Take It or Leave It Challenge - March 2011 - Page 2

For those new to this challenge: More info and monthly index can be found in post #1 of this thread or this TIOLI FAQS wiki.

This thread is continued from here.

Simple directions for posting to the wiki can be found at the bottom of each month's wiki page.


...logo by cyderry

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For the month of March, I’m going to challenge you to read a book that has the name of a city (or town) on page 17 of your chosen book! The name must be a real city on planet earth that you (or I) can link to a Wikipedia page. If you don’t know how to do a link, simply place the city name in parentheses and someone else will add the link.

For a match, you *must* have a city name on page 17 of the book you are reading, but it does not need to be the same city as someone else’s book since there are different editions of the same book. Alternatively, if there are many city names on page 17, choose the one you want. It’s the book that has to match – not the city name.

Why page 17? Because March 17th is St. Patrick’s Day! For more TIOLI fun, try to find the name of a city in Ireland.

On a sadder note, I guess this challenge this would be impossible to do with e-readers since there are no page numbers in them. Sorry! Addendum (on 3/5/11): If you have a Nook with page numbers, you may use that page 17 as long as you keep the font size constant so as not to change the page numbering system.

This may sound like a difficult challenge, but it really is not. You’d be surprised how many city names are on page 17 of books! You just have to look for them. : )

Please list your books as follows:
1. Strange Pilgrims (Geneva) – Gabriel Garcia Marquez - SqueakyChu

Are you ready? Are you set? Then…go!!!

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Other Fun Stuff (not part of the TIOLI challenge):
1. The March 2011 TIOLI Meter - Some challengers use this page to track which challenges they're doing.
2. I Know I'm a TIOLI Addict When... - Frog Logo is on this page!

Index of Wikis for March 2011:

Challenges 1-7
1. Read a book with a city (or town) named on page 17.
2. Read a book that's not primarily meant for reading
3. Read a book about the Middle East - thread
4. Read a book in which the main title words (not a, an, etc.) increase or decrease by 1 letter count
5. Read a book with the word "ides" embedded in the title
6. Read a book whose title includes an individual letter repeated exactly 13 times
7. Read a Book from the LibraryThing's top 50 wishlisted books - thread

Challenges 8-14
8. Read a book of short stories
9. Read a book with a title containing a word that can be broken down into multiple words
10. Read a book with a style of dancing in the title
11. Read a little known book by a favorite author who deserves wider recognition
12. Read a book about philosophy - thread
13. Read a book by an author to whom you've previously given less than 3 stars
14. Read a book with the word "diary" or "journal" in the title

Challenges 15-18
15. Read a book with exactly 17 letters in the title (including a, an, etc.)
16. Read a book that was on the New York Times bestseller list, fiction or nonfiction, on your 21st birthday
17. Read a book which has the word "tale" or "story" or a reference to water in its title
18. Read a young adult fantasy or science fiction book
---------------More challenges coming next month!-------------

Omigosh, I'm the first one here with nothing to say. Just marking the thread. It is 2011, right?

I've written three straight checks with 2011 on them so yes, I think it's finally 2011.

Glad the thread police didn't catch you, Madeline.

I was quick, wasn't I? :)

Yayyyyyy!!! I'm NOT a bazillion messages behind! How exciting is that?

Wait a minute. oops. I thought I had something to say about books and books finished and books started... Bad migraine! BAD! Why won't you let mommy think straight???

It's nice to be in a shiny new thread!

I've finished Major Pettigrew's Last Stand and am about to start Black Mamba Boy by Nadifa Mohamed for the main challenge (Aden is mentioned in page 17, hooray.)

I'm just finishing up Firebirds Rising (good, fun fluff) for the short stories challenge - I may have to add another to the list...

But I can't believe I missed the fact that I could have Pride and Prejudice for challenge 15 and that there was a YA fantasy/sci-fi challenge too - so they're also going on the list...

I have spent most of a moderately hungover Saturday reading and really enjoying The Singer by Cathi Unsworth, whose first book I gave 2.5 stars to - so many thanks to dk_phoenix for the challenge which inspired me to pick up this well-written and gripping thriller set atmospherically in the heady days of punk in 1970s London.

Just updated the wikis with what I've finished this month. I'm up to five books, but only in two challenges. I've given myself the personal limit of counting only 3 books per challenge, so now that I've reached 3 in the YA fantasy or science fiction, I won't put any more books in that challenge even if I happen to read them. (This is my purely personal way of forcing some variety in my reading and keeping myself from sticking to the challenges that reflect my regular reading taste.)

> 11

I'm up to five books, but only in two challenges.

I, too, have become hung up with just one challenge this month. After starting Zoe's "middle east" challenge, I found that it's been quite fun to try to see how many books about different middle eastern countries I can read this month. I'd already read the book I Shall Not Hate (Palestine/gaza strip) last month. This month I've read The Reluctant Fundamentalist (Pakistan), am now reading The Story of Zahra (Lebanon), and have my eye on Wedding Song (Egypt) for my next book. Thanks for this challenge, Zoe.

I think themed challenges have a propensity for this. It's most often that CitizenJoyce throws out themed challenges each month. It's really fun, from month to month, to see what all of our new challenges turn out to be as they are posted. Since I love to read randomly, I'm always in reading heaven these days.

Just finished Graceling and I think I'll pop it into the YA fantasy challenge.
I liked it. I got it from SantaThing.

I finished Mrs. Ames for the Increase/Decrease Challenge (#4). It's a wonderful book, better than Queen Lucia, which I thoroughly enjoyed, by far. Highly recommended.

>12 SqueakyChu: Now that you mention it, that's a perfect example of a challenge I would break my "rule" for, since if I'm reading about different countries, it's not reading all the same type of book (like YA fantasy) at all, right?

> 15

that's a perfect example of a challenge I would break my "rule" for,

For me, it was just that I got super interested in that theme once I started reading books in it.

Sorry, folks. I really don't know what I'm doing. Tried to add a book to challenge #1. It messed up the numbering.....

I know how to read. I just don't know how to add my book to the wiki. Help?

On a higher note, I had chosen a different book but had not added it yet to the wiki. I had three books on hold come available from the library all at the same time and I thought "uh oh, I'm never going to get all these read within my time limits." Well, of the three books I checked out, two of them had a city name on page 17. Go figure. Anyway, so I chose one of those instead of my original plan.

EB1002 - Fixed :)

calm - Thanks.

> 17

It was a simple mistake. Next time, just remember to put a hash mark in front of the title of your book before you save.

