One of my husband's cousins from the Philippines sent us this video on facebook to help get us excited for our upcoming trip. IT WORKED!
Aaaahhhhhh! I can't believe we're really going there!
Oh and my Japanese lessons? They fell on the waaaaaaayside. Thank goodness my husband has been keeping up. He's going to be the voice for all four of us in Japan.
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Friday, July 19, 2013
REVIEW: The Wind Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is the second Haruki Murakami book I've read, and while I have mixed feelings about this one, I have a lot of admiration for his writing and still intend to read more of his work. This book was not originally on my Murakami radar, but I decided to read it when Ti at Book Chatter decided to host a Wind-Up Bird read along. I pretty much missed the group aspect of the read-along, but at least I read it. I finished reading this back in May at which time I wrote most of this post. I finally revisited it yesterday and finalized my thoughts.
I've labeled this post as a review, but it's more of a collection of my thoughts on the book. I guess I'm reluctant to say with confidence that this write up is a review because I honestly don't feel qualified to react to it objectively or to even accurately describe the book's premise! It's so unlike anything I've read before -- an ambitious piece of literature that I sometimes felt challenged to comprehend.
My very simplified plot description of The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle (which takes place in modern day Japan, if you didn't already know) is this: A man named Toru Okada lives a simple life with his wife of six years, Kumiko, and their cat. Toru is recently unemployed and not really sure what he wants to do about it. Their cat goes missing and Kumiko implores Toru to find him. On his search for the cat, he befriends a teenage girl in their neighborhood and a lonely old World War II Lieutenant who is haunted by his past, consults with an unusual medium about the whereabouts of the cat and then his wife unexpectedly disappears. Toru's search efforts shift from the cat to that of Kumiko and soon a string of strange events occur that even he doesn't understand, spiraling his life in very bizarre and surreal directions. He spends a lot of time contemplating these events and his life in general at the bottom of a dry well.
If I had to name one major theme of this book, I would say it is a study in fate versus free will or perhaps more accurately, the melding of the two philosophies. How absolute is fate? and how powerful is man's free will that he can thwart fate and carve his own path through life? Murakami explores this quite elaborately and in a fairly abstract way that was often difficult for me to piece together.
The Wind-Up Bird is a book you could talk on and on about but still never fully articulate exactly what it's really about, what it all means or how it made you feel. To quote Toru Okada himself, I frequently asked this book to just "name something already. Name something concrete." Toru was always wanting a concrete explanation--something tangible that he could relate to or hang on to so he could understand what someone was talking about. I felt like that a lot myself while reading this book!
Murakami's characters live in reality as we know it, their imaginations AND in some "other version of reality." An "other" place in which they interact with each other in a very surreal way. The word 'phantasmagorical' is probably the best singular descriptor of The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle (I've always wanted to use that word). 'Perplexingly phantasmagorical' if I were to use two words.
I'm very glad I read the book--it's a fascinating, albeit often slightly nightmarish journey of an ordinary man. The writing is excellent and is nearly effortless to read as Murakami has a natural talent for writing with simple language, realistic characters doing every day things with which we're all familiar. Yet at the same time, strange things happen that make the reader question what is reality and what might be a dream, hallucination or something "other." Murakami strings together a series of events and repercussions that transform the story into something of epic and thought provoking complexity that can be interpreted by readers in an infinite number of ways. It all sounds really 'out there,' and quite frankly, it is.
Yet at the same time it is literature that is accessible to any reader because in the end, the interpretation is left open to the individual. There is no wrong or right interpretation or analysis of this book.
Some specifics about the book that kept me from really enjoying it.. Throughout most of this 600+ page book, I felt that there were clues on every page that I ought to be mentally cataloguing for future reference as the story progressed or for connecting with events that already occurred. Important insights and connections between characters past and present.. events in reality and in "the other side".. I had a hard time putting my finger on all of it.
There are many components of this book that still stump me. At the end of a chapter, I'd often find myself thinking, "Okay so what is the point of THIS chapter?" Some chapters definitely felt more relevant than others and but those that felt more irrelevant to me? Some of those I never figured out how they contributed to the whole at all.. why or how was that connected or how deep was the connection?
