RAT Hour Zero

I'm ready to go! I hope you all have a stack of great books to enjoy!!! Have a great Read-a-Thon everyone!!!

Tomorrow!

The Read-a-Thon is tomorrow!!! I can't wait! I've got some books picked out and some snacks ready. I need to put some sodas in the fridge (caffeine is key) and maybe select another book or two, but I'm otherwise ready! Ricky will probably be joining me for part of it; the cats will not.

Four Month Challenge Update

Well, the challenge is almost over, and how am I doing? I've read a total of, um, four books while the challenge was ongoing.

5 Point Challenges


Read a chick lit book

The Jewish Princess Cookbook - Okay, so maybe this is cheating a little, but this was the chick lit-est cookbook I've ever seen!

Read a name with a proper name in the title

Read a historical fiction book

Read a book with a one word title

Read a book made into a movie

10 Point Challenges


Read a book with a Civil War theme (any country)

Comanche Moon - This book takes place "on the cusp of the Civil War," as I said in my review, but I think it counts. It may be stretching it, but cut a girl a break, here.

Read a Biblical fiction book

Read a hardcover book

Read a book about a king or queen

Read a book set in France

15 Point Challenges

Read a book by an author you’ve never read before

Read a biography or autobiography

Basher Five-Two - This book would really fit into three categories in the 15-Point Challenges section (also an author I've never read before and a book with a number in the title), but I don't think I get to count it three times!

Read a book with a number in the title

Read any book and then post a review

I've reviewed all of the books I've read, but I don't think I can count them twice! And I reviewed The Best American Non-Required Reading but it failed to post...not my fault, blame Blogger.

Read any book but read it outside

20 Point Challenges


Read a book in a series AND the one after it

Read a book that was a winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction

Read a book considered Christian fiction

Read a book from The Modern Library Top 100

Read a book by an author born in July, August, September or October


So I'm up to a total of 30 points (45 if you give me credit for my review of The Best American Non-Required Reading, which I sort of posted a review for...Blogger ate it and I got mad and only posted my rating). Honestly, that's better than I thought I would do. I'm currently reading Little Women (a re-read for me, which is also, coincidentally, a banned book, although I can't find details of its banning anywhere...), which I don't think will fit into any of the categories (it takes place during the Civil War, but I've already filled that category). No, wait! It's a hardcover copy that I've had since I was a little girl! Ooh, I better hurry up and get it finished, so I can count it!

Okay, Seriously?

I just wrote the BEST review of The Best American Non-Required Reading 2009 plus some bonus material about what's been going on in my life and my excitement over the upcoming Read-a-Thon, and f'ing Blogger ate it.

So please know that I finished BANR2009 on Sunday before I left Ohio (where I was visiting briefly for my grandmother's funeral) and that I give it four and a half out of five Whatevers. And my favorite piece in it was "The Chameleon." And life has sucked for me for most of this year, but I'm really looking forward to the RAT next weekend. And if it is ruined for me in any way, I will quite possibly snap and go on a killing spree.

F you, Blogger.

Review: Basher Five-Two by Scott O'Grady

I Mooched this book some time ago. I'd seen it on someone's blog, but, as usual, I can't remember whose. It's a middle grade/YA adaptation of Scott O'Grady's non-fiction work, Return with Honor. O'Grady was an F-16 fighter pilot in the mid-nineties, flying peace-keeping missions over Bosnia-Herzegovina. He was part of a NATO force which was patrolling the no-fly zones during the Serb-Croat war. This book tells the story of the mission when he was shot down in enemy territory and how he survived.

I actually enjoyed the book. I'm no military history buff and I wasn't sure if this would be my cup of tea, but I thought a middle grade take on the subject would be a good introduction. And it was! It didn't delve into the political underpinnings of the unrest in the Balkans, but it told a good story of one man's experiences behind enemy lines. The storyline moved quickly and I was engrossed in O'Grady's survival attempt.

The book says it's for ages ten and up, but I might recommend it for slightly older kids. Perhaps a precocious ten-year-old would get it, but I thought some of the vocabulary might be over a ten-year-old's head, and the situation O'Grady found himself in was certainly scary, even for me at 33! It might be too much for younger readers. However, I would recommend this for anyone interested in military history, and certainly young readers with an interest in flying or the military. Three and a half out of five Whatevers.

