The Canadian Book Challenge, Eh?

John from The Book Mine Set is hosting this challenge which runs from NOW until July 1 (Canada Day). The goal is to read 13 books (because there are 13 Canadian provinces, mate). He has lists of books from each of the provinces, but is allowing us to choose our own method for selecting the books we want to read.

My method: Read from the books I already own. I did an inventory and I have about 16 Canadian books by Canadian authors that I have NOT read. At least, that I KNOW are Canadian authors. There may be others, but for now, I have 13 books.
1. I Heard the Owl Call My Name by Margaret Craven (British Columbia)
2. Wildwood by Charles de Lint (Ottawa, Ontario)
3. Yarrow by Charles de Lint (Ottawa, Ontario)
4. Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery (Prince Edward Island)
5. Birth House by Ami McKay (Nova Scotia)
6. Birds in Fall by Brad Kessler (Nova Scotia)
7. Pelagie: The Return to Acadie by Antonine Maillet and Philip Stratford (Nova Scotia)
8. Kit's Law by Donna Morrissey (Newfoundland)
9. Random Passage (Newfoundland)
10. Colony of Unrequited Dreams by Wayne Johnston (Newfoundland)
11. The Day the World Came to Town by Jim Defede (Newfoundland)
12. Latitudes of Melt by Joan Clark (Newfoundland)
13. A Word for Home by Joan Clark (Newfoundland)

I'm heavy on the maritime provinces, aren't I? If I get all these read I'll be ready for a trip to some of the provinces I've never visited. Trips always spark a purchase of new, indigenous reading material.

R.I.P. II Challenge Finished

Another successful year of creepy, skin-crawling stories. My thanks go to Carl from Stainless Steel Droppings for again hosting this seasonal challenge. I have enjoyed it immensely.

The books I've read for this challenge are

Bones by Jan Burke

Lily Dale: Awakening by Wendy Corsi Staub

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

Gift from the Sea

by Anne Morrow Lindbergh

I read this book for the Something About Me Challenge. It's one of Alisonwonderland's selections. This review could take pages of 'internet paper' if I wrote all the meaningful quotes I've marked in the book. I'm really glad I chose to read this book. Thanks, Alison for the great suggestion.

Lindbergh takes a needed break from her hectic life to the solitude of a small beach cabin. There she gathers shells and ponders how their design signifies stages in a woman's life. Gift From the Sea is reflective, contemplative journal writing that Lindbergh edited to share with the world.

There are passages galore that spoke to me with their beautiful simplicity and sage wisdom. Words that reaffirmed my beliefs and self-concepts. Others that caused my thinking to grow beyond its bonds. I enjoy that feeling of stretching and growth.

I read a library copy and now will have to buy my own so I can transfer my bookdarts and leave them in place. Books like this are great to have on my bedside table and open up and randomly read passages I've marked.

This quote helped me to identify for myself one reason I like to travel and be away from home on my vacations. "The past and the future are cut off; only the present remains. One lives like a child or a saint in the immediacy of here and now. People become like islands in such an atmosphere, self-contained, whole and serene."

Here's a feeling we can all identify: "What we fear is not so much that our energy may be leaking away through small outlets as that it may be going 'down the drain.'"

"Purposeful giving is not as apt to deplete ones resources; it belongs to that natural order of giving that seems to renew itself even in the act of depletion. The more one gives, the more one has to give."

One of my favorite discussions in the book was that of romantic love. Such moments are fleeting, but valid and can be revisited. Feelings of love ebb and flow just as life, energy and seasons do. Too many panic when the honeymoon ends and real life creeps in and the romance thins. Romance and love need to be kindled and cherished.

I highly recommend this book that still speaks wisdom over 50 years after being written. It's a sweet, gem of a book.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

by Robert Louis Stevens

After finishing Jekyll and Hyde I felt much the same as I did when I finished Dracula. Enlightened. All my life I have seen or heard tidbits of information from the book and I've seen distortions of the original story but now I KNOW the original. Puzzle pieces of information fit together, characters are more than a name or a bit of trivia, and in both cases, the original telling of the story is better than any movie or take off.

