Merry Wanderer of the Night:
challenges

So remember how I went on a book buying ban in March and everything went swimmingly? And then I bought quite a few books right after it but felt guilt free about the whole thing? Well in the last week I somehow managed to obtain 18 new books. Which is a lot and now I feel guilty and stressed about it. For awhile I've been trying to read thicker books in order to get another shelf of "read" books on my shelves but the length of most of these books is daunting for me. I've also been in a reading funk, which isn't helping. On Friday I picked up Juliet, Naked

because it was short and I knew I'd be pulled in right away since I love Nick Hornby. I ended up finishing the book yesterday and that is when I realized it. Short books.

After I finished Juliet, Naked I went to my bookshelves and pulled all the books that looked to be about 200 pages or less. I found eighteen books which comes out to about 2500 pages total. My goal is to read about 80 pages a day and finish all of these books in the month of May. 80 pages a day, that is totally doable. And in one month I can clear off a huge chunk of books sitting on my shelves. Another great thing about this is the selection of books. It's pretty evenly spread between books I've just gotten and books I've had for quite awhile. It's also pretty even between fiction and nonfiction, classic versus modern and so on.

Short books are great because they don't seem like a huge commitment. If I get fifty pages into a short book and I don't like it then I can put it down knowing I read at least a quarter of the book. Amazingly, I often put off reading short books because I think they'll be better for a week when I have a lot going on or when I'm doing a readathon. Short books are great for those things--but I never try to read them when I have a lot going on. I also buy short books a lot because I think there is no way I won't read it if it's only 150 pages. Obviously all of these assumptions are a little sketchy since ten percent of the books I own are of the short variety.

Anyone want to join me?

Also, I'd like to take this opportunity to give Briana at The Book Pixie a shout-out. She sent me Capote in Kansas during April for Random Acts of Kindness. I'm looking forward to reading it around Halloween as it is a ghost story! If you haven't checked out Random Acts of Kindness you definitely should. I've really enjoyed sending others books and getting books in return.

I am an Amazon Affiliate. If you make a purchase using one of my links I will earn a small percentage which will then go back into this blog.

After serious consideration I have decided to go ahead and join another challenge, the Summer Break Reading Challenge. The thing about this question is that I pretty much cannot fail since I ahve wanted to read this books anyway (so in theory I shouldn't be able to fail). Here is the list of books I want to read before the end of August:

1. To Kill a Mockingbird
2. The Catcher in the Rye
3. Her Fearful Symmetry
4. Gone With the Wind
5. Middlesex
6. A Walk in the Woods
7. The Maze Runner
8 Envy (Luxe Series)

I'm hoping to read a lot more books than just these, but these are the books I really want to read this summer.

I was planning on reading a lot of Jane Austen this year anyway, so it only makes sense for me to sign up for Haley of A Life (And Lies) Jane Austen Challenge. There are three levels and I will be signed up for the middle one, or the the Lover level. This challenge runs from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2010. So since I'm at the lover level that means I have to read four books by Jane Austen and four spoofs, sequels, prequels, re-writes, etc.

Here is my list:

1. (J.A.) Mansfield Park
2. (J.A.) Emma
3. (J.A.) Persuasion
4. (J.A.) Pride and Prejudice
5. The Jane Austen Book Club
6. Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict
7. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
8. Mr. Darcy, Vampyre

I just found out about this challenge today. I love essay collections so this is really a good challenges for me. I'm hoping to read 30 essays total. I will list them as I read them. This challenge is hosted by Books and Movies.

Here are the basics:

~ Join anytime, but don’t start reading until January 1, 2010. The challenge ends November 30, 2010.
~ If you read a book of essays, that book can also apply to any other challenges you are working on.
~ Choose a goal of reading 10, 20, or 30 essays, and then write a challenge post, linking back to this post. Feel free to copy and paste the above image into your challenge post.
~ Copy your challenge post’s link into Mr. Linky on the challenge post.
~ You don’t have to list your essays ahead of time – just have fun reading throughout the year.
~ I will put up a page for the challenge in my left sidebar, and add a Mr. Linky for essay reviews and wrap-up posts as the year goes on.
~ Everyone who completes the challenge and writes at least one review will be eligible for the giveaway prize: A copy of Best American Essays 2010.
~ New for 2010: You can earn extra credit – and an extra entry in the giveaway – by writing an essay of your own and leaving the link at the challenge page.
~ I will put up a wrap-up and giveaway post sometime early in December – that’s why the challenge only runs through November.