Example:

# Book Title - Author Name - Your name

I finally finished a book for TIOLI. I think this is the longest it's taken me to finish a book for a TIOLI month - but since Gone With the Wind is my audiobook for the month, I've done about a thousand miles in driving so far, and I'm not even half way through with it.

But I did finish An Eye for Glory: The Civil War Chronicles of a Citizen Solider for the main challenge. Frederick, Maryland is listed on page 17. This was an ARC for a book releasing next month. The publisher is Zondervan - a Christian publisher - so I was a little worried (Christian literature is not of particular interest to me), but it's about how a strong Christian becomes a Union Soldier in the Civil War and tries to understand where God is found in a war.

The chaplain shows up quite a bit, and each chapter opens with a verse from the bible, but overall, the christian undertone fit the narrative well and did not come off as heavy handed or "bible thumping". Probably most interesting was the fact that I was reading one book about the Civil War written from the Union perspective, and listening to another coming from the south. That wasn't intentional, just a weird coincidence. It did sometimes make it hard for me to remember who to "root" for

I finished Tales from Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan, the artist/author who previously created The Arrival. Needless to say, that's a tough act to follow. The short stories I found just ok, but of course the illustrations were excellent (the end pages alone are worth the price of the book!)

I finished Cloud Atlas yesterday, parts of it were wonderful though the ending was pretty weak, I thought. I started immediately listening to Special Topics in Calamity Physics, probably too immediately because I keep trying to fit the new characters into the old stories. I'm about 2/3 of the way through I and Thou. Buber, he just worms in to your mind and doesn't stop wiggling. I had to give myself a little breather, so I've started on the second Glynis Tyron mystery, North Star Conspiracy again with Elizabeth Cady Stanton and this time Susan B. Anthony makes an appearance. It's about the Underground Railroad so fits in nicely with my reading of last month.

I finished and reviewed Beryl Markham's stunning memoir West with the Night. Wow! High adventure with a shot of adrenaline. That was for the City on Page 17 Challenge.

Next up is my ER book that has gotten high praise here on LT: Thomas E. Kennedy's In the Company of Angels for the Read a book in which the main title words (not a, an, etc.) increase or decrease by 1 letter count Challenge.

I completed my first TIOLI Challenge book, The Postmistress for challenge #9, "Break it Down". I wish I had liked it more but I'm still glad I read it.

Now I'm looking forward to next month to see what challenge I can join in April.

Thanks Madeline for helping me find a good book for a road trip! Read and enjoyed The Reluctant Fundamentalist this weekend.

> 26

I'm so glad you liked it. I just gave my own copy to a good friend today. I think she'll like it as well.

>16 SqueakyChu: I got super interested in that theme once I started reading books in it.

If that were why I started reading the books, than I would probably count more than just the first three. But I find I have more trouble with sticking to the "safe" challenges that reflect books I'd read anyways rather than finding an interest in a theme I wouldn't have chosen on my own. So I stop counting books on the wiki and the TIOLI leapfrogs to give myself incentive to branch out more (because I'm not competitive or anything, oh no...). That way, while I'm still reading YA fantasy (in this case), I am still pushing myself to read books that I may not have chosen or find another challenge to put the book in somehow.

All in good fun, of course. It's just a personal challenge I've added for myself, so I can break the "rule" anytime I want. ;)

I got super interested in that theme once I started reading books in it.

Actually, Mary, I think this is the first time I've done this. I usually go for at least one book in as many different challenges as I can and very rarely even double up on any one challenge.

>29 SqueakyChu: I think it's just an added benefit of the TIOLI, Madeline. You never know when breaking out of your reading comfort zone will interest you in a topic or genre you never knew you were interested in!

I finished The Stone Diaries for Challenge #14. HIGHLY recommended!

I just got done reading Brave New World by Aldous Huxley for challenge number 7, and I have to say, it's the weirdest book I have ever read.

Weirdest? Uh, that means I *have to* read it! :)

I've finished The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey and realised that the title has 17 letters, so added it to the wiki.

Adding Witch and Wizard to #18

I can't find a single book on the NYT bestseller list (fiction) that I want to read. Interestingly, at least 6 of the 15 were made into movies.

Truman is on the NF list, but I'm not ready to tackle another 1000+ pp non-fiction book.

I finished the immensely satisfying Mrs. Ames for the Up/Down Challenge #4, and the humdrum Means of Evil for the Short Story Challenge #8. Both my reviews are at the book sites.

Now on to the big ones for this month: Pride and Prejudice and The Portrait of a Lady.

I finished the wonderful North Star Conspiracy containing appearances by Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Frederick Douglass, and Mathew Brady amongst other notables. Miriam Grace Monfredo puts so much research into her books and expresses it so clearly she's a delight and an education to read. This book was about the Underground Railroad and the Fugitive Slave Act, and of course the fight for women's rights. It seems no matter where women worked, whoever they supported thanked them for their efforts then ignored the worth of their struggle when push came to shove. Even Frederick Douglass turned against them, though he and Susan B. Anthony are buried in the same cemetery. Maybe they've forgiven each other by now.

Now I'm back to I and Thou.

I've finished Life Studies by Susan Vreeland for challenge #8 (short story collection). I actually started this one in February and would dip into it now and then. Many of the stories were lovely but none have really stayed with me. Still, interesting takes on the role of art in illuminating the ordinary of everyday.

One reader needs to move A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian from Challenge 4 (the letters increase by more than 1). Can I suggest challenge 17? The word "story" is in the title.

And Madeleine, you'll be pleased I hope to learn that I finished reading The Reluctant Fundamentalist this morning. An interesting and thought provoking read, I wish I had time to do what Richard does and start reading it a second time...

> 42

I, too, really enjoyed the experience of reading The Reluctant Fundamentalist. I agree that it was very thought-provoking. That's why I was encouraging others to make it a shared read this month. It doesn't take long to read, but it does put American-(greater) middle eastern relationships into perspective.

I think you all have convinced me to go pick up The Reluctant Fundamentalist. I had been considering it and wasn't sure which way to go, but it sounds interesting and worth the time.

I'm also reading a book called School's Out Forever by James Patterson and it mentions DC in it. As in Washington DC. That's acceptable, right? I'm pretty sure it is.

Points alert! Special Topics in Calamity Physics is posted for challenge #1 AND challenge #9. I know you guys want to get a point for reading that one :-)

I had a choice of several books by a new-to-me author, Karin Fossum, to choose from. Of course, I had to pick the one that had 17 letters in the title! I liked He Who Fears the Wolf, a psychological mystery set in Norway.