For example, the recurrence of the baseball bat. Introduced in one of the zoo massacre chapters, what was the point of that entire scenario other than to show a baseball bat that would become important in another chapter, by another person in another time. It wasn't even suggested that it was the SAME baseball bat. Was it just another thread in which Tarou Okada was connected to the zoo veterinarian who was Cinnamon's father? Or is it more symbolic than that? Was the purpose of the zoo-baseball bat massacre JUST to make a later connection with a baseball bat and if so, was the elaborate display necessary? Personally, I would have been happier never having read that chapter and maybe one or two others as well, but that's just personal comfort level, I think. Needless to say, I kept thinking I was missing some great significance of the recurrence of the baseball bat other than it connected people and time. Was there more to it? I don't know.. And maybe, just maybe, that uncertainty in me as a reader was Murakami's intention. Well, perhaps not striving for it, but I think Murakami would be totally cool with readers not quite making everything in this book "fit." Because it's not supposed to. He wants things to be left open-ended for readers to speculate, imagine and interpret in their own ways, relevant to our own thoughts and personal life experiences.
So how do I feel about this book? I have mixed feelings. I finished this book with a feeling of "Huh. I guess that's it." Not the usual sentiment I imagine most authors desire, yet for some reason, I actually think that could be what Murakami was striving for. Or if that was not his intention, I think he'd find it totally acceptable for readers to not quite make everything they read "fit" just right. Imagine looking a jigsaw puzzle, the image of a piece of abstract art. Now imagine random pieces of this puzzle missing.. it's still a piece of art. Still something worthy of interpretation and admiration, maybe even more so had all the pieces fell into place. Can you see that? THAT is what this book is like to me.
I gave The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle 3 out of 5 stars on goodreads-- 'I liked it."
I may not have understood everything, particularly the excessively surreal aspects of the book and some chapters were quite disturbing and in my opinion didn't significantly add to the quality or progress of the story, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle certainly gave me a lot to think about!
Thursday, July 18, 2013
To Kill A Mockingbird Read-Along
When I got wind that Adam was contemplating a re-read and perhaps a read-along, I jumped at the opportunity to fill in the gap in my classic lit experience.
The plan is to read the book in just 17 days, which sounds doable, but with a busy vacation upon me in just a few days, a 12 hour time difference between Asia and the US and uncertain Internet access, my participation will likely be limited. However, I've got some long flights ahead of me so I'll be toting my 50th Anniversary copy of To Kill A Mockingbird along in hopes of finishing it by the time I get back.
To join, visit the Master Post: To Kill A Mockingbird Read-Along over at Adam's. You can see the suggested reading schedule there, too.
Have you read this classic?
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
REVIEW: Flowers From the Storm by Laura Kinsale
Published 1992 by Avon Historical Romance.
This book is my July selection for the #TBRChallenge hosted by Wendy the SuperLibrarian. This month's theme is 'Romance Classic,' interpretation of which is left to the participant. Wendy is very laid back like that. I chose Flowers From the Storm by Laura Kinsale for my classic pick because it was published over a decade ago and is still widely mentioned and read by romance readers today. I so glad that I finally read this book, which I adored.
Christian Langland is the Duke of Jervaulx and a wealthy rake with no regard for morals. He's also a brilliant mathematician who at the opening of the novel is collaborating with a blind Quaker named John Timms on a mathematics paper. John Timms' twenty-five year old spinster daughter, Archimedea 'Maddy' Timms serves as the messenger of papers between her father and the duke. Although she never sees nor speaks to Langland, she is fully aware of his immoral behavior and as a Quaker she is quite repulsed by his character. However, her father has the utmost admiration for Langland's intellect and the two get alone quite well. When Maddy and her father are invited to join Langland for dinner one evening, she finds herself attracted to him nonetheless, even despite her unease with his flirting.
Later that very same night, Langland suffers from what is very likely a stroke when he is confronted by his mistress' husband in a duel. He is so severely impaired that his family allows society to believe him dead when he is actually only suffering from aphasia, or the inability to understand or express speech, written or spoken. His family ultimately confine him to an asylum because no one understands him, nor does he understand them. Out of extreme frustration, Langland lashes out violently so now not only does his family think him mentally disturbed, but violent also.