So Thursday marked my last month as a teenager. Yes, I am turning twenty. Most people aren't that excited about their 20th birthday, and I guess I'm not really either. To make things a little more exciting I've decided to do a self challenge. I've never read a lot of YA books, even when I was a teenager. I mentioned during National Novel Writing Month that this was the reason I decided to write a YA novel. When I was in high school it was the cool thing to not read YA books, but to read literature books. Sometimes I regret not reading more YA, but the truth is that I really had trouble finding YA books that interested me.

So yesterday I did some shopping, virtually and physically, and found four YA books that I would like to give a shot. The first I've already started. It's The Red Necklace by Sally Gardner. I also ordered the first three books in the Luxe series by Anna Godbersen, Sorcery and Cecelia, or the Enchanted Pot by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer, and A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray. Most of these are historical fiction, which to be honest I wasn't very interested in when I was in my early to mid teens. I was really interested in Kurt Vonnegut and Jack Kerouac at the time. The turning point in my reading habits was actually when I read Jane Eyre, although it wasn't an immediate change. It's taken me awhile to really become a historical fiction reader, although I've always enjoyed books set in the past.

So basically this is just a way for me to relax, read some books that I probably wouldn't read otherwise, and enjoy my last few days as a teenager. I'll be posting the reviews to these books as well as something adolescent every Saturday until January 9, which is the day before my birthday.

Okay, so I know I said no more challenges, but this isn't an actual challenge really. It's more of a personal goal and growth challenge. The Reading Resolutions Challenge is hosted by Jenny Loves to Read. I was going to wait to post this until it was closer to new years, but since I have finished signing up for challenges now seems like a good time. I am a new blogger, English Major's Junk Food has only been around for three months, but I have been a reader for a long time and every year I say I'm going to do certain things and stuff (friends, school, life) gets in the way. Hopefully publishing it for all of you to read will help keep me on track.

In the short amount of time that I've been blogging I have really seen a change in how I read. I read a lot more for one thing, mostly because I feel like I have a reason to read. I want to thank everyone who has helped me learn the ropes and get involved in the community. It's been a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to the upcoming year!

My first resolution is to keep reading often and posting often. I have started a few blogs in the past and usually they only last a week or two and I quit. I don't want that to happen to this blog because I am loving it.

My second resolution is to get out of my historical fiction and classics box even more. I posted about the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge and mentioned that I want to read different kinds of historical fiction that I haven't read before. I would like to do that in general all year. I'm okay with staying inside my preferred genres but I really want to try some new things out. Specifically I would like to try out some more YA novels. There are some great ones out there but I never really pay attention to them.

My third resolution is to post more about the children's books I've been reading. On average I read about four-five children's books per week. I probably won't post about the meh ones, but ones that I really do not like or do like will be spotlighted on this blog.

My final reading resolution is not exactly a reading resolution, but we'll go with it. I want to start keeping a journal again. I used to be an avid journal writer but when I came to college I quit. I'd like to keep a journal to write about what I am reading and my life in a way that I really can't on my blog.

Finally, here are a list of all the challenges I am signed up for:
Shelf Discovery hosted by Booking Mama.
Reading Western Europe hosted by Samantha's Reading Challenge.
18th and 19th Century Women Writers hosted by Becky's Book Reviews.
All About the Brontes Challenge hosted by Laura's Reviews.
Historical Fiction Reading Challenge hosted by Royal Reviews.
First in a Series Challenge hosted by Royal Reviews.
Second in a Series Challenge hosted by Royal Reviews.

