On to a good start...

I am chugging my way through this year's reading challenges hosted by Bev of My Reader's Block- and it helps that I am on vacation! Most of the books I picked have been really great reads.

**Stay tuned for reviews of all these books!**

Vintage mystery challenge

Mystery at 31 New Inn by Austin Freeman; Published 1912 (Category number)
Currently reading Read: Dyke Darrel The Railroad Detective by Frank Pinkerton; Published 1886 (Category Scene of crime)
Currently reading:Woman in White by Wilkie Collins; written 1859  (Category color)

 



Color Coded challenge

The Black cat by Martha Grimes
Red badge of courage by Stephen Crane
Domestic Violets (P.S.) by Norman Matthew
Currently reading:The Ivory Trail by Talbot Mundy

Reading challenges this year

This is the first time I am taking on something like this, and I am super excited about it. I am doing two reading challenges this year- quite scary especially me and commitments do not go hand in hand you see. 

These challenges are hosted by Bev of My Reader's Block- she really does put me to shame!

A vintage mystery mini-challenge: must read 4 vintage books in one of the categories mentioned by Dec 31st (doable you think, I say you think?!!)

Below is my plan for the mystery mini challenge

Woman in White (Category: Wicked women or Color in title)
Mystery of 31 New Inn (Category: Murder by the Numbers)
Green mantle (Color in the title)


And the other more daunting one hosted by Bev again- Color coded challenge and here is my plan for that

1. A book with "Blue" or any shade of Blue (Turquoise, Aquamarine, Navy, etc) in the title- Black and Blue by Anna Quindlen

2. A book with "Red" or any shade of Red (Scarlet, Crimson, Burgandy, etc) in the title-  

Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane

3. A book with "Yellow" or any shade of Yellow (Gold, Lemon, Maize, etc.) in the title-  
The Golden Notebook by Dorris Lessing

4. A book with "Green" or any shade of Green (Emerald, Lime, Jade, etc) in the title.

5. A book with "Brown" or any shade of Brown (Tan, Chocolate, Beige, etc) in the title- 
The Poisoned Chocolates Case By Anthony Berkeley

6. A book with "Black" or any shade of Black (Jet, Ebony, Charcoal, etc) in the title- The black cat by Martha Grimes

7. A book with "White" or any shade of White (Ivory, Eggshell, Cream, etc) in the title.

8. A book with any other color in the title (Purple, Orange, Silver, Pink, Magneta, etc.)-Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson

9. A book with a word that implies color (Rainbow, Polka-dot, Plaid, Paisley, Stripe, etc.)

I will update this post as I finish reading and come up with titles in the other categories! If you have suggestions for me- please do let me know. 

And in case you are interested, hop on over to Bev's to sign up for the challenge.

Mmhmm it is 2013....so what?

As a child and even as a teenager, I used to give in to the New year's eve festivities- we would not do much but mostly cut a cake, watch some TV is all but that felt like a world to me. But over the last few years- the festivities have lost all their allure. To me it is yet another day. I wake up today 01/01/2012 and nothing has changed- we still do not know if we were thrown off the fiscal cliff, the dairy cliff (and whatever "cliffs" CNN and the 24 hr news media could conjure up-I still hate them), my experiments still have not gone anywhere and Houston is still in drought!
    On a a day when millions are celebrating the past (hopefully) and welcoming the future/present, I cannot help but think about the people who call streets their abode, people who have been displaced from their homes and lands, people who starve each day, people who are grieving for their loved ones (this year- in Syria, Phillipines, Connecticut, Colorado, Delhi and many more countries). I wonder how do they welcome a new year, a brand new year.
    A part of me wants to believe that there is hope in all this (but haven't we been singing the hope song for a long time now) and that is why millions brave the frigid temperatures and swarms of crowds to be a part of "ringing in" celebrations world wide. But if it is HOPE then it should last all through the year and it should make us better people (may be I am missing something and hopefully I can figure it out before we ring in 2014!)
     Until then,
Stay safe
Be happy
Reduce, Reuse and recycle (do your part to protect the place you live in)
spread the love y'all, and remember
Do not do to others what you do not want others to do unto you..

Note to self- be more charitable this year since you do not need any more clothes, accessories, utensils, kitchen gadgets, art supplies....

HAPPY 2013!