"Outside a dog a book is man's best friend, inside a dog it is too dark to read!" -Groucho Marx========="The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid." -Jane Austen========="I don’t believe in the kind of magic in my books. But I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book."-JK Rowling========"I spend a lot of time reading." -Bill Gates=========“Ahhh. Bed, book, kitten, sandwich. All one needed in life, really.” -Jacqueline Kelly=========

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Summer Reading Challenge: Beach Reads!

Summer "Beach Read" Challenge
Here I go again.  Starting another reading challenge...and this one so late in the game, too.  The Summer "Beach Read" challenge. Ah, but I must confess that I am sort of cheating because I have already read enough books since July 1st to nearly qualify me to be a SHARK!  (And, btw, I do remember being in swim lessons and wishing, wishing, wishing that I would pass my test so that I could get up to the shark level!)

I suggest that you pop on over to A Fanatics Book Blog for the details and to sign up on this challenge if you too want to jump in the pool so late in the summer and try to win your shark award.  Here are the details in a nutshell: Read books that would qualify as any book you'd be willing to read while sitting at the beach. Since I was just at the Oregon Coast earlier this week and I sat reading Olive Kitteridge, I think that tells you that I think just about anything would qualify as beach reading, maybe with the possible exception of some big, heavy book that might get wrecked if it was dropped in the sand.  Ha!  Just like swimming lessons of old you will rise to a higher fish order the more books you read and prizes will be awarded.  Cool huh?  Now let me get out my fingers and toes to see how many books I've read already that would qualify....

P.S. Reading books at the Washington Coast would often be a negative experience since it is often overcast, windy, and cold.  One would have to huddle behind some wind barrier and wear goggles to keep the sand out of the eyes.  But laying on the "beach" at Lake Chelan, now that's more like it!

August 30, 2010 Update:  I completed the challenge.  And yes, I am swimming with sharks!  I've read 31 books this summer and may finish a few more before the end of the Labor Day Week-end.  Here it the list of books that I placed on the Beach Reading Challenge list:
18. The Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
17. The Prince of Mist- Carlos Ruiz Zafon
16. The Ask and the Answer – Patrick Ness
15. Toads and Diamonds- Heather Tomlinson
14. Olive Kitteridge – Elizabeth Strout
13. The Sky is Everywhere -Jandy Nelson
12. Ship Breaker - Paolo Bacigalupi
11. Staying Fat for Sarah Brynes-Chris Crutcher
10.  Numbers- Rachel Ward
9. Deadline- Chris Crutcher
8. Mrs. Mike-Benedict & Nancy Freedman
7. Last Summer of the Death Warriors-Francisco Stork
6. Acceleration- Graham McNamee
5. The Knife of Never Letting Go- Patrick Ness
4. Wake- Lisa McMann
3. The Body Finder- Kimberly Derting
2. Purple Heart- Patricia McCormick
1. The Summer of My German Soldier- Bette Greene

6 comments:

  1. I guess I'm just a tadpole...hope mama shark doesn't eat me ;)

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  2. I've heard of that book--any good? Lake Chelan would be fun!!

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  3. I liked Olive Kitteridge but is a very different book...thirteen vignettes with Olive playing either a major or minor role in each.

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  4. congrats on reaching the "shark level" lol, being able to earn designations makes it sound like so much fun! happy beach reading

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  5. I"m into the classics this summer. I've read "Treasure Island", "Call of the Wild", "Moby Dick", and I'm in the middle of "Robinson Crusoe". Those are all books I would read on the beach, except I haven't been to the beach in a long time.

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  6. gew0419-your summer reading sounds really heavy, but you make the point that whatever you are reading is good for beach reading. Where do you live that you haven't been to the beach in a long time? I'm thinking that lakes often have nicer beaches, or warmer anyway.

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