I didn't put Special Topics in Calamity Physics into challenge #1 because I'm listening to it, so there are no pages; but it doesn't make much difference because I doubt I'll finish it this month. Audiobooks are going slowly these days.

> 44

it mentions DC in it. As in Washington DC. That's acceptable, right?

Washington (the city's name) and DC (the District of Columbia) are geographically the same so go ahead and use it. I rarely even use the term "Washington" (a word I use only when speaking to foreigners or to people from out of state). Going into the city on the Metro, I always say I'm going "into DC".

> 46

I had a choice of several books by a new-to-me author, Karin Fossum, to choose from. Of course, I had to pick the one that had 17 letters in the title! I liked He Who Fears the Wolf, a psychological mystery set in Norway.

Haha!

I'm reading a 17-letter titled book set in Norway also. The book is Out Stealing Horses by Norwegian author Per Petterson.

The Reading Gods continue to taunt me - I've just hit my FOURTH 16 letter title for the month.

Coming up tonight...

...the February 2011 TIOLI stats and awards!

Stats for February 2011

Number of challenges: 18
Total books read: 388
Total number of shared reads: 141
Percentage of shared reads: 36%
Total TIOLI points: 76
Most popular book: Native Tongue by Suzette Haden Elgin
Most popular challenge: Read a book with an embedded word in the title (5 letter minimum)
Challenge with the most TIOLI points: Read a book by or about a black woman

Awards for February 2011

The Oh So Close Award goes to brenzi who gave us the challenge to read a book from the 16-book longlist of the Tournament of Books because she was only one person short of having everyone in her challenge read a shared book.

The Heart of My Heart Award goes to lindapanzo, VioletBramble, Chatterbox, Carmenere, elkiedee, and Donna828 for reading a book with the embedded word "heart" in the title. That was so heartwarming for a month in which we celebrated Valentine's Day!

The Soulful Sharing Award goes to CitizenJoyce for her themed challenge to read a book by or about a black woman. That challenge of hers ended up with the most TIOLI points (13) of all of February’s challenges for a shared read.

The How Did You Know Award goes to goddesspt2, elkiedee, Chatterbox, bell7, christiguc, labfs39, dk_phoenix, and pbadeer for finding at least one embedded word in their book titles from the following sentence: "Scour these itchy seats!" :)

Congratulations to February's award winners!

I have so far read: Bloomability by Sharon Creech and Knit One, Kill Two by Maggie Sefton for the City on Page 17 Challenge; Homicide in Hardcover by Kate Carlisle for the Up/Down Challenge; and Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer for the Young Adult SF/F Challenge. Now I am reading The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon for the Top Wishlisted Books Challenge, and The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig for the Little Words That Make Up a Big Word Challenge. If I finish these in good time, I'll probably add The Book Thief by Markus Zusak to the Top Wishlisted one. I have been unable to find a 17 word title book to read, but I am still on the lookout.

I just finished "Fantomina" for the location challenge. It was actually shorter than I remembered, so I won't mark it as officially finished until I've read another of the novellas in the book. But despite it being shorter than my memory had, it's just as wonderful. ♥

You can read it here, if you like, though you're missing out on the fabulous Broadview Text with the very informative introduction (I'm rereading it now, actually) and an appendix with a brief excerpt of early 18th century pornography. ;) Really, though, the pornographic excerpt is fairly interesting for elucidating why, exactly, the ending to "Fantomina" is as ... meaningful as it is, and why it's actually a happier ending than other possibilities. I can't give the ending away, because it's such a fun story, and it's so worth reading! It's fairly "feminist", too, for being early 18th century - the main character has all sorts of agency and power that isn't normally seen in women, especially if they aren't given a Bad End (you know, the whole mother or whore thing).

Plus, "Fantomina" is a bit of social satire and Eliza Haywood was one of the most read authors of the time, along with Robinson Crusoe and Gulliver's Travels, so really, anyone with any interest in English language classics should try her out... I am super sad that I'm missing another of my Haywood books. And I really need to get around to reading her more well-known novels, Betsy Thoughtless and Love in Excess.

(Perhaps I should move this to challenge #11 "little known book for an author who deserves wider recognition"? Haywood is far from being obscure, but she still isn't as well known as she probably ought to be outside of literature classes.)

Rub it in, Keri, rub it in. :)

56> I have been struggling all morning and afternoon to not make a dirty joke about your comment directly following my discussion of early 18th century pornography ;)

Ahem. Maybe I should take my gold statuette and retire to the drawing room.

>53 SqueakyChu: The How Did You Know Award..."Scour these itchy seats!"

LOLOL Thank you for that award AND laugh! It's a good thing I wasn't eating or drinking anything when I saw that award. ;)

>> 57 Hey, don't stop on my account! Or should that be - "Don't stop! Don't stop!" :)

(Actually, I think we'd better stop, before we get flagged!)

Award time is always so much fun :)

Except it gets me looking ahead to the next month even when the current month is only half done!

I finished listening to The Ruby in the Smoke by Philip Pullman for challenge #4 tonight. And what fun it was too!

I finished Olive Kitteridge, it's such a wonderful book about complex people, many of them older women.

Re: Oh So Close Award : If only I had not read that one lonely book!

> 64

LOL!!

If you hadn't read your book, Anne, then I would have had no one to whom to give the Oh So Close Award. You just gave me the perfect opportunity to award it. It needed to be...well...oh, so close... :D

Remember...These are "no guilt" challenges!

Whew, I finally finished I and Thou, a little book that took all my powers of concentration and then some, now on to my second Dennis Lehane, Darkness Take My Hand.

I finished The Graveyard Book for challenge #18 (YA fantasy/sci-fi), and loved it! I am not sure I would have ever read it if not for this challenge - gotta thank TIOLI for that :-)

Here's an idea. Tell me what you think.

Quickie Reads:

How would it work?
1. It would be optional.
2. On day #21 of any TIOLI month, challengers could/would suggest in the main thread "quickie reads" already COMPLETED by any challenger.
3. Each suggestion should be a relatively short book, one that you'd highly recommend, and one that could be finished easily before the end of the month.

What's the point? (No pun intended...)
1. More TIOLI points!
2. Ability to get others to share a quick and delightful read at the very last moment.Please feel free to discuss pros and cons of what I suggested above.

I finished three TIOLI books this past week: the amazing memoir I Shall Not Hate: A Gaza Doctor's Journey by Izzeldin Abuelaish for Zoe's Middle East challenge, and two books for my challenge (#11), Memory of Departure by Abdulrazak Gurnah and Little Mountain by Elias Khoury. I wrote reviews for each of them this morning.