Months later, Maddy and her father are visiting Blythedale Halle, the asylum that Cousin Edward oversees when she happens upon the cell of a man who turns out to be none other than the Duke of Jervaulx. Maddy has intense empathy for Langland and in fact, is quickly able to discern that he is not so much mentally disturbed but rather extremely frustrated and scared about his inability to communicate. She feels a strong calling to help Langland overcome his disabilities and even be released from the asylum so the safety and well being of Christian Langland becomes her mission. Over the course of this lengthy novel, Maddy and Christian go through all sorts of chaotic, dangerous and frustrating situations, all of which is hugely stressful for both of them. For Christian, he is a brilliant man trapped in his own mind, so to speak, racked by incredible frustration as his family and society strip him of his dignity, power, autonomy and certainly his money. For Maddy, she is a simple woman of faith who has been raised with a strict set of beliefs that challenge her every step of the way as she is constantly questioning herself. To do what she feels is right in her heart or what she was taught to be right by her Quaker faith. Their story is one full of self-doubts, mistakes and manipulations, but in the end, love does conquer all.
It's pretty obvious why Flowers From the Storm has captured the hearts of so many romance readers over the years. Both the plot and characters are quite unique. I loved the fact that Kinsale doesn't slip one bit in the authenticity of her characters. That is, Langland's aphasia improves only slightly, and only as much as would be realistically expected within the time frame of his stroke. The reader is then forced to read Langland's broken speech on the page just as Maddy and the others would experience it. We are left with the same frustrations and misunderstandings that we would be if we were actually in the story ourselves. No narration shortcuts, which makes his character and story that much more believable. Similarly, Maddy's devotion to her Quaker faith is realistically steadfast. So much so that I was actually starting to think she was going to let this chance at love slip away just because of the rules of her faith, an outcome that's actually quite realistic even by today's standard, but not for me and likely not for most romance readers. While I often felt some frustration in Maddy's slowness to come around to acknowledging that her love for Christian is acceptable in the eyes of God, her struggles with her faith and with trusting herself were also very believable.
While I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story, at times I felt the pacing was a bit long winded and at times I thought both Christian and Maddy left too many of their issues unspoken between them. Considering the immense struggles they were both facing, I expected them to share more elaborate and thought-provoking revelations about themselves and each other. Flowers From the Storm is definitely a memorable story and definitely worth reading!
4+ out of 5 stars
Christian Langland is the Duke of Jervaulx and a wealthy rake with no regard for morals. He's also a brilliant mathematician who at the opening of the novel is collaborating with a blind Quaker named John Timms on a mathematics paper. John Timms' twenty-five year old spinster daughter, Archimedea 'Maddy' Timms serves as the messenger of papers between her father and the duke. Although she never sees nor speaks to Langland, she is fully aware of his immoral behavior and as a Quaker she is quite repulsed by his character. However, her father has the utmost admiration for Langland's intellect and the two get alone quite well. When Maddy and her father are invited to join Langland for dinner one evening, she finds herself attracted to him nonetheless, even despite her unease with his flirting.
Later that very same night, Langland suffers from what is very likely a stroke when he is confronted by his mistress' husband in a duel. He is so severely impaired that his family allows society to believe him dead when he is actually only suffering from aphasia, or the inability to understand or express speech, written or spoken. His family ultimately confine him to an asylum because no one understands him, nor does he understand them. Out of extreme frustration, Langland lashes out violently so now not only does his family think him mentally disturbed, but violent also.
Months later, Maddy and her father are visiting Blythedale Halle, the asylum that Cousin Edward oversees when she happens upon the cell of a man who turns out to be none other than the Duke of Jervaulx. Maddy has intense empathy for Langland and in fact, is quickly able to discern that he is not so much mentally disturbed but rather extremely frustrated and scared about his inability to communicate. She feels a strong calling to help Langland overcome his disabilities and even be released from the asylum so the safety and well being of Christian Langland becomes her mission. Over the course of this lengthy novel, Maddy and Christian go through all sorts of chaotic, dangerous and frustrating situations, all of which is hugely stressful for both of them. For Christian, he is a brilliant man trapped in his own mind, so to speak, racked by incredible frustration as his family and society strip him of his dignity, power, autonomy and certainly his money. For Maddy, she is a simple woman of faith who has been raised with a strict set of beliefs that challenge her every step of the way as she is constantly questioning herself. To do what she feels is right in her heart or what she was taught to be right by her Quaker faith. Their story is one full of self-doubts, mistakes and manipulations, but in the end, love does conquer all.