It's refreshing to read a classic that a regular person can understand why it's been a beloved story for so many years. As the story progressed I compared it in my mind's eye to eating an artichoke. Each leaf brought you closer to the heart of the matter, but revealed only a tantalizing morsel at a time. The story was told from Dr. Jekyll's friend's point of view. He had to work to reveal each part of the mystery. I can see that reading this book without knowing the heart, the climax, the end; the reader would be as confused and curious as Jekyll's friend. Even knowing the climax of the story, Stevenson's writing held me captive.

Jekyll and Hyde was published in 1886. It would have made a great pick for the 15 Decades/15 Books Challenge. I would encourage you to consider it for next years Decades Challenge.

Now to compare the book to the movie, rather the musical. That's right - a musical of Jekyll and Hyde. It's actually pretty good. Ready for another shock? The lead is played by David Hasselhoff! You know, the Bay Watch and Knight Rider guy.

I thought the musical was marvelous and Hasselhoff does a amazing job - amazing because I was surprised, but he was also good. His depiction of the battle between Jekyll and Hyde for control of their shared body is outstanding. You really need to see it.

How did it compare to the book? The movie takes lots of liberty. In the book Jekyll is a middle-aged man (50-ish) and Hyde transforms into a younger, evil man. The movie has both men in their late 20s, and Jekyll is engaged to be married. There's no love interest in the book. Murders in the book - one; several in the movie. The movie is told from Jekyll's point of view and the book from the friend's.

My recommendation would be to read the book first and then watch the musical. Both worthwhile, but the book is the best.

Series Challenge

Kathrin at Crazy Cozy Murders has more series started than I do. Amazing! Anyway, because she has this 'sickness' to start but not finish or get up-to-date on all these series she created a challenge to help herself out of the mire. Being a real sweetheart she is allowing the rest of us to join this challenge. It's kind of like an AA meeting, 12-step program to help all those with the same 'sickness' to get the help we need.

I realized after looking at Katrin's list that I NEEDED to make a list of all the series I've started and would like to read further. I LOVE making lists, so I did have fun even though it took awhile. My list is at Serial Hit List. My dear husband came up with this clever title for me.

The challenge runs from Dec 1, 2007 through May 1, 2008. Since we can choose how many books we'll read and in what series, I've decided to read 6 books. Each book will be from a different series that I've already started. In a few cases this will finish the series. In others I will just become reacquainted with old friends.

1. We Shall Not Sleep This is the 4th and final book in Anne Perry's wonderful WWI series.

2. The Bleeding Dusk This 3rd installment of Colleen Gleason's thrilling Gardella Vampire Chronicles will be available Feb 5, 2008. After reading this I'll be current with this series.

3.Messenger of Truth Book four in the Maisie Dobbs series will almost put me up to date. I just discovered the 5th is coming out towards the end of Feb. Yay!

4. The Snake, the Crocodile and the Dog It's been quite awhile since I've read one from the Amelia Peabody series and I'm feeling in the mood. Unfortunately, this will NOT get me current. This is only book 7 out of 17 or so.

5. River Secrets Another series I haven't visited for a long time. River Secrets is the last in the Goose Girl Trilogy by Shannon Hales. I'm looking forward to rejoining the young characters in this series.

6. Goodnight, Irene I recently read book 7 without realizing it was a series. For this challenge, I'm going for book one.

7. Thursday Next: First Among Sequels Who else but Jasper Fforde would name book 5 The First Among Sequels? I'm excited to read this one because I love the series but also because I won it in a drawing from Emily (Lost in the Pages)

8. Wintersmith This is book 4 in the Tiffany Aching YA series. Sooooo fun!

9. The Light Fantastic I can't not add a Terry Pratchett book. The more I read of his Discworld series the more I love it. Only 34 more to get caught up!

10. The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis Book 6 in the Chronicles of Narnia.

11. The Last Battle The final book in the Chronicles of Narnia.

12. The Sign of the Book This is the 4th in the Cliff Janeway series. Only 1 more to go!

Okay, I know I said I was setting my goal at 6, but making the list was just too much fun and I got carried away in the moment. I hope to read all 12, but my goal is still 6. We'll just see how things turn out.