Booking Through Thursday: Rolling

There hasn't been much going on here lately, I have some reviews to write but so little time...So that's when "Booking through Thursday" comes in handy:)
This week question is:

Do you get on a roll when you read, so that one book leads to the next, which leads to the next, and so on and so on?

I don’t so much mean something like reading a series from beginning to end, but, say, a string of books that all take place in Paris. Or that have anthropologists as the main character. Or were written in the same year. Something like that… Something that strings them together in your head, and yet, otherwise could be different genres, different authors…

Not really. Not that I know of. I do sometimes look for books on the same topic but not for fiction. As a child or teenager I would usually become obsessed with a particular thing (an actor/actress, places, films) and I would read anything about it, as well as collecting pictures, posters, stickers. But that's off topic.
So, no, I don't roll. In fact, I don't usually try to find the same things or themes in books. It might happen that I read books that have things in common but it's never intentional. Because if I like a certain book that's set in Paris and I really really loved it, if I read another book set in a Paris right after that, I would only keep comparing them, and I'm afraid I won't enjoy the second one for what it is.
Now that I think about it, most of the reading challenges are based on a roll, isn't it? I haven't joined a proper "themed" one yet, and I think I've just found out why!

-Edited after reading some other answers-
I completely forgot that few months ago I deliberately decided to read some Carnegie medal winners, so much that I was thinking of hosting a Read All the Carnegie Medals project, but I never did it cause I'm so busy all the time:(
Also I should be reading the Booker Prize winners too,but I'm not doing that much,really!:P
And what about my other commitments to 3 books for the Book to Movie challenge? I only read one, and I'm not sure I'll read the other 2 by the end of the year if I keep going at this deprecable speed!
Nah, I'm definitely not a reading roll girl.

Two Great Christmassy Ideas: Secret Santa + The Advent Blog Tour

I love presents. It's my favourite part of Christmas. I like making them with my hands, allow myself to be creative not just for the sake of it but to make a friend smile. I have some ideas for this year and I should start now if I want to be ready for the big day:) I can't wait to go back home and have a big party with my friends, not to mention the comforts of being fed and cuddled again by my lovely mum :P

I also like receiving presents. The more the better!
That's why as soon as I read about Nymeth's "Blogger Christmas exchange" idea I signed up immediately. Sounds like a lot of fun, why didn't I think of that?:D

Each participant is randomly assigned as another participant’s Secret Santa, and they are also assigned as somebody else’s “Santee”. What you have to do is send your person a little something – it can be a book, a pretty journal or bookmark, a box of homemade Christmas cookies, a Christmas mixed CD, or whatever else you can think of. Nothing pricey, of course. Second hand books are perfectly acceptable, as are homemade gifts. And of course, it should be something light, so it doesn’t cost a fortune to mail. Each person won’t know who their Secret Santa is until they get their package in the mail.

Click here for the full story and to sign up. I can't wait to send and receive my presents!


The second idea comes from Kailana's written world and Marg at Reading adventures. Just click on one of the links to find out everything about the 2007 Advent Blog Tour.

Each day anyone who wants to participate could take turns sharing a little treat with our friends here in blogland. For example it could be something about a holiday tradition, or a recipe, or a picture of a hot guy dressed as Santa, or a favourite Christmas memory, movie, song...anything you like. Even if you don't celebrate Christmas we would like to hear about what your family does during the holiday season, whether it be celebrating Hanukkah or Kwanzaa or anything!

As I'm writing there's still 3 days free so hurry up if you want to be part of it!

Love, Stargirl - Jerry Spinelli

I don't know why it took me so long to review this, cause it's actually the best books I've read in months. It wasn't a masterpiece, or the most original book around, even if the main character might as well be, but it warmed my soul. Reading it gave me so much energies. It made me feel good about the world, without being cheesy or soppy. It's Stargirl we're talking about, after all. I could read about Stargirl every day and never get tired of her. I wish she were my friend. I wish I lived in her world. "You do!" Stargirl would say. True, but I'd need someone like her to make me see it, to make the boring/depressing/sad reality seems full of surprises. I'm happy, though, that I can pick the book up anytime and absorb some of that magic.

This sequel was very unexpected to me. The end of the first one (see review ) didn't leave much room for a follow up, since Leo's grown up voice informs us that he never married and still hopes to meet her again one day. Nevertheless Stargirl had still something to say and didn't leave Jerry Spinelli alone till he continued writing her story. This time from her point of view. We get to hear her thoughts, and suddenly she doesn't seem so crazy or out of this world anymore. She's shy sometimes. She's self-conscious and unsure of herself like the rest of us. And she's not at her best either, cause despite having left Mika with a bang ( or with a hop...) she still loves and misses Leo (why??He doesn't deserve you!but anyway). So she decides to write him the longest letter in the world, in the form of a journal.
New year, new town, new people. Back to home-school with lots of time to dedicate to her shadow curriculum (with subjects like Element of Nothingness, Principles of swooning, Life under Rocks and Beginner whistling) and to get to know the locals. She will leave her mark in this town too,spreading the magic wherever she goes, but they will leave something to her too. She'll actually become part of the community, of this weird yet so ordinary group of people, and not a strange creature belonging to another planet.
As soon as I closed the book after reading the last page I knew I was going to miss 5-year-old attention-seeker Dootsie, agoraphobic Betty Lou, grumpy Alvina and everyone else. And instantly I knew I had added this to my all-time favourite list already.

Young Adult Challenge!

New year, new Challenge...
I've already seen tons and tons of challenges all over the places and I'd love to join them all because they're great fun, but since I'm not that good at reading books that I *have* to read, I've decided to keep the number of challenges for 2008 very low, meaning no more than 2 or 3! This at The Thoughts of Joy seems like the perfect one to start with. I do read a LOT of young adult novels anyway, and hopefully it will help me through the ever-growing pile of TBRs!(yeah, another rule that I will introduce this year is DON'T JOIN CHALLENGES WITH BOOKS THAT I DON'T HAVE ALREADY!, given the enormous amount of unread books that I keep accumulating).

So, for this challenge you have to choose 12 YA books to read during 2008, so it's 1 a month. I do read more than one a month usually, but I plan to read "adult" books too:P
They also can overlap with other challenges which is nice.

Here's the list:
(If by any chance I'll read any of these before 2008 I'll replace them with some others)

1) A Swift Pure Cry by Siobhan Dowd

2) Epic by Conor Kostick

3) Framed by Frank Cottrell Boyce

4) Raven's gate by Anthony Horowitz

5) Secret of the Fearless by Elizabeth Laird

6) Millions by Frank Cottrell Boyce

7) Holes by Louis Sachar

8) The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud

9) The Wish House by Celia Rees

10) The Year the Gypsies Came by Linzie Glass

11) Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

12) Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper



done!