Just poppin' in to say that Soroka Medical Center* (in Beersheba) in which Dr. Abuelaish did his residency was one of two hospitals for which I worked for when I was a volunteer nurse in Israel!

*feelin' justly proud of that hospital

Input Needed:

This has been a long time coming, but I've finally started a wiki of TIOLI FAQs. Please take a peek at it and let me know of things I've omitted or of any corrections I should make.

I will later link it to the wiki summary, but first I want to get the basic facts straight. It is becoming too complicated to just point someone at one thread.

Thanks in advance!

P.S. "Quick Reads" will be in effect on March 21st (this Monday). Feel free to post your suggestions ON THAT DAY ONLY! Enjoy!!

>71 SqueakyChu: Madeleine, I think the FAQ wiki is really helpful and will help those new to TIOLI. Other challengers were very helpful to me when I first stumbled upon it, but I think having all the information in one place will be a great addition! Thanks for all the work you do on TIOLI!

I finished The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon for the Top 50 Wishlisted Books Challenge, and I genuinely enjoyed it. The author certainly allowed me to enter into the mind of a boy with Asperger's, and I feel like I understand the condition much better now. Additionally, I enjoyed the narrator's voice, the humor in his misunderstandings or non-understandings, the diagrams he employed to explain things, and the myriad of details about unusual topics that he spouted. I am still amazed, though, that it is in the library of some 25,000 people and has been reviewed by more than 700 of those.

I like the idea of the the "quick reads" and I will be here on Monday to see what they might be.

A question: is it Monday 21st March for the poster or a specific time zone? I live in NZ so my Monday will be a lot of peoples Sunday (particularly Americans).

Great FAQ page, SqueakyChu.

> 74

It will be the 21st of the month in your time zone. I'm not going to check clocks, so don't be afraid! ;)

> 75

Thanks, Judy. I actually created it a while ago. It just took me until now to make it public. :)

Whew. Finally finished Kingdom of Shadows by Alan Furst for Challenge #1 -- Paris is on page 17. I ended up liking the book, but it was a bit of a slog at times. Having the flu probably didn't help....

Now I'm going to jump on the bandwagon and read The Reluctant Fundamentalist for the Middle East challenge.

Looking forward to the "Quick Reads" challenge!

Looking forward to the "Quick Reads" challenge!

This is not really meant to be a challenge, but rather a way of saying, "Hey! I found a great book, and you, too, still have time to read it!"

I hope this turns out to be fun and worthwhile.

and you, too, still have time to read it

That is, if you're not as horribly overbooked as I am! Lol.

:)

>80 Smiler69: Well, you could always do what I'm probably going to do anyways...forget about the books you planned and choose a shorter one you maybe hadn't planned on reading just yet. :)

I, for one, am not going to be able to finish both The Rest is Noise and The Elegant Universe in the second half of the month. I have no idea what the end of the month will look like just yet, as I'm currently reading a 900+ page book that does not fit into any of this month's challenges...

I've added Harlem Is Nowhere by Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts for Madeline's challenge. In case anyone protests that Harlem is a neighborhood and not a city, the book lists several cities on page 17, including Prague. :)

Madeline, I think your suggestion will work out well. This is the time of the month when I suddenly realize, as always, that I couldn't possibly read all the books I thought I would and so drop books from the wikis but I might be interested in adding something that comes well recommended.

For one reason and another, this seems to be turning into YA fantasy month for me, with a side of non-fiction. LOL
Adding two more to #18 on the wiki.

I just finished True Grit and added it to Challenge 1 (page 17 in the Overlook Press reprint contains the term "Concord stagecoach").

This would make a terrific book for the new "Quick Read" feature! I may put this up for the Quick Read tomorrow!

Karen O.

Finished The Reluctant Fundamentalist for the Middle East Challenge. Don't seem to be getting it entered into the wiki quite correctly, but it's there.
Now, what to read next......?? :-)

Read and reviewed Neil Gaiman's Coraline for Challenge 18; which may give me my first TIOLI point for the year!

I finished The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak for Challenge 7.

I've started A Journal for Jordan by Dana Canedy, and I'm hoping to have it finished by the end of March to be able to add it to Challenge 14.

#82 Thing is... I usually really want to read my planned reads for the simple reason that my planned reads are for books I've been wanting to get around to reading and keep having to put off for other books! :-)

#88 I enjoyed your review and always marvel at how differently each person tends to interpret the same work, though of course this is to be expected. Here's my recent review of Coraline, if you're curious.

87: As lots of other people have listed the book, you can copy and paste their entry and change the name.

It's March 21st! You know what *that* means...

It's (our first) Suggest-A-Quick Read Day!

Go ahead and post your suggestions for end-of-the month Quick Reads.

Each book you suggest should be:
1. Already marked COMPLETED by someone (you or another challenger) on March's wiki.
2. One that you would highly recommend.
3. One that is short enough or quick enough reading to be easily finished before the end of the month.

List your suggestions (you may suggest one or more), and tell why you are suggesting each book you name as a "Quick Read". You may second (or third, etc.) a book mentioned by someone else, but please also tell why you are recommending it with your own comments.

List these "Quick reads" only today (March 21st in YOUR time zone).

Thanks!

> 87

Luci, I edited your entry by simply adding the book's URL within the brackets containing the book title. All is well!

Right ho, I'll jump into this Quick Reads business. I'm recommending:

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It's already completed by one reader on the short story challenge, and these little gems read very quickly. I actually had to slow myself down to savor them somewhat. If you'd like to get hooked on Holmes this is the one I'd recommend.

(posted 3.21.11, 8:13am, PDT)

Quick Read:

I'm not sure if it counts, because it isn't very long, and so I felt like I was cheating to use it alone as a read, but may I suggest "Fantomina" by Eliza Haywood, as I described last week in this post on this thread? I haven't yet moved it to the proper place in the wiki, but after I finish typing this reply, I will. Plus, I included a link to an online copy of the story for you. (Even if you don't read it for the Quick Read, it's worth reading!)

ETA: Also, if you want to see the LT catalogue page for it: http://www.librarything.com/work/6470598

>90 Smiler69: : Thank you, Smiler!

Just wanted to remind everyone that 8:30p.m. On Saturday 26th March is Earth Hour. Please remember to turn off any unnecessary lights and other electricals.

