2009 is coming to a close and it was an alright reading year for me. On one hand it was a vast improvement. I doubled what I usually read in a year. This is largely due to being a SAHM. However, I'm still getting a groove with homeschooling two years in and didn't reach the goal of 75 books I set for this year. Now that I've confessed my shortcoming, moving forward I plan to read at least 75 books in 2010 and complete ALL SIX challenges to which I've committed myself. Here's a recap in case you missed one:
Women Unbound
African Diaspora Reading Challenge
GLBT Challenge
South Asian Author Challenge
Social Justice Challenge
Black Classics Challenge
There's actually a seventh, but it's a perpetual challenge...Reading Africa.

I'll also be doing more vlogs. They'll mostly focus on indie bookstores. Speaking of indie bookstores, I have resolved to patronize them more, though they're scarce in my hometown. So, we got more reading, more vlogs and a new feature. I hope my reviews improve and I write more thought provoking posts on the book industry especially as it pertains to POC writers and literature. My most epic plan is to attend what is, for me, the mecca of book fairs- the Harlem Book Fair.

And one final word, I planned to host a challenge with an awesome theme (hint: Harlem Renaissance) for Black History month. It was all mapped out months before the year long challenge I tossed in the ring on the fly. I'm still debating whether to save it and make it a year long challenge for 2011 or go ahead with it for February 2010. Lemme know what you think.

2010 holds mad promise in the reading department. Check out these upcoming works of fiction, two by veterans Levy and McFadden and one by newcomer Shilpi Gowda. For what 2010 books can't you hardly wait?

The Long Song by Andrea Levy

From Amazon-
  Told in the irresistibly willful and intimate voice of Miss July, with some editorial assistance from her son, Thomas, The Long Song is at once defiant, funny, and shocking. The child of a field slave on the Amity sugar plantation, July lives with her mother until Mrs. Caroline Mortimer, a recently transplanted English widow, decides to move her into the great house and rename her “Marguerite.”

Resourceful and mischievous, July soon becomes indispensable to her mistress. Together they live through the bloody Baptist war, followed by the violent and chaotic end of slavery. Taught to read and write so that she can help her mistress run the business, July remains bound to the plantation despite her “freedom.” It is the arrival of a young English overseer, Robert Goodwin, that will dramatically change life in the great house for both July and her mistress. Prompted and provoked by her son’s persistent questioning, July’s resilience and heartbreak are gradually revealed in this extraordinarily powerful story of slavery, revolution, freedom, and love.

Amazon shows a US release date of April 27,2010 and Levy's website shows a UK release scheduled for February 2010.

Glorious by Bernice L. McFadden

From Amazon-
 
Glorious is set against the backdrops of the Jim Crow South, the Harlem Renaissance, and the civil rights era. Blending the truth of American history with the fruits of Bernice L. McFadden’s rich imagination, this is the story of Easter Venetta Bartlett, a fictional Harlem Renaissance writer whose tumultuous path to success, ruin, and revival offers a candid portrait of the American experience in all its beauty and cruelty.

Glorious is ultimately an audacious exploration into the nature of self-hatred, love, possession, ego, betrayal, and, finally, redemption.

Harlem Renaissance...enough said. Amazon shows a release date of May 1, 2010.

Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda

From the author's website-
  A stunning debut novel that explores the emotional terrain of motherhood, loss, identity and culture, witnessed through the lives of two families, one Indian, one American, and the daughter who indelibly binds them. On the eve of the monsoons, in a remote Indian village, Kavita gives birth to a baby girl. But in a culture that favors sons, the only way for Kavita to save her newborn daughter’s life is to give her away. It is a decision that will haunt her and her husband for the rest of their lives, even after the arrival of their cherished son.

Halfway around the globe, Somer, an American doctor, decides to adopt a child after making the wrenching discovery that she will never have one of her own. When she and her husband Krishnan see a photo of the baby with the gold-flecked eyes from a Mumbai orphanage, they are overwhelmed with emotion for her. Somer knows life will change with the adoption, but is convinced that the love they already feel will overcome all obstacles.

