Warming Up...

I've been reading a lot for myself lately. I've forgotten what it was like to just totally lose yourself in a book without having to make notes for a discussion or test later.

Here are some of the books I've been warming up for the 52/52 Challenge:

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. This one is a classic for a reason. Action, adventure, humor, it's all there. It really did take me for a trip down the Mississippi and I can't believe I haven't read it until now.

The Children of the Company. This is one of a series about The Company, a company from the future that has mastered time travel and sends it's cyborg operatives back in time to collect valuable items to be saved for the future. The author was a friend of my aunt and the book is actually dedicated, in part, to my cousin. Kage has an uncanny way of telling a story in a casual conversational way that draws you in envelops you. It's a shame that she passed away last year, her stories will be greatly missed.

How to Live on Mars: A Guidebook to Surviving and Thriving on the Red Planet. A toungue in cheek look at surviving on Mars. It's clear the author is not a fan of NASA and fully believes that Mars colonization will happen by the will of the private sector. It's very humorous and fact filled. I especially like how his response educating your children is either private school or homeschool.

The Outlander: A Novel. This book was ok. I'm not sure I would recommend it though. By the authors own admission the book has a narrow focus to hide the fact that she is still a new writer, and the charcter development was a little thin.

I've started on this one, Warrior. Although, I'm undecided if I want to finish it. I like the premise of the book and there seems to be a lot of potential, but the author doesn't make me care about the characters, and I'm just not impressed overall.

Official, Unofficial Rules

Here are the 52 in 52 Reading Challenge "Rules" as posted by Robin at
My Two Blessings.

"The rules are very simple and the goal is to read one book (at least) a week for 52 weeks.

1.The challenge will run from January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2011.
2.Our book weeks will begin on Sunday.
3.Participants may join at any time.
4.All forms of books are acceptable including e-books, audio books, etc.
5.Re-reads are acceptable as long as they are read after January 1, 2011.
6.Books may overlap other challenges.
7.Create an entry post linking to the 52 Weeks blog.
8.Sign up with Mr. Linky in the "I'm participating post" post.
9.You don't have a blog to participate. Post your weekly book in the comments section.
10.Mr. Linky will be added to the bottom of the weekly post to link to reviews of most current reads."

No problem...

An Introduction...

I think the blog title says it all, but here are my reasons for taking this challenge:

1. Good writers are voracious readers.

2. I do not read as much as I used to. As a result, I feel my i.q. has dropped sharply. It's time to remedy this.

3. Less screen time. I tend to hyperfocus, and the screens have taken over my time.

4. To have some time for myself. Even though some, if not most, of the books I will be reading are part of my children's homeschool assignments, I need some time to lose myself in a book.

5. To set a good example.

If you are taking this challenge, what is your number one reason?