For a Quick Read, I'd recommend The Reluctant Fundamentalist which a few of us read for challenge #3. There was some debate about whether it should be included, since Pakistan isn't part of the Middle East as usually understood. But I think the themes of the story and the questions it raises are applicable to the entire region.

It's a very fast read, sometimes an uncomfortable one, but it will definitely make you think.

#94 I may join you in the Sherlock Holmes read. I just picked up a free copy for my Kindle.

keristars/95: Thank you for the link. I just finished your recommended short-read. Where do these short-read-recommended TIOLIs go to be recorded?

Quick Read Recommendations:

Bloomability by Sharon Creech - children's/YA coming-of-age set in Switzerland that I loved when I read it about 10 years ago

The Shadow of the Wind - despite it's length, I read this book in about a day. It has a bit of a Gothic feel, and I just loved what it had to say about books and reading.

QUICK READ RECOMMENDATION

True Grit by Charles Portis

I put it in Challenge 1 (city name on p. 17). It's a terrifically well-written book, has humor and depth, and is a great model of my favorite "short and sweet," every-word-matters type of book.

> 99

Where do these short-read-recommended TIOLIs* go to be recorded?

When you finish the book, Just record it as you would any other book on the wiki. Remember, though, to post it on the challenge that has the same book already COMPLETED by another person (in order to help up our TIOLI points).

"Quick Reads" is NOT another challenge. It's just a way to get a fellow challenger to get an addtional really good last read in before the month ends.

I've read (and reviewed) two more TIOLI books, Harlem Is Nowhere by Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts, for Madeline's 'city on page 17' challenge (3 stars), and Morning and Evening Talk by Egyptian author and Nobel laureate Naguib Mahfouz, for Zoe's Middle East challenge (2 stars). Later today I'll finish Redemption in Indigo by Karen Lord, for Suz's multiple word challenge (indigo = in + dig + o (as in 'O Come, All Ye Faithful')), which is excellent so far.

I second Mary's recommendation of Bloomability by Sharon Creech for a Quick Read. It is definitely a fast read, and an excellent, well-written story. It is one of those books that falls somewhere between children's fiction and young adult fiction...our library calls them the Middle Zone.

99> I hope you enjoyed it as much as I love it. :) It really is a favorite story of mine.

I'm going to recommend two books that are quick to read and held my attention completely. The first is Seneca Falls Inheritance by Miriam Grace Monfredo because it's perfect historical fiction with an interesting picture of 19th century New York and America, a view of what the early woman's movement was about, and characters who make learning easy,

I'm also going to mention a completely different book, A Drink Before the War by Dennis Lehane because it's a mesmerizing example of a good urban mystery. After reading all these mysteries for March Mystery Month I realize why I read them so seldom. Once I get into one I have a hard time tearing myself away to do anything else.

No recommendation here. I'm just so so so relieved to have finished Pride and Prejudice. I have a very intense and passionate love/hate relationship with Jane Austen it seems. Go figure.

keristars/55: Where did you end up placing Fantomina on the TIOLI wiki? I wanted to hitch my train onto yours but can't find it. Thank you, too, for providing the online link. It was a different sort of read for me, but I'm really glad to have read it!

>106 Citizenjoyce: Joyce, I know exactly what you mean. I can be reading any number of non-fiction books simultaneously, dipping in here and there, but mysteries are a clean dive into the pool - don't interrupt me!

I finished and reviewed In the Company of Angels by Thomas E. Kennedy which was an absolute gem. That was for Challenge #4.

Whistling Season by Ivan Doig was wonderful! I read and reviewed it for the Divide a Word into Little Words Challenge. I think that I am going to have read another Doig title soon. Thanks to those of you who reviewed and recommended it, because I had never heard of this author before.

I've started Doubt: A History: The Great Doubters and Their Legacy of Innovation from Socrates and Jesus to Thomas Jefferson and Emily Dickinson by Jennifer Michael Hecht for the philosophy challenge. I've been meaning to read this for a year, but the 600+ pages have kind of scared me off. I wanted to read the first Thursday Next novel this month, but it's likely that Doubt is going to keep me pretty well tied up. Just the introduction is so interesting though, I think I'll be hooked.

108> it's in challenge #11, the little known work one. I thought it was more appropriate, since I was really stretching things to get it to fit the location challenge, and, after all, there's only a total of about 40 people who have catalogued a copy of the story on LT (33 with the collection of stories that I have and about 4 with just the one story in a book form and another person with a different collection).

Thanks, keristars/113. And that's why I couldn't find it. Your entry is not there! But I've now added mine.

I finished Redemption in Indigo by Karen Lord this morning (for Suz's challenge (#9)), which I'll review for an upcoming issue of Belletrista, and The Anatomy of a Moment by Javier Cercas tonight, an LT Early Reviewer book that I've added to challenge #4. I've also added a Kindle Single that I read over the weekend to challenge #4, Chinese Dreams by Anand Giridharadas. I reviewed the last two books on my thread and on their home pages on LT.

I'm starting on The Shadow of the Wind tonight. I've got several books going, so not sure I'll be able to finish it on time, but it's worth trying!

I finished Ghost Canoe by Will Hobbs for the Town on Page 17 Challenge. It was a rollicking historical adventure set in the late 1800s in the coastal regions of Northwest Washington. Plenty of action, treasure hunting, treachery, Native American lore, and a decent mystery to solve.

I've finished Beastly by Alex Flinn for the YA fantasy challenge and The Magician's Assistant by Ann Patchett for the compound word challenge (assist+ant). I'm currently reading Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer for the philosophy challenge.

I loved The Magician's Assistant, maybe more than Bel Canto. Certainly a more satisfying ending!

>119 ffortsa: The Magician's Assistant is my second favorite of her books, after Run. Have you read that one? Bel Canto was good but not great.

I haven't read Run - must find it.

Finished my 8th book for the challenge this month. I am finding so many books that fit the various challenges, it's been a productive month for clearing my shelves so far.

I loved Run, The Magician's Assistant, Bel Canto, the books about pregnancy and wayward mothers which I don't remember the names of now - in fact I've loved everything Ann Patchett has written including the memoir of her friendship with Lucy Grealy, Truth and Beauty. So far I haven't found her make a wrong step.

I didn't love Truth and Beauty, but I appreciated it. I might read it again now that I have read Lucy Grealy's Autobiography of a Face. The one about unwed mothers is The Patron Saint of Liars, which I haven't gotten to yet.

I have all of Patchett's novels, bought solely because I loved Bel Canto so much. I have not read any of the others yet!

