AmaZing Books: From A to Z

I saw this meme about a week ago at Brenna’s Literary Musings (I’m slow, I know).  I thought at first I had done it already, but what I actually did was list a favourite author for each letter of the alphabet way back in May.  Some of the letters were really difficult, like A and G, and too many others.  But, I followed the rules and picked just one book for each letter.  If I were to do it again, however, I don’t know if all my choices would be the same.

A: As I Lay Dying, by William Faulkner
B: The Bell Jar, by Sylvia Plath
C: Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, by Gregory Maguire
D: Dead To The World, by Charlaine Harris
E: Eleanor Rigby, by Douglas Coupland
F: Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley
G: Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens
H: The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood
I: In The Skin Of A Lion, by Michael Ondaatje
J: Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë
K:  Kindred, by Octavia Butler
L: Lives of Girls and Women, by Alice Munro
M: Murder on the Orient Express, by Agatha Christie
N: Nineteen Eighty-Four, by George Orwell
O: Orlando, by Virginia Woolf
P: Pride and Prejudice [and Zombies], by Jane Austen [and Seth Grahame-Smith]
Q: Nope.
R: Remember Me?, by Sophie Kinsella
S: Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen
T: The Turn of the Screw, by Henry James
U: Undead Series, by MaryJanice Davidson
V: Nope.
W: World War Z, by Max Brooks
X: Oryx and Crake, by Margaret Atwood (I’m using Brenna’s cheat.*)
Y: Year of the Flood, by Margaret Atwood
Z: Nope.

I was trying not to use series and only do individual books.  That’s why there isn’t The Dark Tower or The Legend of Drizzt up there.  I couldn’t help it with the Undead series though.  All the book titles are “Undead and …” and to pick out one book would be too difficult… though maybe the first or the third…

Obviously, I cheated for X.   I wasn’t surprised by not having a Q or Z.  The only V I could think of I hated.  So if you have a Q, V, X or Z recommendation, I’d love to hear it.  I’d like to have a complete list.

Could You Survive The Hunger Games?

I got this from Brenna at Literary Musings.

Giveaway at Literary Musings - The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

The Handmaid's Tale is one of my favourite novels.  When I saw that it was being given away at Literary Musings, I had to post the link!

Literary Musings: Giveaway: The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood: I was organizing my bookshelves and notice I have two copies of The Handmaid's Tale , one with my penciled annotations and underlines and an...

E-Reader Emissions

Another great post from Brenna at Literary Musings.  (Click below for original post.)

Remember also that people are always upgrading to newest gadget.  Kobo has a new touch screen ereader being offered at Chapters/Indigo.  So, I wonder, how much non-recyclable waste is being created.



Literary Musings: E-Reader Emissions: "Yet another reason to shop at secondhand bookstores. Via Slate"

A Weekend For Sharing

I didn’t know if I’d have time participate in a Hop this weekend, but I couldn’t resist Jennifer’s prompt: “Share your favorite post from the last month and tell us why it’s close to your heart!”  There are two posts I want to share, not necessarily because they’re close to my heart. (If that were the case it would be The Dark Tower all the way!)

The first one I want to share is simply informative, Say It Right! I found a list at Literary Musings about how to properly pronounce many author’s names that are frequently said wrong. If you’re a fan of Salman Rushdie, Khaled Hosseini or Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, you should definitely take a look… and save a copy. Who knows when you might meet one of these excellent authors and you don’t want to be embarrassed.

The other post I want to share is a review I did of the short story, Ponies by Kij Johnson. This story won the Nebula Award this year. I’ve been sharing it with as many people as I can. It’s technically science fiction, but I think it definitely has literary merit. Ponies really highlights current issues in our culture, in a scary way. It’s only 3 pages when printed and you can get it for free online. I hope you enjoy the review and especially Johnson’s story.

What are you sharing this weekend?

