How about a sign-up and check-in post all in one? I discovered this challenge last week, and I'm jumping in! Here's what I've read so far:

5 points: Freebie! Read any book you'd like, as long as it follows the above rules. :)
      The Jane Austen Marriage Manual by Kim Izzo
5: Read a book that is less than 150 pages long.
10: Read a book with a color in the title. 
10: Read a book that is not the first in its series.
15: Read a book it seems everyone but you has read! 
      The Last Runaway by Tracy Chevalier
15: Read a banned book. 
20: Read a book written by a celebrity. This can be a memoir or a fiction book published by someone who was already famous by another means (e.g. James Franco). 
      Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham
20: Read a non-fiction book that is not a memoir. It can be pure non-fiction or narrative non-fiction. 
      Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain
20: Read a book that takes place in a state you have never been in.
      The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig (takes place in Montana)
25: Read a book that is at least 400 pages long.
      Tuck by Stephen Lawhead
25: Read a book with a main character who shares your first name.
30: Read a book written by an author who was born in or died in your birth year.

So my current point total is 105. Looks like I've still got a ways to go! You can check out my Reading Challenges page for updated progress throughout the next month. I'm looking forward to finding books that fit the other categories - especially the character sharing my first name. Does anyone know of any books with a character named Julie?

This is my first post for the Reading to Know Book Club. I read The Scarlet Letter in February, but I didn't have a blog to post anything on then! So here are my thoughts on July's selection, The Wind in the Willows.

I read The Wind in the Willows when I was a kid (probably somewhere between fourth and sixth grade; I honestly don't remember for sure). I remember liking it a lot, but I haven't picked it up since then. It's a good thing I did now, because every school year, I get the urge to use it as a read-aloud for my fourth graders. Having reread it now, I think it would be a bit beyond them. The vocabulary is not all that common for today's fourth grader, and there are some quite convoluted sentences that would be difficult to follow when read aloud.

For myself, though, I enjoyed the story as much as ever. All I really remember from my childhood reading of it was Mr. Toad and his motor car, but the book holds many more delights than that! I think my favorite part this time around was the night that Rat and Mole revisited Mole's home. Rat was such a good friend, cleaning up and getting supper in order to cheer Mole up. And I loved the field mice, all bundled up in scarves and singing Christmas carols.

I also found the chapter where Mole and Rat find Otter's son to be very intriguing. It turns out they found Portly with the god Pan, but I think the descriptions fit better for a God-experience, than a god-experience. Take this, for example, "Then suddenly the Mole felt a great Awe fall upon him, an awe that turned his muscles to water, bowed his head, and rooted his feet to the ground. It was no panic terror - indeed he felt wonderfully at peace and happy - but it was an awe that smote and held him and, without seeing, he knew it could only mean that some august Presence was very, very near" (p. 154, at least in my e-book edition). Doesn't that sound like God is near? Wouldn't Moses have experienced something similar as he approached the burning bush? I begin to wonder what Kenneth Grahame's views on religion and God were. . .

All in all, there is much to love in this story. If you haven't read The Wind in the Willows before, or if it's been a long time, reread it with the eye of a child and the mind of an adult. You might be surprised at what you find.

We've been back from our vacation for a week now, and life is just about back to normal. Which is good, because August will soon be here. It's almost back to school time!

The Unchangeable Spots of Leopards - Review
My sign-up post for the Mount TBR Reading Challenge (I've got a ways to go on this challenge, and I'm only attempting a small mountain!)
The Cherry Cola Book Club - Review
My Friend Flicka - Review (bottom line: the book is not at all like the movies - but still good!)
Saturday Snapshot (my favorite picture from our vacation to London and Paris)

The Jane Austen Marriage Manual by Kim Izzo
Tuck by Stephen Lawhead
The Last Runaway by Tracy Chevalier
Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham (I loved this book in so many ways!)

Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman (It's a book of essays about books. Great fun!)

Well, I went to the library last Thursday. Let's just say that I have a lot of choices for books to read this week. . . And we'll pray that the cats don't knock over my teetering pile of books!

We just got back from our vacation to London and Paris a week ago. I think this is my favorite picture from our whole trip (of course, I could say that for about ten different pictures - at least). This is a view of the Louvre, through a giant clock in the Musée d'Orsay.

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by West Metro Mommy.

If a movie is based on a book, it is imperative that I read the book – preferably before I see the movie, but it doesn’t always work out that way. I haven’t actually seen the first Flicka movie, so maybe I shouldn’t try to compare… But I have seen the second and third movies, and if they’re anything like the first movie, then it is nothing like the book.

