1. 29 Aug


    ALPHABET READING CHALLENGE August 29th, 2012 Entry: U Completed: 3/26 Books: Under Heaven, by Guy Gavriel Kay Excerpt from Amazon.com:  It begins simply. Shen Tai, son of an illustrious general serving the Emperor of Kitai, has spent two years honoring the memory of his late father by burying the bones of the dead from both armies at the site of one of his father’s last great battles. In recognition of his labors and his filial piety, an unlikely source has sent him a dangerous gift: 250 Sardian horses.You give a man one of the famed Sardian horses to reward him greatly. You give him four or five to exalt him above his fellows, propel him towards rank, and earn him jealousy, possibly mortal jealousy. Two hundred and fifty is an unthinkable gift, a gift to overwhelm an emperor. Personal: So, I actually finished reading this early August, but I’ve only now written up my entry for it. This is because of life stuff. Aside from that, I really enjoyed this book. I’ve always loved the way Kay brings threads of mysticism into his historical fantasy fiction. I’m a bit unsure of how I feel about the pacing of the book, and perhaps some of the cleverly poignant endings to the many chapters felt a bit contrived at times. Still, I think I would return to this book at another time.

    ALPHABET READING CHALLENGE

    August 29th, 2012

    Entry: U

    Completed: 3/26

    Books: Under Heaven, by Guy Gavriel Kay

    Excerpt from Amazon.com: 

    It begins simply. Shen Tai, son of an illustrious general serving the Emperor of Kitai, has spent two years honoring the memory of his late father by burying the bones of the dead from both armies at the site of one of his father’s last great battles. In recognition of his labors and his filial piety, an unlikely source has sent him a dangerous gift: 250 Sardian horses.

    You give a man one of the famed Sardian horses to reward him greatly. You give him four or five to exalt him above his fellows, propel him towards rank, and earn him jealousy, possibly mortal jealousy. Two hundred and fifty is an unthinkable gift, a gift to overwhelm an emperor.

    Personal:

    So, I actually finished reading this early August, but I’ve only now written up my entry for it. This is because of life stuff. Aside from that, I really enjoyed this book. I’ve always loved the way Kay brings threads of mysticism into his historical fantasy fiction. I’m a bit unsure of how I feel about the pacing of the book, and perhaps some of the cleverly poignant endings to the many chapters felt a bit contrived at times. Still, I think I would return to this book at another time.

     

  2. 13 Jul


    LPHABET READING CHALLENGE July 13th, 2012 Entry: D Completed: 2/26 Book: A Dance with Dragons, by George R. R. Martin Excerpt from the jacket cover: In the aftermath of a colossal battle, the future of the Seven Kingdoms hangs in the balance - beset by newly emerging threats from every direction. … From all corners, bitter conflicts reignite, intimate betrayals are perpetrated, and a grand cast of outlaws and priests, soldiers and skinchangers, nobles and slaves, will face seemingly insurmontable obstacles. Some will fail, others will grow in the strength of darkness. But in a time of rising restlessness, the tides of destiny and politics will lead inevitably to the greatest dance of all. Personal: This is legitimately the longest time (approx 2 months) that I’ve ever spent reading a fiction book in which I was deeply emotionally invested. Probably because I knew it would leave me feeling utterly bereft when I finally finished. WHICH IT DID. UGH. NOW I’M GOING TO GO AND SOB SOMEWHERE. GODDAMNIT.

    LPHABET READING CHALLENGE

    July 13th, 2012

    Entry: D

    Completed: 2/26

    Book: A Dance with Dragons, by George R. R. Martin

    Excerpt from the jacket cover: In the aftermath of a colossal battle, the future of the Seven Kingdoms hangs in the balance - beset by newly emerging threats from every direction.

    …

    From all corners, bitter conflicts reignite, intimate betrayals are perpetrated, and a grand cast of outlaws and priests, soldiers and skinchangers, nobles and slaves, will face seemingly insurmontable obstacles. Some will fail, others will grow in the strength of darkness. But in a time of rising restlessness, the tides of destiny and politics will lead inevitably to the greatest dance of all.

    Personal:

    This is legitimately the longest time (approx 2 months) that I’ve ever spent reading a fiction book in which I was deeply emotionally invested. Probably because I knew it would leave me feeling utterly bereft when I finally finished. WHICH IT DID. UGH. NOW I’M GOING TO GO AND SOB SOMEWHERE. GODDAMNIT.

     

  3. 7 Jul


    ALPHABET READING CHALLENGE July 7th, 2012 Entry: G Completed: 1/26 Book: Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett From the back cover:  This is where the dragons went. They lie … not dead, not asleep, but … dormant. And although the space they occupy isn’t like normal space, nevertheless they are packed in tightly. They could put you in mind of a can of sardines, if you thought sardines were huge and scaly. And presumably, somewhere there’s a key… Personal: It’s always fun to revisit Terry Pratchett for me. Discworld is like brain candy reading, but I always feel like I’m reading something intelligent too. The difference between the characters in Guards! Guards! and in later books (e.g. The Fifth Elephant) is a lesson in geography. In the end, I never regret reading Terry Pratchett.

