fashionably late! I probably shouldn't be joining any more reading challenges but it's a fun idea and I can't resist having this adorable button in my sidebar until the end of November! Plus it's only 3 books in 7 months! Perfectly reasonable. (Shhh, I'm trying to justify it to myself). Click on the button for more info on how to join.

Anyway, the first requirement is to list 10 books that I've loved, so without further ado here there are:

1. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2. The Makioka Sisters - Junichiro Tanizaki
3. Fingersmith - Sarah Waters
4. How to Breathe Underwater - Julie Orringer
5. The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
6. Clara Callan - Richard B. Wright
7. The Road - Cormac McCarthy
8. The Tattooed Girl - Joyce Carol Oates
9. Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World - Haruki Murakami
10. The Amber Spyglass - Philip Pullman (third book in the His Dark Materials trilogy)

Next, from the Master Book List (the combined list from all the participants), here are the books that I plan to read for the challenge (and was actually already planning to read this year--is that cheating?):

Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Adichie
The Goose Girl
by Shannon Hale
Kafka on the Shore
by Haruki Murakami
Lolita
by Vladimir Nabokov

And a few others from the master list that I'd also like to read this year if I have time:

The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly
Inkheart
by Cornelia Funke
The Historian
by Elizabeth Kostovo
The Invention of Hugo Cabret
by Brian Selznick

*too long; didn't read
s link to the list of the participant who recommended the book

10 witty remarks:

Bellezza Fri May 02, 04:18:00 AM  

I hope you like Inkheart as much as I do. I haven't finished it yet, but I'm mesmerized. Also, the good news is there is the sequel Inkspell (and Inkdeath, coming soon) if you really like it. I'm looking forward to discussing it when we (both) finish it.

Michelle Fri May 02, 05:57:00 AM  

I've seen this challenge loads of places and everytime I see someone posting about it I think about signing up for it.. hmm. Maybe tomorrow then. Looks like we love similar books!

Danielle Sat May 03, 12:05:00 AM  

I'm trying not to join challenges, but I love reading about them and seeing everyone's reading list! I loved Fingersmith, too! I've contemplated reading the Tanizaki and have it on my pile, but haven't quite gotten to it.

tanabata Sat May 03, 03:18:00 PM  

Bellezza- I already have 'Inkspell' as well even though I haven't read 'Inkheart' yet! But the premise sounded so intriguing I had to get both at the time. I do hope to read it, or maybe even both, this year.

Michelle- It's such a fun idea for a challenge and very doable, I think, since it's only required to read 3 books. Nudge, nudge. :)

Danielle- I love Sarah Waters! I really need to get around to reading her latest book, 'The Night Watch'. I hope you enjoy 'The Makioka Sisters' if/when you do read it.

daydream Sun May 04, 08:55:00 PM  

Oh, quite an interesting list. I am participating in this challenge as well and I am going to read Inkheart too. So many books, so little time.
By the way I love your template. What is it called, because I want to start a third blog on my own and well I want to use this one.

tanabata Mon May 05, 01:09:00 PM  

daydream- 'Inkheart' sounds like such fun, I hope I get a chance to read it soon. As for my template, it's a modified version of the basic 2-column template I started out with, Minima Black (which isn't black at all anymore since I changed the colours). I added the extra sidebar in myself by following instructions something like this.
But you can also find free 3-column template designs like this, just google and you'll find lots of them. Sorry, hope that helps a bit.

daydream Mon May 05, 01:54:00 PM  

Thank you for the links. They are so helpful. I am going to see what I need to make that blog special. The new one that is.

tanabata Tue May 06, 01:17:00 AM  

daydream- I hope they help. Do let me know if I can help you at all. I'm hardly an expert but I've figured out how to tweak a few things. Good luck setting up your new blog.

daydream Tue May 06, 02:42:00 AM  

I already made my blog, but to tell you the truth adding that column cost me too much nerves, so I reverted to standard minima and just added cool picks and the like. I will let content and images do the work.

tanabata Tue May 06, 10:54:00 PM  

daydream- Sorry I couldn't help you more. Fiddling with the HTML can be frustrating. But hey, there is nothing wrong with having a simple template and letting the content speak for itself. Off to see the new blog...

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