Hmmmm, maybe I need to rethink this author. I started Bel Canto when it was first out and just couldn't get into it. I wonder if I should try something else by her instead. This could be a case of "I just wasn't in the right space for that at that time" ----

Hooray, a convert!

I suggest Run. It has the most plot.

I think Patchett is a really great woman. She spoke to my college freshman class (Truth and Beauty was our summer reading assignment) and they were horrible to her but she took it in stride. I have a lot of respect for her.

Patchett won the orange prize for Bel Canto, yet I'm surprised to hear so many disparaging remarks about it. Her other books, including Taft which I also loved, are much more like each other than like Bel Canto.

Interesting to see the pans for Bel Canto. It was my first, and so far my only Patchett, but I really liked it. It was involving and different. I've got Run around here somewhere...

I'm one who didn't like/appreciate Bel Canto. Too slow moving for me.

Hm. I didn't mean to pan it. I loved every minute of it - except the very end, which I thought was not really supported by the rest of the story. That said, I'd read it again in a heartbeat.

I didn't mean you particularly, ffortsa. Maybe it's because she won the prize with Bel Canto that made people more critical of it. I don't know. I don't hear the same amount of criticism of the rest of her work, but then I rarely hear anyone discuss the rest of her work. I'm sure it's better to be criticised than not read at all. I very much liked the end of Bel Canto, but then, I like the ending of The Sopranos too.

I've finished my 4 TIOLI books for this month:

Challenge #1 A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens 4.5 stars
Challenge #9 The Strange Case of the Composer and his Judge by Patricia Duncker 4 stars
Challenge #11 Five Bells by Gail Jones 4.5 stars
Challenge #12 Existentialism: A Very Short Introduction by Thomas R. Flynn 3 stars

I did really like Bel Canto; I thought it was great and I have a lot of respect for it. But I didn't find it as generally enjoyable to read as Run or The Magician's Assistant.

I really enjoyed Bel Canto up until the end. It just didn't fit in with the rest of the story at all. It seemed to me to be a very strange way to end the book.

I bought a copy of Run a little while ago. I really should read it and see what it is all about.

So many books, so little time!

Well, one thing we can say -- Bel Canto generates discussion and thought. That may be the most important thing one can say about a book. I'll put it on my "to read" list and get it from the library. It sounds worth a second try. And I'll look into Run as well.

I'm a somewhat slow reader for someone who loves it and does it as much as I do, so if a book doesn't grab me in 50 pages (yes, I use the Nancy Pearl "rule"), I give myself permission to give up on it. But certainly I have had lots of experience with going back to a book I didn't initially like and finding it delightful and/or fascinating with the second try. I really do believe our experience of reading any book is influenced by the emotional and intellectual and developmental space we're in when we read it.

Good energy in the discussion, everyone. Thanks!

Ellen

I really do believe our experience of reading any book is influenced by the emotional and intellectual and developmental space we're in when we read it.

Absolutely.

Re: Bel Canto: Might be worth having a group read for it this year if enough people are interested. It's been sitting on my shelf for a few years now and I'd like to make room for it eventually.

>136 EBT1002:: I agree with you, Ellen, that books that make me think and generate discussion are the ones I remember with fondness.

>137 Smiler69:: Ilana, I'm one of those who was conflicted about Bel Canto. I kept the book for the purpose of rereading it someday. Maybe I'll join in a group read to figure out how I really felt about it.

I'm reading like a madwoman to complete my TIOLI books for the month. I finished and wrote a short review of Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter for Ch. 9 (compound word in title).

I'm almost through with The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, about 2/3 through with The Portrait Of A Lady...and have one more short book to read. I think I can...I think I can...

I have Bel Canto in a TBR box. I just keep putting it off and all the talk of conflicting thoughts about it do nothing to push it up higher in my pile. If the timing of a group read works for me, I might join.

Hmmm? It seems to me that Bel Canto is begging for a challenge next month with all of the potential shared readers peeking into this thread...

I finished Eating Animals for the philosophy challenge and did not like it at all. Now I'm annoyed at Jonathan Safran Foer. But I'm relieving my frustrations by rereading Lost in a Good Book, which mentions Lerwick on page 17 (Lerwick being the capital of the Shetland Islands).

That's quite a reaction to Foer's book, Nora! So what specifically makes you annoyed at Foer? What parts of it did you particularly not like?

I found it like other vegan/vegetarian agenda - only a bit more forceful. I did like reading his book.

I'm working on a review right now. It's long and ranty and I will probably tone it down a lot in a couple weeks when I get over it.

Mostly I just have very, very high expectations for his work. I thought the first couple chapters, about his grandmother and the birth of his son, were phenomenal. But it went downhill from there. I think I'll stick with his fiction from now on.

Looking forward to April...

Here's what you can do now:

1. Participate in "Quick reads".
2. Remove any books from the wiki that you don't have a prayer of finishing before the end of this month.
3. Mark all finished books as COMPLETED.
4. Enjoy some non-TIOLI books so that you can cruise restfully into the month of April.
5. Think of a challenge with a "twist" of your own that you can present between April 1st and April 5th.
6. Ensure that your challenge's title is concise and specific. Address all ambiguities in the main thread (not in the challenge title, please!).
7. Consider other LT themed or group reads as your challenge for April. The more, the merrier! Note: kidzdoc often does this with great success.
8. If you have a specific type of challenge you present each month, keep this going. It brings wonderful niches into the TIOLI challenges. Note: CitizenJoyce often does this and inspires excellent conversation about her chosen themes.
9. Do not post anything to the wiki (even if you find the new one!) before the main thread is up.
10. Consider creating a separate thread for your challenge - even if you've never done so before.
11. Submit any suggestions that you think might enhance our enjoyment of the TIOLI challenges.

I have a fun challenge coming up for April. It will be posted...well, you'll see it when it's posted!

I think I'll stick with his fiction from now on.

Yeah. I loved Everything is Illuminated which was pure delight on audio.

I got to see Foer at one of the National Book Festivals. I got the idea that he likes to do things that are different, hence the book about vegetarianism. I'm curious to see what he'll do next. I have a feeling it will again be different from what he has already done.

Everything is Illuminated and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close are two of my favorite books. I do think he likes to work outside of the box, which is why I was so disappointed in a book that is the same as every other vegetarian argument.

I listened to him speak at the NBF this past year and he had a lot of insightful things to say about meat-eating. However, none of them were reflected in the book itself.

(P.S. My review is now posted on my 75ers thread and the work page.)