    ALPHABET READING CHALLENGE

    July 7th, 2012

    Entry: G

    Completed: 1/26

    Book: Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett

    From the back cover: 

    This is where the dragons went. They lie … not dead, not asleep, but … dormant. And although the space they occupy isn’t like normal space, nevertheless they are packed in tightly. They could put you in mind of a can of sardines, if you thought sardines were huge and scaly. And presumably, somewhere there’s a key…

    Personal:

    It’s always fun to revisit Terry Pratchett for me. Discworld is like brain candy reading, but I always feel like I’m reading something intelligent too. The difference between the characters in Guards! Guards! and in later books (e.g. The Fifth Elephant) is a lesson in geography. In the end, I never regret reading Terry Pratchett.

     

  4. 4 Jul


    artephile: ALPHABET READING CHALLENGE - ARTEPHILE’S MASTER LIST July 4, 2012 Feeling sanguine Completed: 0/26 In Progress:  A - B - C - (Catch-22, by Joseph Heller) D - [A Dance with Dragons, by George R.R. Martin] E - F - G - H - (A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, by Dave Eggers) I - (The Infinite Jest, by David Foster Wallace) J - (Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, by Susanna Clarke) K - (Kafka on the Shore, by Haruki Murakami) L - M - (Midnight’s Children, by Salman Rushdie) N - O - P - Q - R - (Room, by Emma Donoghue) S - (A Suitable Boy, by Vikram Seth) T - (The Tin Drum, by Gunter Grass) U - V - W - X - Y - Z - ALPHABET READING CHALLENGE - VITAMIN’S MASTER LIST July 4, 2012 Completed: 0/26 In Progress: 8 Potential Candidates: 3 A -  B - C - [Children of God, by Maria Doria Russell] D - [A Dance with Dragons, by George R.R. Martin] E - F - G - [Guards! Guards!, by Terry Pratchett] - reread H - [The Historian, by Elizabeth Kostova] I - J - [Jitterbug Perfume, by Tom Robbins] K - L - M - [Midnight’s Children, by Salman Rushdie] N - [Nightfall, by Isaac Asimov & Robert Silverberg] O - P - Q - R - S - [The Sparrow, by Maria Doria Russell] -reread T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z -

    artephile:

    ALPHABET READING CHALLENGE - ARTEPHILE’S MASTER LIST

    July 4, 2012

    Feeling sanguine

    Completed: 0/26

    In Progress: 

    A -

    B -

    C - (Catch-22, by Joseph Heller)

    D - [A Dance with Dragons, by George R.R. Martin]

    E -

    F -

    G -

    H - (A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, by Dave Eggers)

    I - (The Infinite Jest, by David Foster Wallace)

    J - (Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, by Susanna Clarke)

    K - (Kafka on the Shore, by Haruki Murakami)

    L -

    M - (Midnight’s Children, by Salman Rushdie)

    N -

    O -

    P -

    Q -

    R - (Room, by Emma Donoghue)

    S - (A Suitable Boy, by Vikram Seth)

    T - (The Tin Drum, by Gunter Grass)

    U -

    V -

    W -

    X -

    Y -

    Z -

    ALPHABET READING CHALLENGE - VITAMIN’S MASTER LIST

    July 4, 2012

    Completed: 0/26

    In Progress: 8

    Potential Candidates: 3

    A - 

    B -

    C - [Children of God, by Maria Doria Russell]

    D - [A Dance with Dragons, by George R.R. Martin]

    E -

    F -

    G - [Guards! Guards!, by Terry Pratchett] - reread

    H - [The Historian, by Elizabeth Kostova]

    I -

    J - [Jitterbug Perfume, by Tom Robbins]

    K -

    L -

    M - [Midnight’s Children, by Salman Rushdie]

    N - [Nightfall, by Isaac Asimov & Robert Silverberg]

    O -

    P -

    Q -

    R -

    S - [The Sparrow, by Maria Doria Russell] -reread

    T -

    U -

    V -

    W -

    X -

    Y -

    Z -

     

  5. 4 Jul



    LA LA LAND: Alphabet Reading Challenge Agreement

    artephile:

    This is an agreement to accept the Alphabet Reading Challenge according to the terms specified below.

    The individuals below do enter the Alphabet Reading Challenge – hereafter referred as the ARC – and agree to follow the rules denoted in the document.

    The individuals entering the challenge – hereafter referred to as the Participants – are ____Artephile____, and ____Vitaminemgee____.


    The tenets of the ARC are as follows:

    1. The Participants compete to finish the ARC.
    1.1.There is no other time constraint.

    2. Each entry listed in the ARC must be a published book.
    2.1.The format of the book may be print or electronic.
    2.2.The book may be fiction or non-fiction.
    2.3.The fulfilment of an entry entails the completion of the entire book.

    3. Each entry can only be associated with one letter.
    3.1.The letters can be fulfilled either through the title or the author’s last name.
    3.2.Entries do not need to be fulfilled in alphabetical order.

    4. When starting a new entry, the Participant must post through Tumblr the basic book information and the letter being fulfilled.

    5. When the Participant has fulfilled half of the entries (i.e. 13), they must post through Tumblr an updated list of the completed entries.
    5.1.The list may be updated at any other time if the Participant chooses to.

    6. When the Participant has fulfilled all of the entries (i.e. 26), they must post through Tumblr an updated list of the completed entries along with the other Participant’s most recent list.

    7. The Participant who wins the ARC shall henceforth be acknowledged as Miss Super Sexy Smart 201X.