Well, I should be halfway there…but I’m not.

Bev at My Reader’s Block has called for a half-year check-in on her Mount TBR Reading Challenge. I pledged to read 50 books – the Mount Kilimanjaro level. So far, I’ve read only 15 books that were on my own shelves on December 31, 2011.

Bev asks:
• How many miles does that correlates to on the real mountain?

In this case 5,800 – that’s over a mile high so maybe I’m not doing so badly. But I still have a long way to go. (Mount Kilimanjaro is 19,340 feet high.)

• Who has been my favorite character so far?

In the books from my bookshelves (as opposed to new books & those borrowed from the library), I’d have to choose Rush Melendy from The Saturdays by Elizabeth Enright. I had a huge crush on Rush when I was pre-teen and I still think him to be talented, sensitive, and smart. All the things a girl could want in a guy. [sigh]

• Have any of the books I’ve read surprised me?

I was surprised that I had a dislike for Mickey Spillane that came from my gut. I like mysteries, I’ve read noir before, but Spillane was just too hard-boiled for me.

I was also surprised by Henry David Thoreau’s Walden. I’ve wanted to read that book for 40 years – and I should have done it when I was younger. Now, I just wanted to shake him and tell him to grow up.

This is for you, Bev – it’s not a poem, but it uses(with poetic license) 12 of the 15 titles on my list.

ONE LONELY NIGHT
a girl had
A MIDSUMMER’S NIGHT DREAM
in which she saw
THE MAPPING OF LOVE AND DEATH
and
A SUITABLE BOY

Upon waking, she made in her heart
A PLACE FOR JOHNNY BILL
and they spent
THE SATURDAYS
of their youth walking
THE MARKET SQUARE DOG

When they retired from
(THEIR) FINANCIAL CAREER AND OTHER FOLLIES
they spent
THESE HAPPY GOLDEN YEARS
in
WALDEN
while
THE COYOTE (SANG) TO THE MOON

So: only fifteen of the 54 books I’ve read this year met the criteria for this challenge.

Time to burn (well, maybe hide) my library card.

This year, have you read mostly borrowed books, new books, or old friends from your own shelves?

Congratulations to Jennifer of Ragdoll Books Blog who has won my random drawing. Jennifer has chosen to receive a copy of Rohinton Mistry’s tour de force A Fine Balance.

If you like the books that I read, be sure to visit Jennifer’s blog. She seems to have similar tastes!

Thanks to all who took the time to peruse my book lists and enter this contest.

I’m taking part in Judith at Leeswammes‘ Literary Giveaway Blog Hop this week. If you’re just dropping by from the links, welcome and I hope you’ll subscribe. If you’re a regular reader – thank you!!

I’m offering any title from my list of the Best Books I Read in 2011 OR any book I’ve read this year to which I gave a 4, 4½, or 5 star rating, up to $15 from Book Depository. The contest is open to anyone who lives where Book Depository delivers. Contest closes 4 p.m. EDT June 27th. The winner will be selected randomly.

To enter, leave me a comment telling me which of those titles you think you’d like to win (don’t worry – that can be changed).

And then, hop on over to the other participating blogs. Have fun!

It’s summer now and time to take stock as to how I did with my personal reading goals in the Spring Reading Thing, hosted by Katrina at Callapidder Days.

Katrina gave us some questions to help us sum up. Herewith, the answers, near as I can figure.

1) Did you finish reading all the books on your spring reading list? If not, why not?

I came up four books short of my eighteen book goal (missing Bertons’ Canadian Food Guide, Jane Eyre, Leacock: His Remarkable Life, and The History of the World in 100 Objects.) But I also read another 11 books that weren’t on the agenda. You can see my original list here.

2) Did you stick to your original goals or did you change your list as you went along?

See the answer to #1.

The library books I just had to read (but that weren’t on my list) included A Dog’s Journey, The Land of Decoration, Gillespie & I, and Notes to my Mother-in-Law.

3) What was your favorite book that you read this spring? Why?

I’ve read some good books so far this year but I’ve most enjoyed The Colony Of Unrequited Dreams, a fictional account of the life of Newfoundland’s first premier, Joseph Smallwood. I just loved Wayne Johnston’s style of writing. I’ve read a number of novels set in mid-century Newfoundland outports, but this was my first exposure to the attitude and experience of the “city people” from St. John’s – and of the politics that led to Newfoundland joining Canada in 1949.

4) Did you discover a new author or genre this spring? Did you love them? Not love them?

I read my first really hard-boiled detective novel: Mickey Spillane’s One Lonely Night. It’s a genre I won’t be exploring further. I found the protagonist’s attitude toward violence to women very disturbing.

I also explored some modern African writing via African Love Stories: An Anthology. I was intrigued and will definitely be trying to expand my reading horizon to include more by African authors.

5) Did you learn something new because of Spring Reading Thing 2012 – something about reading, about yourself, or about a topic you read about?