I've promised myself never two do more than one group read per month after this month's experience of reading Pride and Prejudice and Portrait of a Lady side by side in group contexts. It just ends up feeling like a chore and is no fun, which is not the point, of course. I ended up speeding through P&P and not enjoying it at all and now really glad I can take my time with Henry James.

Since I've started a Jane Eyre thread for a group read in April already (now that the movie is out), I'm not one bit tempted to broach Bel Canto in a grou context quite yet, especially since it's a book I think I'd enjoy having group discussions over, but it's all good.

I don't know how others feel about this, but I don't feel having planned group reads and shared TIOLI reads is the same at all, as the first seems to encourage much more group discussion (giving people the chance to put time aside for that) while the other, not so much, which is fine too. For instance, I'm having a great time reading The Shadow of the Wind, a shared read this month and don't at all feel the need for group discussions about it.

On Book TV this weekend:
I Shall Not Hate: A Gaza Doctor's Journey on the Road to Peace and Human Dignity
Izzeldin Abuelaish
About the Program

Izzeldin Abuelaish, a Palestinian doctor whose three daughters and niece were killed by Israeli forces during the 2009 raid on Gaza, argues for an end to the bloodshed between Israelis and Palestinians. This event, hosted by Politics and Prose Bookstore, was held at the Sixth & I Historic Synagogue in Washington, DC.

About the Authors
Izzeldin Abuelaish

Izzeldin Abuelaish was raised in the Jabalia refugee camp in the Gaza Strip and was a senior researcher at the Gertner Institute at the Sheba Medical Center in Tel Aviv. He is currently an associate professor at the Dalia Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto.

Saturday, March 26th at 8am (ET)
Sunday, March 27th at 10pm (ET)

I finished Casting Spells by Barbara Bretton for Cyderry's Increasing/Decreasing Title Words Challenge. This one surprised me with how much I enjoyed it. Part mystery, part paranormal romance, I found it lighthearted and lots of fun. I guess it fit my mood at the right time.

> 148

Thank you so much, Joyce, for posting the alert to the book TV program featuring Dr. Abuelaish.

Recently Dr. Abuelaish had been in DC addressing an audience at the 6th & I Street Historic Synagogue. I had been disappointed not to have been able to attend that event in person. I was certainly thrilled to be able to see the entire event this morning on TV. I watched it in its entirety and still cannot fathom why the audience was not, as I was, brimming with tears throughout the entire hour and 15 minutes.

I'm quite thankful we have the "books not primarily meant for reading" category in this month's TIOLI challenge. I think I would be in a real reading funk if it weren't for that stack of cookbooks I checked out of the public library before I left town for spring break. I never anticipated that my father would end up going into the hospital before I left for spring break nor that he would be in it quite as long as he was. It was hard to concentrate on reading in the hospital until I remembered that I had those books in the box of books and genealogy stuff on which I'd hoped to be able to work a little during the break. I began to take those out to the hospital, and it helped break through the "funk." I could then concentrate on the fiction books (primarily mysteries) I was reading as well. I need to get off here and read either another short story in the one book I'm reading or a few chapters of the cozy mystery. I have 4 books left to read for the TIOLI challenges this month, but I should be able to complete them. Two are in process -- the short stories collection and the cozy. One is a combination history and cookbook. The other is a book of photographs where the hardest reading will be the captions! I've actually already glanced through it but need to spend the time with it to make a good review. Unfortunately I left that one at home in Tennessee instead of bringing it with me so it will be a few days before I can mark it complete.

I broke out of my plans in order to read Borderline by Nevada Barr, and then realized that it fits one of this month's challenges. Hooray!

I really should read more books that other people read. My entries are almost always late and no one has a chance to match them, and I rarely have time to read others' choices. A resolution for April, then.

My my, it's been really quiet around here. I just realized today that a book I read fit into challenge #19: Tripwire (trip + wire). I've added it to the wiki and TIOLI meter.

>148 Citizenjoyce:: I heard an article on BBC World Service where they interviewed Dr Abuelaish about his book. I had it on while I was doing the school run, so I couldn't give it my full attention, and I didn't realise he had lost so many family members. Great man. It's a good thing I wear sunglasses to drive, or my kids and the school teachers would wonder why I had tears in my eyes.

I just finished The Hero and the Crown for the YA challenge and enjoyed it. I'm working my way through The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat for the NYTimes challenge. It's drier than I thought it would be. I thought it was aimed at the layman but there is a lot of medical jargon.

I've just finished Moreta : Dragonlady of Pern for challenge 9 (composite words)

>156 humouress: I must get back to that series........

I just found out I won a copy of I Shall Not Hate on ER, and I have to say, I'm not now so keen on reading it after seeing the aggressive way Izzeldin Abuelaish dealt with the woman who dared disagree with him on Book TV. Maybe I'm the only one who came away from that program less than favorably impressed.

One TIOLI challenge left for the month -- and I'm over half-way done with it! I will make it!

I finished Book Girl and the Suicidal Mime last night for the locations challenge (Strawberry on page 17). I quoted that page 17 back on the last thread, and I have to say - it was a fairly good indication of the book. It's a short novel, only 170ish pages with some illustrations scattered through, but fun to read and also intriguing. There's a mystery wrapped up in Osamu Dazai's No Longer Human, but also a lot of unstated things about the narrator's past that only gets hinted at that really had me reading to find out more. I'm going to have to order the next book in the series when I buy my brother's birthday present, I think.

Only 71 pages left in The Winter of Our Discontent. Can I finish it in two evenings?! (ETA: yep)

Actually, I'd removed it from the wiki because I'd indulged in my worst reading habit: skipping ahead to the end to see how it all turned out. Then my son told me there was some brilliant and amusing writing in the middle chapters, so I went back to page 60 and soldiered on. (It would be one of the tougher challenges for which to restore my entry to the wiki: having to get that city link for Jerusalem again!)

Usually, by now, I've moved on to the next month but, right now, I'm halfway through the Jacqueline Winspear mystery, Pardonable Lies.

I'm still hoping to finish it this month and I still might do so.

I finished and reviewed the spine-tingling, eye-opening The Reluctant Fundamentalist for the Middle East Challenge. I'm glad I was able to get to it this month.

Yours was a great review of The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Bonnie! What I liked the most about the book was being able to see both the good and the bad of each side. I truly loved how the author developed that story. I'm happy so many challengers chose to read it this month.