It's pretty obvious why Flowers From the Storm has captured the hearts of so many romance readers over the years. Both the plot and characters are quite unique. I loved the fact that Kinsale doesn't slip one bit in the authenticity of her characters. That is, Langland's aphasia improves only slightly, and only as much as would be realistically expected within the time frame of his stroke. The reader is then forced to read Langland's broken speech on the page just as Maddy and the others would experience it. We are left with the same frustrations and misunderstandings that we would be if we were actually in the story ourselves. No narration shortcuts, which makes his character and story that much more believable. Similarly, Maddy's devotion to her Quaker faith is realistically steadfast. So much so that I was actually starting to think she was going to let this chance at love slip away just because of the rules of her faith, an outcome that's actually quite realistic even by today's standard, but not for me and likely not for most romance readers. While I often felt some frustration in Maddy's slowness to come around to acknowledging that her love for Christian is acceptable in the eyes of God, her struggles with her faith and with trusting herself were also very believable.
While I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story, at times I felt the pacing was a bit long winded and at times I thought both Christian and Maddy left too many of their issues unspoken between them. Considering the immense struggles they were both facing, I expected them to share more elaborate and thought-provoking revelations about themselves and each other. Flowers From the Storm is definitely a memorable story and definitely worth reading!
4+ out of 5 stars
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Library Loot LXX
Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries! My 70th Library Loot post.
I'm hoping to go blueberry picking this or next week, so needed to borrow my favorite two canning books from the library.. Well Preserved by Mary Anne Dragan and Food in Jars by Marisa McClellan. Food in Jars also has some interesting rhubarb recipes that I'd like to try, especially since we got some rhubarb in our co-op box the other day and the rhubarb in my garden is happily producing stalks like crazy!
The Flexitarian Table grabbed my eye, so I brought that one home, too, but after quickly flipping through it when I got home, I don't see myself trying out any of the recipes. They look interesting and delicious, but more along the lines of food I'd like to try out at a restaurant and not go through a lot of trouble to make at home when I'm not so sure my family would be keen on the bold flavors and more unusual ingredients.
In fiction, I borrowed the second half of the critically acclaimed Persepolis story by Marjane Satrapi, Persepolis: The Story of a Return. I read the first book, Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood last month. Okay since typing this up yesterday, I finished Persepolis: The Story of a Return today.. 5 stars. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical memoirs particularly about personal growth during wartime.
I also borrowed A Tale For the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki for this month's book club. The author is Japanese-American and half of the story takes place in Japan, so it sort of goes along with the Japanese Lit Challenge I'm doing, although not technically. Still, I'm excited to read more Japanese fiction.
What have you borrowed from the library recently?
What are you reading right now?
Monday, July 1, 2013
Mid Year Reading Update: Book Bingo etc.
Can you believe 2013 is half over already? Holy smokes time is just flying!
As many of you already know, I'm a fan of Reading Challenges. I have fun making lists and keeping track of books and reading stats, so reading challenges add an extra dimension of fun to my love of reading. I'm hoping to reach my goal of reading at least 101 books again this year and I'm pleased to report that I've read 50 book so far in 2013 so I'm just about on track. Three of those books were re-reads, which are not included in my goodreads numbers, but I'm still counting them as books read for the year.
As for the other challenges, I'm doing well with most of them. I've already read four big books [500+ pages] so I've met my Big Book Challenge at least twice over, but I'd still like to finish Anna Karenina by the end of the year. I have one more category to complete for the What's In a Name challenge and I already have a book chosen for that, so I'm sure I'll meet that challenge in the next six months, too. I've also kept up with the monthly TBR Challenge hosted by Wendy the Super Librarian, although I never got around to writing my review for May's book, I did read it and comment on both twitter and goodreads about it. The one challenge in which I'm suffering right now is my own In Death Series Reading Challenge. I'm just not motivated to pick up one of the books in that series lately. Maybe they're starting to feel the same to me..