This is not all bad. While the movies are good, they aren’t deep. They each focus on a troubled teenage girl (ironically, since the main character in the novel is a ten-year-old boy) who discovers her true self through her interactions with Flicka. There’s a romantic interest, of course, and a jealous rival (of boy and/or horse), along with plenty of obstacles to overcome to get to the happy ending. They’re wholesome movies – no swearing, drinking, etc., and just right for the crowd of young girls pining for a horse of their very own.

The book, on the other hand, focuses on Ken. Ken daydreams – a lot. So much so that he failed his English exam and therefore fifth grade at his boarding school. When he comes home to his parents’ ranch for the summer, his father is understandably upset and isn’t quite sure how to kick him into gear. Surely an hour’s worth of studying a day should have some effect, right? Mary O’Hara’s description of Ken’s “studying” shows that she knows exactly what being inside the head of a daydreamer is like. And it’s pretty amusing.

But Ken wants a colt more than anything in the world. His father vetoes that idea rather quickly, but his mother believes that this just may be the key to bringing Ken from the world of dreams to the world of responsibility. He is given a week to choose his colt from the herd. He finally chooses Flicka, the very last colt his father wants, since she has a strain of wild mustang in her that is difficult to tame. In fact, Ken is deeply afraid that Flicka will turn out to be loco – so wild that she can’t be broken. As you could guess from the title, this fear turns out to be unfounded. Ken and Flicka take care of each other through life-threatening injuries and illnesses and form an incredibly strong bond.

It’s a sweet, heart-warming story of a little boy growing up and the colt that helped him do so. It took me awhile to get into, and the ending seemed kind of abrupt, but there are two other books in the Flicka series to continue the story of Ken and Flicka. It’s an enjoyable read – and even more so if you don’t expect it to be anything like the movies.

The Cherry Cola Book Club is an ode to libraries. Maura Beth, the 28-year-old director of the Cherico, Mississippi library is in a battle-to-the-death with  Councilman Durden Sparks. To the death of the library, that is. Councilman Sparks just doesn’t think that there is enough money in next year’s budget to keep the library going (he’s hoping, of course, to put the funds towards building an industrial park). He gives Maura Beth five months to make the Cherico Library an essential part of town life. Inspired by a new resident, Maura Beth starts a book club to discuss classic Southern literature – and eat some good food. Soon the members of the book club become essential in each other’s lives as friends who are always there when needed. Now they just need to convince the town and the Council that the library is just as necessary as good friends.

This is a book I expected to love, but I honestly can’t give it more than a “liked” rating. I never really understood Maura Beth, even though she is who I’ve always wanted to be (a librarian with red hair, that is). The supporting characters were unique and lively in their own ways, but never really felt “alive”  or three-dimensional enough. They were too predictable, and I think that sums up my problem with the book as a whole. You know how the book is going to turn out just by reading the back cover. Even the “twists” were predictable to a certain extent.

This isn’t to say that I didn’t like the book. I did enjoy reading it and meeting the members of the Cherry Cola Book Club. But at the end of the day, it just wasn’t filling enough. There wasn’t enough in the story or characters to remain in my mind and heart after I closed the cover for the last time.

But we can’t forget the message of the book, which should be shouted from the rooftops – Save the Libraries!

I know I'm not alone when I admit that I own a lot of books. And that I can't pass up a bookstore or book sale without adding something to my growing piles. After all, that is where the name of my blog comes from - instead of sagging bookshelves, I choose to believe that mine smile!

So it's time to show my TBR books some love. Since I'm starting halfway through the year, not as many of them may get read as I'd like. I'm signing up for the Pike's Peak level for this challenge, which is 12 books. If I'm feeling ambitious, though (and I can resist visiting the library for the rest of the year. . . unlikely. . .), then I'll aim above that for the next mountain of 24 books - or beyond!

Check out my Reading Challenges page to see what books off my smiling shelves I plan to read this year!

I would join a book club simply to discuss this book. In fact, I even considered starting one – simply to discuss this book. On second thought, I realized all my nearby friends would be too put off by the language and some aspects of the characters and events. I have to admit, it’s not even the sort of book I would typically read because of those things. But I also have to admit that I found it fascinating.

The Unchangeable Spots of Leopards by Kristopher Jansma is sort of an autobiography of the narrator (he who shall not be named) and his friends Julian (or is it Jeffrey?) and Evelyn (the princess). Julian and the narrator meet in college in a writing seminar, and begin one of those parasitical friendships that seem all too common in literature. They each need the other to keep them sane, as neither of them is quite stable. Of course, that’s because Julian turns out to be a brilliant author, while the narrator ends up writing high schoolers’ term papers for them. Life after college doesn’t go as planned, and the book follows them as they live, fight, travel, and reunite. And learn, I was going to write, but I’m not sure how much any of them learned.