Thanks Madeline. Yes, I was glad to have the chance to read it since I've had it sitting on my shelf for some time. That's what I love about TIOLI :)

I finished my last March TIOLI book with over 24 hours to spare! Here's my recap for the month:

Ch. 1 - City on Pg. 17: The Invisible Bridge, The Shadow of the Wind, and The Portrait of a Lady
Ch. 3 - Middle East: A Woman In Jerusalem
Ch. 8 - Short Stories: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Ch. 9 - Compound Word: Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter
# 15 - Seventeen letters in title: He Who Fears the Wolf
# 16 - NYT Best Seller on 21st birthday: Red Sky at Morning

As I expected I'd have to do, I've removed The Tale Bearers from challenge #17. There are so many authors I haven't read profiled there - I rather read the critiques after the texts themselves. Ah, well. On to April!

End of the Month Wrap-Up:

Just a reminder to newbies (and to those who are forgetful)...

1. Finish your books before 12 midnight on March 31 or remove them from March's wiki.
2. Mark all books for March that you've finished as COMPLETED on the wiki. If they are not marked as such, they will eventually be deleted.
3. If you haven't discovered it yet, the April TIOLI challenges are up and running full blast. Enjoy them!

I've just finished The Death Maze by Ariana Franklin, but have had to list it in a separate place from kiwiflowa, as my copy doesn't have a city name on page 17 and so it doesn't fit challenge 1. It does however fit Challenge 4.

Kiwi, any chance of moving?

I've just had to delate a couple of books from the wiki, including Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter, because when I was halfway through, the library reclaimed my copy. Apologies to Donna who had listed it as a shared read for challenge 9. I've also deleted Selected Stories, by William Trevor, because at over 500 pages it was just too darn long to read in one month. Plus, I've found myself enjoying the stories so much that I didn't want to rush. I've replaced this one with Dubliners, which I should finish today.

I'm still working on 3 other books for this month and plan on finishing them by midnight tonight--Portrait of a Lady for challenge 1 (3 chapters to go!), Ballet Shoes for challenge 10 (one more chapter to read to my daughter at bedtime), and The Food of a Younger Land, for challenge 6.

>170 AnneDC:

No apologies needed, Anne. TIOLI is a "No guilt!" experience. Read what you want - when you want. Share if you can; if you can't, no problem.

Books that cannot be finished by tonight midnight should be deleted from March's challenge and may entered into an April challenge if you can find challenge parameters that fit.

Hehe!

I see that kidzdoc, Zoe, and I all won Emerging Arab Voices from ER for this coming month. Do you think that had anything with the three of us doing so many Arabic reads for Zoe's challenge to read a book from the middle east?! :D

If so, great!!

If I kept track correctly, I read 18 books that counted toward the TIOLI this month -- 2 in the city category, 6 in the books not primarily for reading category, 4 in the up/down category, 1 in Lucky 13, 1 in short stories, 3 in break it down, and 1 in the 17-letter titles.

Just moved the book :)

172: Quite possibly. I won a copy of Iran, The Green Movement and the USA which was the only book that appealed last month - it's published by Zed books and I got a copy of their Nawal El Sadaawi reader last year. If I get to it in April month, it has quite a striking cover!

And thanks Kiwiflowa

#172: I think that you, Zoe and I read (and reviewed) several books about the Middle East in the past few years, but especially this month, and I thought that this explained why we each won that book. Or, maybe we each have a relatively large collection of books about the Middle East (I know that I do).

#172, 175-6 Do you think the kinds of books we have in our collections and review (not counting ER books) influences their selection process when choosing which early reviewers get certain books? Or was that just a fluke?

> 176

... or could it have been that it was the only book I chose this month? :D

> 177

I think there are many variables, but I often get books about the middle east, books by Israeli authors, or books about Jewish subjects. Now I'm better about getting books that I really want by narrowing my choices down to just one or two books. Since they reflect topics in which I'm already interested, I have many similar books (all tagged, of course) already in my library. In addition, I (mostly, but not always) try to review them in a timely fashion and post a meaningful review - whether or not I like the book.

Just trying to squeeze one more in. Could I add Crossing to Safety to challenge #17? Would "crossing" imply a bridge over water? Maybe?

I managed to squeak in Measure for Measure this morning before work, for a total of 8 TIOLI reads this month. Looking forward to April, now, and getting excited looking over my planned reads!

Under the wire - for a grand total of 3 TIOLI reads - with Nerilka's Story for Chalenge 17.

Good for a Quick Read at 133 pages long, if you're into fantasy.

Than, all, for participating in the March TIOLI challenges.

Now that you've either marked your books COMPLETED or deleted them from March's wiki, please join everyone in the active April 2011 TIOLI challenge thread.

Whew! I just finished Portrait of a Lady at exactly 11:54, for a total of 14 completed TIOLI books in March, with the following breakdown:

Challenge #1: 6 books
Challenge #4: 2 books
Challenges 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 18: 1 book each
Participated in 8 different challenges
4 shared reads
7 books removed from the wiki

I slid in under the wire by finishing my little glucose cookbook and the really not so little Doubt: a history: the great doubters and their legacy of innovation, from Socrates and Jesus to Thomas Jefferson and Emily Dickinson (and lots others) by Jennifer Michael Hecht. It's a wonderful book, but I kind of feel like a goose that's been force fed to make foie gras.

Congratulations to antqueen for winning my personal challenge challenge of reading the shortest title (in length) while still qualifying for repeating exactly 13 letters. The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory contained 13 "E's" in only 13 words (interesting coincidence).

Antqueen, I am on vacation right now, but I will get you your TIOLI award for this challenge if you PM me your address. I don't know what you've won yet, but I'll make it fun (and easy to mail)

> 186

..and be sure to tell (show?) all of us what your prize turns out to be!

Congratulations, antqueen!

Well, for a queen I can only imagine the prize will involve diamonds, emeralds and rubies, right?

but she's an "ant" queen, so they would be really, really small...I think I'll try for something better

Chocolates!

>190 humouress: Chocolate frogs!

I found what I thought was the perfect item while on vacation in Germany. I won't say what it is until antqueen gets it, but I do need to say that my daughter (the one who supposedly speaks German) didn't translate the saying on it very well, so it turns out it probably isn't the most appropriate saying. It says "heart throb", but it says it in German, so it's far more impressive...

Ooh, chocolates with German phrases spelled out in teeny tiny diamonds! The hubby will wonder who my secret admirer is ;)

hmmm...with those expectations, you may be a tad disappointed...

No diamond phrases, just one word at a time? That would probably be accceptable too.

:Sigh: No diamonds ;)

I posted pictures at http://www.librarything.com/topic/113654#2645377

It's a lovely gift, prize. Thanks for posting the pix.