Interweaving the stories of Kavita, Somer, and the child that binds their destinies, Secret Daughter poignantly explores issues of culture and belonging. Moving between two worlds and two families, one struggling to survive the fetid slums of Mumbai, the other grappling to forge a cohesive family despite diverging cultural identities, this powerful debut novel marks the arrival of a fresh talent poised for great success.

Author's website and Amazon show a release date of March 1, 2010.

Once again I'm reading all day and night. Well, this time I may not be able to do the full 24 hours because I have a prior commitment Sunday morning. I'll be here at least 16 hours for sure. So stay tuned to this post for updates on what and how much I read...

Hour 2 Update (10:48 am cst)
Time spent reading: 2 hours 44 minutes
Pages read: 72
Distractions: Mom duties- preparing oatmeal for the kid and finding a suitable distraction for him; feeding my own face
Reading thoughts: Enjoying The Hunger Games so far. It's frightening to think this foolmongery is possible in the not so distant future.

Hour 4 Update (12:21 pm cst)
Time spent reading: 1 hour 33 minutes
Pages read: 57
Distractions: the kid keeps asking for PB&J (making it now); took a 42 minute break during last update but didn't mean to break that long. aiming for only 15 minute breaks.
Reading thoughts: Hunger Games still going well. Starting Part Two.

Hour 8 Update (4:19 pm cst)
Time spent reading: 3 hours 20 minutes
Pages read: 129
Distractions: potty break and PRESSURE! Pressure to read faster, to be done with at least one freakin' book by now! oh and fixing the kid a snack.
Reading thoughts: Why is it taking me so long to finish a YA novel? It's good though.

Hour 12 Update (7:45 pm cst)(The 12th hour actually begins @ 8 pm)
Time spent reading: 3 hours 4 minutes
Pages read: 112
Distractions: fixing the kid dinner. nothing major. starting to struggle with sleep monsters. I'm slowly accepting that I'm a slow reader. No! I'm taking a speed reading course dammit!
Reading thoughts: The Hunger Games was very entertaining and I look forward to Catching Fire.

Hour 14 Update (10:06 pm cst)
Time spent reading: 2 hours
Pages read: 65
Distractions: nothing major. potty break. made a turkey sandwich.oh wait the mr. started rubbing my tootsies. *sigh*
Reading thoughts: Am happy and kicking myself for waiting so long to read a Carleen Brice novel. She's been on my radar since her first novel, Orange, Mint & Honey, was published. I'm reading her second novel, Children of the Waters.

Hour 19 Update (3:10 am cst)
Time spent reading: 3 hours 11 minutes
Pages read: 82
Distractions: 32 minute nap, potty breaks. I had to crash for a few minutes. I can't even claim stamina this time.
Reading thoughts: I'm really enjoying Children of the Waters. I can't wait to interview Carleen Brice.

Hour 21 Update (5:05 am cst)
Time spent reading: 2 hours 5 minutes
Pages read: 52
Distractions: only the sleep monsters
Reading thoughts: I really don't wanna stop reading this book, but I should so I can retain it for my review and interview.


Total time spent reading: 17 hours 57 minutes
Total pages read: 569
Total books read: 1 2/3

Thanx to Dreadlock Girl for hosting another fun and challenging read-a-thon!

That is not a typo or drunk typing. That stands for National Buy A Book By A Black Author And Give It To Someone Not Black Month. This is author Carleen Brice's call to action to get non-black folks more acclimated to books in the African American section of the bookstore. See, first we gift them a book by a Black author, they love it and, now, that AA book section isn't so intimidating anymore. If you really wanna take this gift to the next level include her  "I <3 Black Authors" tee. All December long, buy books by Black authors and give them to someone not Black.

Here are just a few suggestions:
Slumberland by Paul Beatty
Let the Lion Eat Straw by Ellease Southerland
Children of the Waters by Carleen Brice
Sugar by Bernice L. McFadden
Kinky Gazpacho by Lori Tharps
Leaving Cecil Street by Diane McKinney-Whetstone
Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler

The readathon was a blast and it took me out once it was over. I was reading, promptly, at 7 am Saturday morning and went to bed a few minutes after 7 am Sunday morning. Then I was up again at 11:15 am. Huh? What?! Mom duties called and we visited my parents for a while. I was back in bed about 7:30 pm and slept until 8:30 am this morning. Now, I've gotten too much sleep. But it was all in good fun.