EDIT
I couldn't resist this one: You've Got Mail Challenge.

These are the last challenges I'm signing up for. The 1st in a Series and 2nd in a Series Challenges are hosted by Royal Reviews. I haven't read a lot of series but this year I have found a few and there others that I would like to try out. For right now I'm planning on doing the Curious level of each, which means I'm reading 3 books that are the 1st in a series and 3 books that are the second. I know I'm going to end up reading more books that are second in a series though, because I have a couple of series that I read the first books of recently and I want to read the second. Series are dangerous because if you like one then you want to read all of them immediately. For this challenge I have chosen three series and I am planning on reading the first and second books of each.

1. The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig and The Masque of the Black Tulip by Lauren Willig
2. A Catch of Consequence by Diana Norman and Taking Liberties by Diana Norman
3. The Many Lives and Secret Sorrows of Josephine B. by Sandra Gulland and Tales of Passion, Tales of Woe by Sandra Gulland

I'm also thinking about picking up a YA series but haven't quite decided yet.

Instead of working on my homework like a responsible college student I've been distracting myself by signing up for lots of reading challenges! I have posted about this one yet and now seems like as good a time as ever because I'm right in the middle of writing a paper (you should know that my brain has deteriorated to such a point that I first wrote that I was "write in the middle of righting a paper").

Anyway... Royal Reviews is hosting a Historical Fiction Reading Challenge. If you've been reading my blog then you know this is right up my alley since I love historical fiction. I will be doing the Addicted level which means I'm planning on reading twelve historical fiction books from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2010. I'll probably end up at the Obsessed Level, which is 20 books, but who knows. Maybe I'll fall out of love with historical fiction in 2010. To make things a little more interesting on myself I have come up with a list of historical fiction genres I have yet to explore. I mostly just read historical fiction about 18th and 19th Century Britain but there a lot of other books I want to read out there. I'm not going to come up with a definite list of books, but I would like to read one book from each of the following sub-genres or time periods or places:

1. The Civil War
2. Something about Mary, Queen of Scots
3. A Historical Romance Novel (wooo)
4. The Great Depression
5. Japan
6. A Western Historical Novel

I did writing sprints for the first time tonight and I am so pleased that I did. I've really been struggling with my novel the past few days. It seems like I have to drag myself to it and I've skipped writing a few times, although I usually make it up the next day. Writing sprints really helped me get past word count tonight because it broke up the time. In general I have been writing 1,667 words in one sitting every day. I get distracted and write really long chapters.

No to be conceited, but I like my book. There are some serious problems with it right now that I will definitely need to edit later, but I'm proud of myself for getting this far. I a couple ideas for novels I want to write in the future. I'm not sure if I'll try to tackle one during the summer or if I will wait to start one for NaNo next year. If nothing else, I have never written this much for so many days. On top of everything else I have going on in my life it is seriously amazing.

Word Count thus far: 37,275*

*That means I only have 12, 725 words left!!!

Well it's halfway through the month and that means I'm halfway finished writing my first novel!

I'm really proud of myself for getting this far. As I've said before, having a writing buddy (my great boyfriend, Jason) has really helped me. For those of you who started and quit, don't be ashamed. I quit last year, in fact I barely started, and now I'm on my way to finishing. Here are some things that have helped me succeed so far this year.

1. Having a writing buddy. I know I have already said this but I cannot stress this enough. If you have a writing buddy then there is someone else there to keep you on track. If my boyfriend is working on his novel and I have nothing to do then I have no choice but to work on my novel too. If you can't find someone to write with you in person then follow other writers on Twitter. When you see other writers succeeding in spite of their busy lives you will become motivated too.

2. Write a plot before you write your novel. No matter how vague it is, writing by the seat of your pants is just not a good idea. It's fine if you change your plot as you go along (I've certainly changed mine), but knowing what your story is about will help you tremendously. Last year I wanted to write a Western, but I didn't have a storyline in mind. I just thought I could write in the style and a story would come to me. Bad idea. This year I did an exercise where I summed up my plot in one sentence. This helps keep me on track, but allows me to let my characters grow.