** Update ** Sorry to all the blogs I couldn't comment on today (Saturday).  Blogger just kept kicking me off.  I couldn't even post anonymously!  Hope you had a  good Hop!

Say It Right!

I found this list at Literary Musings a few days ago.  I think it’s awesome.  I've often had my own name mispronounced, so I can see how helpful a list like this would be.  via Buzzfeed.  Enjoy!

The Year Of The Flood

The Year Of The Flood is Margaret Atwood’s latest novel about the world gone wrong. It is the same dystopian world she envisioned with the novel Oryx and Crake. The world has been decimated by a plague. The Year Of The Flood focuses on two women, who aren’t separated by a great distance, but each believes they are alone. They aren’t sure how long they are going to survive; their food sources are dwindling. Will they find each other or anyone else?

The Year Of The Flood is an intense read. So much happens in just over four hundred pages. I had to put the book down a few times to think about what had just happened. It was beautifully and intelligently written. The story was exciting and unique. It took the worst of human nature and accentuated it, then sprinkled it with the best. The Gardeners seemed like a crazy cult, but who were the ones to survive the Waterless Flood?

The main characters, Toby and Ren, are amazing people. Toby has been hardened over the years through her many trials, before and after The Flood. Everyone, including Ren, thinks Ren is weak, but she has to be strong to survive everything she has and not end up giving up on life. The last hundred pages are so exciting that I could barely put it down.

I read Oryx and Crake a few years ago, but I don’t think it’s necessary to read it first. The Year Of The Flood is not a sequel, it’s a parallel story. Many of the characters overlap, including the main ones, but I don’t think it takes away from the story. I want to re-read Oryx and Crake now, because I don’t think I remember the story as well as I thought. The first thing I thought about Jimmy was that I don’t remember Jimmy/Snowman being such an @$$hole. I don’t remember reading about some of the other characters either. I definitely need a break from the intensity though. Bad things happen to good people. Happiness is frail and fleeting. This book is about truth and possibility. The Year Of The Flood is one of Atwood’s best.

Other's Reviews:
The Book Mine Set
Kate's Bookcase
So Many Books 
Literary Musings
If you've reviewed this book, let me know and I'll add your link.
 

Back and Stylish

I’ve been awarded the Stylish Blog Award by Teacher/Learner at Whatcha Readin’, Books? Thank you! For just over a month now, I’ve been out of the blogosphere. It’s nice to know that I’ve been missed. So what’s kept me away from blogging for the last little while? Two words, my friends, Morning Sickness. That’s right. My husband and I are expecting our second baby this summer. I’m hoping that with the second trimester now starting, I’ll get back to my usual blogging pace and back to life in general. That is, until the baby is born and life gets turned upside-down all over again.

Back to my lovely, first award ever! Here are the rules:

- Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them in your post.

- Tell us 5 things about yourself.

- Award 5 super-stylish bloggers this award

- Contact those bloggers and let them know they have won.

I did the first thing (thanks again!)

Five things about myself:

1. I already told you one thing; it’s baby time again!

2. My average novels read per year is just over 50.

3. I majored in English and philosophy.

4. My favourite movies are probably Dirty Dancing and The Fifth Element.

5. My toddler doesn’t say, “blueberries”, she says, “boobies”. I’m serious. I guess that’s not really something about me, but I think it’s hilarious and I have to tell everyone.

Five Stylish Bloggers:

1. Adam at Roof Beam Reader

2. Lydia at The Lost Entwife

3. teadevotee at amused, bemused and confused

4. Brenna at Literary Musings

5. Robbie at Pink Sheep Café

They are five different blogs with intersesting reading tastes, review styles and looks. I enjoy them all.

I have a few posts on the go. I hope to have them up soon. I’d also like to get back into participating in the memes I enjoy so much. I’ll probably not do every meme, every week. My participation will likely be part topic based and partly based on how yucky I’m feeling. Yay Babies!