I confirmed that I continue to be distracted by all the glittery new books I see. I think it’s a sickness, but at least it’s books and not Gucci bags.

6) What was your favorite thing about the challenge?

The Spring Reading Challenge really helped me get a chunk of my 2012 Required Reading done, so I’m that much closer to meeting the other 63 challenges I’ve entered this year.

I particularly enjoyed cogitating on question #5. So I’m interested – what about you? Have you learned anything new from your reading this year – something about reading, about yourself, or about a topic you read about?

Thanks to Katrina for hosting this challenge!

A two-week ‘work-cation’ in Ontario, extra volunteer work, and regular runs to town for appointments kept me too busy in May to post to my blog (anybody miss me?) Here’s what I managed to get read, though.

1. The Colony of Unrequited Dreams: A Novel by Wayne Johnston

Fictional biography of Newfoundland’s famous premier, Joseph Smallwood. This is a tricky thing to do—using the facts of a person’s life and building a novel around them. I want to read a non-fiction biography of Smallwood and fix the “facts” in my mind soon.

I think the author did a great job of defining what drove Smallwood. Johnston’s prose goes down as smoothly as a spoonful of chocolate pudding.

This is one of the best books I’ve read this year. 5 stars

2. Notes to My Mother-in-Law by Phyllida Law

A sweet & short memoir of sorts, written in the titular notes by the author to her mother-in-law, who was hard of hearing and yet wanted the day’s news and arrangements. Both women sound like people I’d like to know, and Phyllida’s respect and affection for her mother-in-law are evident.

I found this a quick, charming read. 4½ stars

3. The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

Published in serial form in 1868 and now considered the first English language detective novel, the Moonstone sets up a closed room crime: the theft of the moonstone, a precious jewel stolen decades earlier from a Hindoo (sic) statue. Although all the clues were there for the reader to use, the solution seemed to me to be a little far-fetched.

Nonetheless, I found The Moonstone to be a witty and entertaining book. If you’re a dedicated mystery fan, you owe it to yourself to read this and appreciate the origins of the genre. 4 stars

4. African Love Stories: An Anthology, edited by Ama Ata Aidoo

By various authors and, as with any such collection, the mood and subject manner, as well as the style of writing varies greatly from tale to tale. And so did my reactions. Some stories were compelling, but some I could have willingly skipped. But all gave me a glimpse into modern African womanhood, an area with which I’m not very familiar.

Don’t let the title fool you – there’s not a traditional “love story” in the bunch. 4 stars

Thank you to Amy McKie at Amy Reads for this win.

5. Oxford Messed Up by Andrea Kayne Kaufman

Gloria Zimmerman, Rhodes Scholar from Chicago, and Henry Young, musician son of an Oxford don, find themselves next door neighbours (with a shared bath) in Oxford residence. Both have problems: Gloria is severely hampered by Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, and Henry is a chronic underachiever who consistently sabotages his chances of success in any endeavour. Through their shared affection for the music of Van Morrison, they become acquainted and gradually build a romance. How they help each other is a lesson in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and love.

This is a well-written, sharply funny-but-sometimes-not-so tale and should appeal especially to those who have loved ones (or even friends or acquaintances) with OCD. It certainly helped me to better understand that disease. 3½ stars

6. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

A monster at 720 pages, this also first appeared as a serial in the mid-nineteenth century. In many ways, it’s a traditional love story with a sort of mystery in the middle.

I found it wordy (typical of its time) and the effect of the prose on me was likely amplified by reading it on my Kindle. I also thought the love story over-idealized (And what of the strong-and-capable-but-ugly sister? She’s satisfied just to be the couple’s hanger-on for the rest of her life?) In addition, I thought one of the main mystery elements was left completely unresolved at the book’s end.

For what it was for its time, I rate it 3 stars.

7. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

YA novel for which I had read a review that intrigued me. A teenager who commits suicide has left a set of tapes to be listened to by 13 people in sequence. Each played some part in her decision to end her life. It brought back to me the terrible angst that teenagers suffer.

Great for kids who often don’t realize how their small actions can have great effects. 3 stars

8. Promise Me Eternity by Ian Fox

Free e-book from the author received for review. Meant to be a popular fiction type murder mystery with the successful doctor on the brink of a scientific breakthrough, the mobster and his gorgeous wife. English is not the author’s first language and that is evident in the stilted conversations and in the sentence structure that sounds like a ninth grade exercise in creative writing.

One star because he tied up all the plot ends. Sorry, Ian.

Have you read any of these books? Agree or disagree with my ratings?

For Canadian readers:
The Colony Of Unrequited Dreams
Notes To My Mother-In-Law
The Moonstone
African Love Stories
Oxford Messed Up
The Woman in White
Thirteen Reasons Why

Kindle editions:
Notes to my Mother-in-Law
The Moonstone – FREE
Oxford Messed Up
The Woman in White – FREE
Thirteen Reasons Why
Promise Me Eternity