Here's what I read:
Donovan's Word Jar by MonaLisa DeGross (Children's fiction)
Quicksand by Nella Larsen (novella)
Oroonoko by Aphra Behn (novella) (didn't finish this one)
The First Part Last by Angela Johnson (YA fiction)
Night by Elie Wiesel (novella)
From The Notebooks of Melanin Sun by Jacqueline Woodson (YA fiction)

Total pages read: 636 pages
Hours spent reading: I'm guessing about 21. I never stopped for more than 15 minutes to record a vlog or feed the kid. And I wasted about 45 minutes on 2 challenges. I didn't nap either.

I'm disappointed with my reading totals. I think I got bogged down a little by Oroonoko and Quicksand. Next time, I'll read longer novels. I think I'd feel more accomplished if I'd read the same amount of pages but of 2 or 3 full novels. Needless to say, I can't wait to do it again.

Thanks a million times over to the organizers of the readathon: Eva, Nymeth, Hannah & Trish!
And thanks so much to all the cheerleaders. I really appreciated every one stopping by and cheering me on in my first readathon.

This will be my single post for read-a-thon. I will update every few hours, so check back often. And, surprise, I'm doing video updates. So you all get to see me go from perky and excited to deranged and exhausted. Hell ya! I'll be all a-twitter with mini updates and letting you all know when I post a new video. So stay tuned...

I did it! I stayed up the entire 24 hours without so much as a power nap. You're not hardcore unless you READ hardcore! I'll do a recap/wrap-up post later.

1st update
2nd update
3rd update

Hour 4 Mini Challenge
Hosted by Bart's Bookshelf

Create a sentence using 3-4 book titles from your bookshelf.

Cane, say you're one of them leaving Cecil Street searching for whitopia.

I cracked myself up with that one!

Hour 2 Mini Challenge
Hosted by Wordlily
Ok, so I suck at getting screenshots apparently. I hope this will suffice. Good news, though: #readathon is like #6 in trending topics! woot! woot!

Hi everyone. Dina and I are about to kick off a month-long tour for our book, Another Faust, and we want to do it by announcing a contest! We are looking for the most promising writers out there (that’s YOU). And then we want to showcase their work, so that all of the Internet can bask in their awesome writing might (and, you know, give them prizes).

HERE’S HOW IT GOES.

We want you to write your own short story, re-imagining of the Faustian Bargain. (For inspiration, check out Bedazzled, Simpsons “Tree House of Horrors IV,” and The Little Mermaid). It can be about anything you like (but let’s keep it PG-13, and under 3,000 words), and it’s open to everyone.

All you have to do is send your entry to dviergutz@gmail.com before January 31.


Rules and details can be found here:

http://www.danielanddina.com/site/2009/10/writing-contest-create-another-ano

ther-faust/

Make sure to read them so you don’t get DQed

And the winner gets all kinds of sweetness:

A signed copy of Another Faust

A handwritten deleted scene

A featured article & interview on our site

An author’s galley of the sequel Another Pan


Though we’ll feature the top five on our site for comments, the judging WON’T happen by popular vote (so basically, we don't care which contestant has the most friends). Dina and I will personally read them.

So, spread the word! Tweet, retweet, forward, thread, spread, embed this post.
 

Good luck!

D&D

I stumbled across a post mentioning this at White Readers Meet Black Authors. I also want to say congratulations to one of my favorite writers on being a "genius". If you're not familiar with Edwidge Danticat's works, do yourself a favor and recognize her magnificence by reading Breath, Eyes, Memory or The Dew Breaker just to get your feet wet. Check out the full story in the Miami Herald. And in other bookish news...

I read on B&N's website this morning and on the NY Times arts beat blog this afternoon that the public will be allowed, for the first time, to vote on the best book to ever win the National Book Award since its inception 60 years ago. NYT is comparing this open forum to American Idol.  I'm not sure how I feel just yet, but I will vote. It feels a bit like a consolation prize. We don't get to vote on the next winner of the prize, but instead, we get to vote for the best amongst six finalists with previous wins. It's like an all-star challenge. It's still an opportunity to hear from regular, everyday readers and not just leave it up to a "panel of experts".