You may be able to tell from the above summary that it wasn’t the plot or even the characters that fascinated me. It was the theme of truth v. fiction. The inside cover blurb, as well as the “Author’s Note,” tell you right up front that the narrator is unreliable. How much of what he writes can you actually believe? Which events happened? What parts have been embellished beyond recognition? For Pete’s sake, what ARE the characters’ real names? Throughout the entire book, I was desperately wondering what was true and what was not – which is interesting. None of it is true, of course. It’s a novel. Fiction. So why did it matter so much to me to discover (or never discover) what was true? Good question! And this is why I need a book club to discuss this book!

I guess I must resort to my online fellow book lovers. Has anyone read The Unchangeable Spots of Leopards? What did you think of it? How much did the truth v. fiction dichotomy mess with your head?

I'm typically a pretty fast reader, finishing a book every three or four days or so (or faster, if it's summer). But I started reading Quiet by Susan Cain on July 5 and didn't finish it until July 17. This is certainly no reflection on the book - I enjoyed every minute of reading Quiet. So why did it take so long? Well, I was a little preoccupied. . .

Yup, the wonders of going on vacation! I'm not a tan-at-the-poolside-for-hours kind of vacationer. I'm more of a visit-7-major-sights-and-walk-12-miles-a-day sort of vacationer. This makes for amazing and wonderful vacations, but very little reading time. I've been in Paris and London for the past two weeks, and was surprised to get even one book completely read.

I did still post while on vacation, mostly book reviews. If you pay close attention, you'll notice the reviews I posted tended toward the Europe/travel theme. I must have been subconsciously travelling already when I planned out my posts for those two weeks. . .

Chateau of Echoes - Review
Europe on 5 Wrong Turns a Day - Review
A Corner of White - Review
My sign-up post for the Books About Books Challenge
The Vatican Diaries - Review

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain

Have I mentioned how unusual it is that I only read one book in two weeks?? It's a good thing I'm back to my regular consumption of books or I'd be going into reading withdrawal!

Tuck by Stephen Lawhead (I started this one on the last day of my vacation, got about 50 pages in, and then came home to a stack of library books that need to be read by Thursday. One of these days I'll get back to it!)
The Jane Austen Marriage Manual by Kim Izzo (One of the above-mentioned library books)

The Last Runaway by Tracy Chevalier
Our Tragic Universe by Scarlett Thomas

Don't worry, this isn't the last you'll hear of my trip! I saw some great libraries and bookstores that I'll share pictures of, as well as my where-were-you-when story of the Great J.K. Rowling Reveal. And I just might share some of my favorite pictures (un-book-related), since my husband took more than 1,400 pictures with our fancy new camera. So keep an eye out for guest appearances of the Eiffel Tower and Big Ben!

I'm glad to be back in the book blog world again. How has everyone been this past few weeks? Which books did you most enjoy reading?

John Thavis was a reporter with the Catholic News Service for thirty years, even becoming the chief of the Rome bureau. So naturally, he has a lot of insights and behind-the-scenes stories of what has occurred in the Vatican. The Vatican Diaries has ten thematic chapters, covering topics from the election of Benedict XVI to the sex abuse scandal. Some chapters read more like a memoir, as we follow Thavis on his travels with the pope or uncovering a story. Other chapters are more essay-like and less personal. Both styles provide a look into the Vatican and the two popes that Thavis covered, John Paul II and Benedict XVI.

Thavis’ purpose for the book, laid out in the introduction, is to debunk the myth of the Vatican as a well-oiled, extremely secretive machine. He certainly succeeds in his mission. Through the stories in this book, it’s easy to see that one branch of the Vatican often has no idea what another branch is doing, even keeping the pope in the dark sometimes. This has resulted in amusing blunders and occasionally, worldwide scandals. You get to know some of the individuals that work quietly (and sometimes not so quietly) behind the scenes. There certainly appears to be a wide range of personalities working in the Vatican.

Thavis always treats these personalities with respect. Nowhere is that more clear than in his portrayal of Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI. For anyone whose only knowledge of these popes is from news headlines, this book gives valuable insights into what they are like as human beings, rather than just as the voice of the Catholic church. Everyone in the Vatican hierarchy is human, after all, with all of the many facets that includes. The Vatican Diaries gives you the big picture of the Catholic Church by showing you the little pictures that make it up. It’s not a difficult, scholarly read by any means. It’s written by a reporter with a love of people and stories, who wants to share the Vatican that he has come to know with the world.