3. Don't let yourself fall behind in the beginning. If you can stay on track those first seven days you will be so far into your novel that it will be hard not to return to it. Well, maybe not hard, but not as easy as quitting a story that only has two thousand words. You may think you will have more time later. You will not. Write now.

I hope everyone else is having a successful NaNo experience. If anyone else has some tips or experiences to share please leave some comments!

I've already been busy reading for most of the day, which is good because I have a very busy evening ahead of me.

I'm reading my first George Eliot book right now, Middlemarch

. I'm really enjoying it even though it is a challenging (and long) book. I've been considering hosting a George Eliot challenge. If there is anyone interested in that please let me know. It would be a light challenge, probably only one book and a movie.

I'm also reading The Moon, Come to Earth: Dispatches from Lisbon

by Philip Graham. The book is a travelog about Graham's year in Lisbon with his wife and daughter. It's a quick read with some really beautiful passages and great questions about place and travel. I'm about halfway down with it.

I spent about nine hours reading yesterday (mostly homework) so I'm kind of taking a lighter day today. I have three meetings to go to tonight so I will be very busy for the rest of the day.

This week I plan on continuing the books I've already mentioned as well as finish The Lover

by Marguerite Duras. I will probably pick up another book but I haven't decided which yet.

Find out more about Sunday Salon here.

When I found out about Laura's Reviews' All About the Brontes Challenge I became overwhelmed with the amount of books I want to read about the Brontes. It is really my favorite topic and I have several books that I haven't gotten around to reading because I've been to busy. So I've come up with a list of the bare minimum I want to read, mostly books I already have. Yes, this is the bare minimum. I'm really a Bronte nerd. The challenge runs from January 1, 2010 to June 30, 2010.

Shirley by Charlotte Bronte
The Professor by Charlotte Bronte
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte
Charlotte Bronte: A Passionate Life by Lyndall Gordon
The Three Brontes by May Sinclair
The Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fford
The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte by Syrie James

A Little Princess

by Frances Hodgson Burnett is my first book for Booking Mama's Shelf Discovery Challenge. The novel takes place in 19th Century London. Sarah Crewe is taken from her home in India to attend Miss Minchin's boarding school for girls. She is rich and her father showers her with every extravagance, until he dies and she is tossed into the attic to live with the scullery maid. Sarah never loses heart though, and still thinks of herself as a princess when she is wearing rags. She has a wild imagination which is tested by continuous hunger. When new neighbors move in she is fascinated by their Indian furniture and grows fond of watching them. Sarah adopts them as her friends even though she never speaks to them, but she finds out they are closer to her than she realized.

I had never read A Little Princess before, but I watched the 1995 version of the movie several times as a child. The movie changes a lot of things that I was a little surprised by, it really changed the meaning of the novel. I loved how in depth the book goes into what Sarah is thinking when Miss Minchin yells at her, even as an adult I wish that I could think the way she does.

When you will not fly into a passion people know you are stronger than they are, because you are strong enough to hold in your rage, and they are not, and they say stupid things they wish they hadn't said afterward.

I was interested to read that the book was possibly inspired by Charlotte Bronte's unfinished novel Emma. Charlotte Bronte is my favorite author now so it was interesting to see yet again how my taste in childrens books are so similar to my taste in books now. My favorite part of the book was definitely the relationship between Sarah and the Indian lascar. It really captures the obsession with the Eastern mystique; everything he does is seen as magic. At the end you find out, of course, that it was not magic at all but that he was just sneaky. I felt like this really questioned the perception of India, almost in the vein of Virginia Woolf.

I am an Amazon Affiliate. If you make a purchase using one of my links I will earn a small percentage which will then go back into this blog.

I just signed up for two great book challenges for next year. The first is Becky's Book Reviews 18th and 19th Century Women Writers Reading Challenge. It is a pretty light challenge, only two books required over the course of the year, and since it's my favorite genre I have a feeling that I will completely obliterate that in a month. I'm just excited to find a reading challenge that fits with what I like already, even though it's really not challenging. I'm challenging myself to read two authors I have not heard of before, so hopefully that will shake things up.