Of course, many will surely find the this shortlist flawed. It's mostly white and/or male for starters. I don't have the energy today to say more than that regarding what's wrong with this list. But, like I said, I'll still throw my vote in the ring.

Will you vote on popularity or merit?

Let me know what you think of this "people's choice award" then, head over here to vote.

For today's BBAW activity, I'm sharing a bit about my reading habits.

Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack? Yes, cashews.

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of
writing in books horrify you? Writing in books is punishable by law...

Fiction, Non-fiction, or both? Both.. I don't discriminate.

Hard copy or audiobooks? hard copy. Audiobooks are like an oxymoron.

What are you currently reading? Atlas of Unknowns by Tania James

Is there a specific book or author that you find yourself recommending over and over? Let The Lion Eat Straw by Ellease Southerland

How do you organize your books? (By genre, title, author’s last name, etc.?)  Too many books, Too little space, there is currently no method to the madness. In my dream space it will be by author.

I'm so delighted to be apart of the BBAW interviews this year. It was a pleasure interviewing manga and YA fiction fan, Diana of Stop, Drop, and Read! Let's see what Diana had to say...

I love the name of your blog, Oriental Desires, and the blog design. What's the story behind the name?
Why thank you Terri! For my domain name, I actually struggled to figure out what I wanted. It was a little hard. Oriental Desires came to me when I thought to try something that would relate to my personal interests. I really admire oriental-related things, be it designs or stories. And there are times where I would see something oriental and desire it, hence my domain name is born. But actually, my blog's name is Stop, Drop, and Read!, which I came up with after. By the time my review blog was well established, orientaldesires.blogspot.com already stuck before I could switch it to stopdropandread.blogspot.com. There are times where I wonder if I should change it but in the end, I'm too used to it and it gives it a flare.

How long have you been blogging and what got you started?
I did a couple of reviews back when I was in elementary for a kid's newspaper called The Brand New Planet. It discontinued awhile but I always wanted to do something like that again. Ever since I discovered review blogs, I thought it would have been a great idea. It also kept track of what I have read and improved my English ever since I started last August.

I see you're a fan of manga which, based on my limited knowledge, seems to be very similar to anime. Can you tell me the difference between the two?
Anime is basically Japanese animation, like Pokemon and Sailor Moon that you see on TV. Manga on the other hand is Japanese graphic novels. Like comics, but instead of Marvel stuff, you get stories of all kinds by Japanese artists. (You would have to read backwards!) Since mangas have become widely popular, you have other Asian countries doing their own comics too. (Korean = manhwa, Chinese = manhua, etc).

Anime and mangas have generated millions of fans across the globe and many have adapted their own drawing style to "manga". It's something that pretty much anyone can enjoy because like stories, mangas' limit is sky high. 

What's your favorite book and who's your favorite author?
I can't really decide on only one favourite book and one favourite author! I have so many! But if I have to say my favourite novel at the moment, then it would be Ballads of Suburbia by Stephanie Kuehnert. And favourite author is Maryrose Wood!

Real books or e-books?
I can not stand e-books. Real books for me because they are more authentic and I would be in a better mood to read it. Not stare at a screen, no siree.

Do you read in silence or have some background noise?
Silence for sure. If the book doesn't capture me completely and I'm trying to read it with background noises, I tend to skim over. It gets a little frustrating.

If you had to give up something to support your reading habit, what would it be?
Whoa, that's a little hard when you are asking Miss Indecisive here. Hm, I don't think I will be able to answer this one, sorry!

If you were going to venture outside of reading YA fiction and manga, what genre would you try?
Well, I do read adult novels because I review for the Hachette Book Group. But something I haven't read yet but really want to check out are those Harlequin novels. I want to see how cheesy or possibly how erotic they are haha.


Thanx, Diana!

So, everyone be sure to check out Diana's spot: Stop, Drop, and Read!