Below is my Book Bingo Scorecard for the mid-year mark. The completed first quarter squares are marked with a light blue button and the second quarter squares are marked with the white buttons. I'm pleased with my progress so far and think I'll end up filling the whole board except for the Books Re-Read column. I'm not a big re-reader. There's not enough time in the day to read the unread books, you know? For those of you playing Book Bingo, my list of books read for each square is below the scorecard. You'll want to check my list out and be sure to post yours as well, because you need to read a book that someone else has read for the challenge in order to complete the center FREE SQUARE, which is therefore not really free. ;)
Books highlighted below in PINK are completed squares.
I've read all the books listed below.
Read From Your TBR Pile: [15] [see 1st column]
ONE book:
1. Surrender At Dawn by Laura Griffin
TWO books:
2. Promises in Death by J.D. Robb
3. A Rogue By Any Other Name by Sarah MacLean
THREE books:
4. First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones
5.
6.
FOUR books:
7.
8.
9.
10.
FIVE books:
11. Any Man of Mine by Rachel Gibson
12. Stardust by Neil Gaiman
13. The Lost Duke of Wyndham by Julia Quinn
14. Mr. Cavendish, I Presume by Julia Quinn
15. Spellbound by Nora Roberts
Read Books in a Series: [15] [see 2nd column]
ONE Book in a Series:
1. Mercy Thompson: Homecoming by Patricia Briggs
TWO Books in a Series:
The Works Series by Marie Harte
1. Bodywork by Marie Harte
2. Working Out by Marie Harte
THREE Books in a Series:
The Princes Trilogy by Elizabeth Hoyt
1. The Raven Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt
2. The Leopard Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt
3. The Serpent Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt
FOUR Books in a Series:
Elemental Assassin Series by Jennifer Estep
1. Spider's Revenge by Jennifer Estep
2. Thread of Death by Jennifer Estep [novella]
3. By A Thread by Jennifer Estep
4.
FIVE Books in a Series:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Read 2013 Releases: [12] [see 3rd column]
ONE book:
1. Sins & Needles by Karina Halle
TWO books:
2. Crystal Cove by Lisa Kleypas
3. On Every Street by Karina Halle
[no list of THREE books - see FREE SQUARE below]
FOUR books:
4. Wild Invitation by Nalini Singh
5. Hearts of Shadow by Kira Brady
6.
7.
FIVE books:
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
FREE SQUARE: [middle square] Read ONE book someone else has read for this challenge
1. Chicken with Plums by Marjane Satrapi
[... read by http://msbuff.com/reading-challenges-2013/]
Read Books Everyone Else Has Read: [15] [see 4th column]
ONE book:
1. The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley
TWO books:
2. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
3. Welcome to Temptation by Jennifer Crusie
THREE books:
4. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
5.
6.
FOUR books:
7. Exclusively Yours by Shannon Stacey
8. A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
9. Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
10. Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness
FIVE books:
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
Re-Read books: [15] [see 5th column]
ONE book:
1. The Governess Affair by Courtney Milan
TWO books:
2.
3.
THREE books:
4.
5.
6.
FOUR books:
7.
8.
9.
10.
FIVE books:
11. Hearts of Darkness by Kira Brady
12. "Falling For Anthony" by Meljean Book [novella]
13.
14.
15.
And that's it so far! The next Book Bingo check in will be due around October 1. In the meantime, let's read!
Did you make any reading goals for 2013? How are you doing with them so far?
As many of you already know, I'm a fan of Reading Challenges. I have fun making lists and keeping track of books and reading stats, so reading challenges add an extra dimension of fun to my love of reading. I'm hoping to reach my goal of reading at least 101 books again this year and I'm pleased to report that I've read 50 book so far in 2013 so I'm just about on track. Three of those books were re-reads, which are not included in my goodreads numbers, but I'm still counting them as books read for the year.