Review: The Jewish Princess Cookbook by Georgie Tarn and Tracey Fine

This book was a review book received from LibraryThing and McBooks Press. I have no idea why I requested this book, other than that I have a slight obsession with cookbooks. I own probably two and a half shelves full of them, but I cook from them very rarely. I'm hoping to get back to cooking from them now that we have a little more money coming in, so hopefully, I'll get to try some of the recipes in The Jewish Princess Cookbook soon. Now, I should preface this review by saying that I am not Jewish, and I certainly do not consider myself a princess, so it feels a little disingenuous that I should be reviewing this particular cookbook. The women who wrote it ARE Jewish and, apparently, are also princesses. I'm not really sure what makes a Jewish princess, other than, it appears, a certain traditional take on homemaking (the woman does it), and a yen for designer goods (cited in this cookbook are Gucci, Prada, Dior, D&G...and this is not an exclusive list). The authors state, however, that "every woman has a little bit of a JP [Jewish Princess] in her - or if she doesn't, she certainly should" (pg. 13).

Although the text in the book seems a little fluffy for my taste, the food sounds DELICIOUS. Since I am not Jewish, I do not keep kosher, but this book would be great for those folks who do and need new ideas for the Sabbath dinner, for entertaining, or for every day. My good friend from law school is a non-Jew marrying into a Jewish family, so it might be good for someone in her situation, too, who is just learning kosher laws and wants to impress the in-laws with a dietarily-proper Jewish meal. The book is divided into eight sections: Appetizers, Salads, Soups, Meat, Fish, Desserts, Cakes, and the Ultimate Dinner. Some of the appetizers are things that I would love to try, like Pink Grapefruit with Brown Sugar, Watermelon and Feta Cheese, and Sesame Chicken Balls. I'd also love to make the Ultimate Dinner's Chicken Soup, as well as many of the desserts (Chocolate Refrigerator Cake?!).

While the constant references in the text to Jewish Princesses, shoes, handbags, and getting one's hair done grated on my nerves after a bit, someone a little more girly than I might appreciate it more. The book is what I might call a "chick lit cookbook." But the recipes sound great.

Overall, I'd give the book three out of five Whatevers. I hope I get a chance to use some of these recipes soon!

Review: Comanche Moon by Larry McMurtry

Well, I've finally reached the end, and what a sweet ride it's been! I've really loved all of the novels in Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove tetralogy. I read them in publication order, which made Comanche Moon, second in chronological order, number four. This novel took me longer to finish than any of the others, but not because it wasn't as good. It was truly as awesome as the other three. But, for some reason, I couldn't get into the mood to read for most of the last couple of months. When I DID sit down to read it, the book captured my attention, and, as with the others, I couldn't put it down.

***Mild spoilers ahead!!!***

Gus McCrae and Woodrow Call are back, with further adventures as Texas Rangers holding down the frontier on the cusp of the Civil War. This book also introduces Captain Inish Scull and his lust-crazed wife, Inez, who were two of my favorite characters. We get to see some of the as yet missing part of Call's life - his relationship with the whore Maggie and the birth of their son, Newt. Making a reappearance in this book are the Indians Kicking Wolf and Buffalo Hump, as well as Buffalo Hump's son, Blue Duck, who later becomes one of the most ruthless outlaws in Texas. The action oscillates between the Native Americans, dealing with the end of their era as free peoples, with the encroachment of the white settlers, the extinction of the buffalo, and the movement of the Indians onto reservations, following the Civil War. It follows Scull, who is captured by the Black Vaquero in Mexico...can he escape? How? It traces Call and McCrae's years as Rangers, each man rising to the rank of captain.

Once again, McMurtry's characters carry the story. I've loved the character of Gus McCrae since I first came across him in Lonesome Dove, and he is the same old Gus in this novel. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to visit with him again, although I was dreading the end of the novel, because there were no more. However, there's nothing to prevent me from going back and reading these again whenever I feel like it! I give this installment four out of five Whatevers, since it didn't hold my attention like the others. But it's absolutely worth the read, especially if you've read any of the other books!