Sunday Synopsis: January 17, 2010

Once again, not a lot to report this week, but there is a lot coming!! I participated in the latest Bloggiesta hosted by Maw Books Blog and decided to make it a week-long event. I have not yet posted my wrap-up, but will be doing so shortly after I post this synopsis! I am going to save a lot of my updates for that post instead of including them here. I've really been focusing on some housekeeping issues this week. I have decided to set myself a goal: to get completely caught up from my 2009 mess by the end of this month. That gives me exactly 14 days to get all the reviews below written, the majority of my housekeeping issues updated, and my Reader read! I had a little turning point this last week. I think I may have found my motivation. Only time will tell, but I feel a change . . . a feeling that I have not felt in a long time. Let's just hope it sticks!

DISCUSSIONS:

• Honest Scrap Award (This is not really a discussion item, but I will put it here anyways!)

CHALLENGES: I signed up for a whole bunch of challenges and finally got around to posting the official announcements this last week. It will also be in these posts that I will keep track of everything as well. Here is the list of those I could not say no to:

• Flashback Challenge
• 2010 100+ Reading Challenge
• 2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge
• 2010 A to Z Reading Challenge
• 2010 Young Readers Challenge
• 451 Challenge
• 2010 Audio Book Challenge
• Take Another Chance Challenge

CURRENTLY READING:

• Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (audio; disc 5 of 13)
• Across the Endless River by Thad Carhart (page 97 of 308)

REVIEWS TO COME:

• Only in New York, Darling by Virginie Sommet (Unable to finish, but will still be writing a review for what was read.)
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
• The Shimmer by David Morrell
• Royal Blood by Rona Sharon
• The End of the Beginning by Avi
• Matchless by Gregory Maguire
• The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
• Defenders of the Scroll by Shiraz
• Daniel X: Watch the Skies by James Patterson & Ned Rust
• King by Right of Blood and Might by Anna L. Walls
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
• Arthur's Audio Favorites Volume 2 by Marc Brown
• A Circle of Souls by Preetham Grandhi
• Dancing with Ana by Nicole Barker
• George's Marvelous Medicine by Roald Dahl
• Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, A Man Who Would Cure The World by Tracy Kidder
• Fool by Christopher Moore
• Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
• Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
• The Little Island by Golden MacDonald and Leonard Weisgard
• Black and White by David Macauley
• Mei Li by Thomas Handforth
• Crossroads by Chris Grabenstein
• I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
• Rocky Mountain Snow Ghosts by Patti Hurst
• I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
• Ralph S. Mouse by Beverly Cleary
• Runaway Ralph by Beverly Cleary
• The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner
• Survival of the Fittest by Jonathan Kellerman
• The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
• S is for Save the Planet by Brad Herzog
• The Ugly Duckling by Jerry Pinkney
• Mesmeric Revelation by Edgar Allan Poe (Poe Fridays)
• The Facts in the Case of in M. Valdemar by Edgar Allan Poe (Poe Fridays)*
• The Sleeper by Edgar Allan Poe (Poe Fridays)*
• Eldorado by Edgar Allan Poe (Poe Fridays)
• The Spectacles by Edgar Allan Poe (Poe Fridays)
• The Premature Burial by Edgar Allan Poe (Poe Fridays)*
• The Haunted Palace by Edgar Allan Poe (Poe Fridays)
• Some Words With A Mummy by Edgar Allan Poe (Poe Fridays)
• Ulalume by Edgar Allan Poe (Poe Fridays)*
• The Pit and the Pendulum by Edgar Allan Poe (Poe Fridays)
• The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe (Poe Fridays)*
• William Wilson by Edgar Allan Poe (Poe Fridays)
• The Oblong Box by Edgar Allan Poe (Poe Fridays)
• The Bells by Edgar Allan Poe (Poe Fridays)
• Ligeia by Edgar Allan Poe (Poe Fridays)
• X-ing a Paragrab by Edgar Allan Poe (Poe Fridays)
• The Purloined Letter by Edgar Allan Poe (Poe Fridays)

*Those indicated with an asterik are actually reviews written!! I have had computer issues this weekend and have written them old school with pen and paper! I will be posting them later this week once I have typed them up in full.

AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE: Still working on getting caught up here, so there will be more to come next week!!

• J. Kaye from J. Kaye's Book Blog has started a new blog, 365 Days of Novel Writing, journaling her experience of writing every day in 2010. She writes about her highs and lows, her thoughts and frustrations, and ultimately, her journey through writing. For those who do not know, I used to write a lot of poetry. It was a great emotional release for me back in the day, but I have gotten away from it over the years. The last couple of years, I have had ideas bouncing around in my brain for some short fiction. I really have not had the time to do anything about it and to be honest, am scared to! I have decided to take a huge step forward and begin writing down some of these ideas. It may seem like a very small goal to many, but it is HUGE for me! As I type this write now, I even get a little nervous. I'm officially announcing this to the world!! And, I owe it to (or blame it on!) J. Kaye!! Hearing her trials and tribulations have inspired me to move forward, even if it is in baby steps! Who knows, maybe I will post a little thing or two here as I embark on my own writing adventure!
• A while back, The Book Chook posted an article regarding the mix of literacy and the need for children to be active. On the Go, or On the Chair examines just how we can combine the two, getting the most out of both! A must-read for any mother of preschoolers (or older)!!

Happy Reading!