As for the other challenges, I'm doing well with most of them. I've already read four big books [500+ pages] so I've met my Big Book Challenge at least twice over, but I'd still like to finish Anna Karenina by the end of the year. I have one more category to complete for the What's In a Name challenge and I already have a book chosen for that, so I'm sure I'll meet that challenge in the next six months, too. I've also kept up with the monthly TBR Challenge hosted by Wendy the Super Librarian, although I never got around to writing my review for May's book, I did read it and comment on both twitter and goodreads about it. The one challenge in which I'm suffering right now is my own In Death Series Reading Challenge. I'm just not motivated to pick up one of the books in that series lately. Maybe they're starting to feel the same to me..
Below is my Book Bingo Scorecard for the mid-year mark. The completed first quarter squares are marked with a light blue button and the second quarter squares are marked with the white buttons. I'm pleased with my progress so far and think I'll end up filling the whole board except for the Books Re-Read column. I'm not a big re-reader. There's not enough time in the day to read the unread books, you know? For those of you playing Book Bingo, my list of books read for each square is below the scorecard. You'll want to check my list out and be sure to post yours as well, because you need to read a book that someone else has read for the challenge in order to complete the center FREE SQUARE, which is therefore not really free. ;)
Books highlighted below in PINK are completed squares.
I've read all the books listed below.
Read From Your TBR Pile: [15] [see 1st column]
ONE book:
1. Surrender At Dawn by Laura Griffin
TWO books:
2. Promises in Death by J.D. Robb
3. A Rogue By Any Other Name by Sarah MacLean
THREE books:
4. First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones
5.
6.
FOUR books:
7.
8.
9.
10.
FIVE books:
11. Any Man of Mine by Rachel Gibson
12. Stardust by Neil Gaiman
13. The Lost Duke of Wyndham by Julia Quinn
14. Mr. Cavendish, I Presume by Julia Quinn
15. Spellbound by Nora Roberts
Read Books in a Series: [15] [see 2nd column]
ONE Book in a Series:
1. Mercy Thompson: Homecoming by Patricia Briggs
TWO Books in a Series:
The Works Series by Marie Harte
1. Bodywork by Marie Harte
2. Working Out by Marie Harte
THREE Books in a Series:
The Princes Trilogy by Elizabeth Hoyt
1. The Raven Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt
2. The Leopard Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt
3. The Serpent Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt
FOUR Books in a Series:
Elemental Assassin Series by Jennifer Estep
1. Spider's Revenge by Jennifer Estep
2. Thread of Death by Jennifer Estep [novella]
3. By A Thread by Jennifer Estep
4.
FIVE Books in a Series:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Read 2013 Releases: [12] [see 3rd column]
ONE book:
1. Sins & Needles by Karina Halle
TWO books:
2. Crystal Cove by Lisa Kleypas
3. On Every Street by Karina Halle
[no list of THREE books - see FREE SQUARE below]
FOUR books:
4. Wild Invitation by Nalini Singh
5. Hearts of Shadow by Kira Brady
6.
7.
FIVE books:
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
FREE SQUARE: [middle square] Read ONE book someone else has read for this challenge
1. Chicken with Plums by Marjane Satrapi
[... read by http://msbuff.com/reading-challenges-2013/]
Read Books Everyone Else Has Read: [15] [see 4th column]
ONE book:
1. The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley
TWO books:
2. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
3. Welcome to Temptation by Jennifer Crusie
THREE books:
4. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
5.
6.
FOUR books:
7. Exclusively Yours by Shannon Stacey
8. A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
9. Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
10. Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness
FIVE books:
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
Re-Read books: [15] [see 5th column]
ONE book:
1. The Governess Affair by Courtney Milan
TWO books:
2.
3.
THREE books:
4.
5.
6.
FOUR books:
7.
8.
9.
10.
FIVE books:
11. Hearts of Darkness by Kira Brady
12. "Falling For Anthony" by Meljean Book [novella]
13.
14.
15.
And that's it so far! The next Book Bingo check in will be due around October 1. In the meantime, let's read!
Did you make any reading goals for 2013? How are you doing with them so far?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)