Something wicked...

Halloween is (slowly) approaching. And with that comes new challenges! I (sort of) participated in this challenge last year, my very first attempt at a reading challenge. And even then I made up my own rules. This time I'm officially joining the RIP Challenge! Click the link for the rules and all. I am doing "Peril the Second," reading two 'scary' books by October 31.

My books will be...

1. The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
2. The Halloween Tree - Ray Bradbury

Exciting!

An uphill battle...

I don't know what the deal is, but I am having the hardest time with my current read, Blonde. I have wanted to read this book for a while and it's an interesting subject, but I have this book out from the library for almost five weeks and I've barely gotten to page 50. Some of the problem, I believe, is the heft of the book. Not that it's too long, but it's too big. It's a hardback edition of an almost 800 page book. And no joke, my hands get tired holding this book for much more than three or four pages at a time. So that's how I'm reading it. In four page increments. I considered turning it back into the library and just reading other things, maybe coming back to it near the end of the challenge, but I would still have the same problem. So I'm forging ahead, trying to get through it. But it's taking me forever.

The wrap up...

About a week ago I finished the Southern Reading Challenge.

I enjoyed 2 out of the 3 books I read for the challenge. Of the two I enjoyed I hope to read more by those authors. Of the one I didn't enjoy, I've heard really good things about this author and heard that the book I read was not one of her best, so maybe I'll give her another try sometime.

My books...
1. Standing in the Rainbow - Fannie Flagg 4/5
2. Quite a Year for Plums - Bailey White 2/5
3. Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen 5/5

Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen - Susan Gregg Gilmore

looking for salvation at the dairy queen
susan gregg gilmore
c. 2008
250-ish pages
completed 7/31/2008

*may contain spoilers*

I loved this book. I started reading it and couldn't put it down. It was so funny. The characters were great, they were all really well written. There were the usual small town weirdos and stereotypes, but they weren't so outrageous as to make them unbelievable. Catherine Grace's voice was wonderful, giving lots of insight and back story to every character and event.

What was especially impressive was the Christianity of the book. And by that I mean, this is a story about a preacher's daughter in small town Georgia. There was a lot of church talk and biblical references, but it was never too "preachy." And even though everyone learned to love one another and be good Christians after Catherine Grace gave her eulogy, I loved that she was like "let's be for real, that wasn't going to last long."

There were only two small things I wasn't thrilled with.

The characterization of Flora made me slightly...uncomfortable. It was a little too much of a stereotype for me. Of course this book was set in Georgia in the 70's and maybe I'm too much of a Seattle girl of the new millennium to know if that was just "how it was."

Also, the storyline of Lena Mae coming back from the dead was a little abrupt for me. I understand how it fit with the story, but there wasn't really enough explanation of why she left and couldn't come back. I know why she left, but why couldn't she come back? And then in the end, she just slipped away again.

Even with those two small issues, I still loved the book. And I look forward to more to come.

5/5