The second challenge I signed up for is also for all of 2010. It is called Reading Western Europe which is another one of my interests. It's a heftier challenge, twelve books over the course of the year. You are required to read one book that is set in each of the twelve countries listed on the site. Some of them are easy, like Ireland, England, and France, while others are more challenging, like Monaco. Luckily there is a cheat sheet on the sign up page to give you ideas.

Both of these are great and creative challenges that I'm very excited for!

I've made it through my first week of NaNoWriMo! So far the story is going really well, although I've been making a few changes to the plot as I've been going along. After forty-three pages of novel my 5-15 page Nonfiction essay seems less scary.

I don't think I've mentioned this before, but my boyfriend is doing NaNo with me. I can't even express how helpful this has been. Most days we write at the same time and we keep each other going. I don't know if I'd still be going without him, last year I ended up quitting after two days. We didn't even discuss doing NaNo together, he just knew I was doing it and started the same day as me. Then the next day he started telling me about his novel. I was surprised and excited to have a writing buddy.

So far the I have just been reaching the recommended word counts, I'm hoping that when November 22 comes I will be inspired and write a lot (maybe I'll even finish my novel! Dream on).

Word count thus far: 11,177

So far this year's Nanowrimo is going much better than last year's. I'm actually keeping up with my story and coming up with a pretty good plot. Last year I tried to write a Western which I think was a little ambitious on my part considering I have read very few Westerns. This year does not require any research on my part, but I'm not getting bored because there are some twists in the story that are making it fun for me to write. I'm trying to only write the suggested word count for the days right now, if I get too excited and write all the time I know I will get burnt out on it.

My story has changed a little bit because of something that happened to me. Yesterday I feel down a bunch of stairs and twisted my ankle, so now I cannot walk very well and my ankle looks humongous. In a sense it was a good thing though because it made me come up with a better way for my two main character's to meet.

I started a discussion in the Young Adult genre forum about how old everyone is. Most of the YA writers who responded were in their twenties, but a lot of them said they had younger siblings that helped inspire them to write YA stories. I do not have this luxury, my main characters are both seniors in high school since that is not too far away from where I am now (but far enough thank goodness!). I'm actually really enjoying writing characters that are in high school because it was a time of my life that I despised. This is my main motivation and inspiration for writing these characters. I feel like I understand their angst.

Word Count Thus Far: 5015

I started my novel today for National Novel Writing Month. After much struggling in my decision I have decided to write a YA romance, or is it really a romance? I chose this over the historical fiction because it required less research. If I had spent October working on research then I probably would have chosen my historical fiction story, but since I did not YA it is. I'm attempting to right a YA novel that I would have read when I was a teenager, which is actually a lot harder than you might think. When I was at the age for YA novels I had pretty much lost interest in them because I didn't feel like they were catered towards girls like me. So maybe I'm onto something, we'll find out.

I wrote exactly 1,667 words today, so I'm right on track!

Today I found out about yet another great book challenge going around. It is crazy that I found out about Shelf Discovery today because I posted my favorite books from childhood. Shelf Discovery: The Teen Classics We Never Stop Reading is a book by Lizzie Skurnick. The challenge is to read this book as well as six classics from the list in the book. What a great challenge! It is also running for six months, so that only comes out to one book a month which makes it easy to include in all the other challenges. To find out more check out Booking Mama's blog here.

I have not read the book yet but based on the table of contents I will be reading the following six books:

My Sweet Audrina by V.C. Andrews
A Little Princess by Francis Hodgson Burnett
Hangin' Out With Cici by Francine Pascal
Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Are You there God? It's Me Margaret by Judy Blume
Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh

The only book I have already read is Little House on the Prairie so this should be a great way to broaden my teenage horizons. Also, this is my last year as a teenager (two more months to go!) so this will be a nice farewell for me.