November Month in Review and December Reading Journal

In an effort to be more organized on Rebecca Reads, I’ve decided I’m going to touch base once a month with a review of my reading progress and plans.

In November, I read some very heavy things, like The Iliad and Nabokov’s stories. I plan on reading lighter fiction in December, as well as some light nonfiction and some poetry. Here’s a rundown of my November reading and posts on Rebecca Reads, in case you missed it the first time around.

You’ll notice that a good number of the November reads haven’t been reviewed on this site yet because I was out of town. They should be up in the coming days!

Fiction and Nonfiction Reviews

In November, I reviewed a few things I finished reading in October:

• Why Women Should Rule the World by Dee Dee Myers (nonfiction/memoir)
• Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling by Richard Lyman Bushman (nonfiction/biography)

I also read a number of things, with links where I’ve reviewed it.

• How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster (300 pages; nonfiction/casual literary criticism)
• Lullabies and Poems for Children (240 pages; poetry)
• A Modest Proposal by Jonathon Swift (8 pages; nonfiction/satirical essay)
• The Iliad by Homer, trans. Robert Fagles (650 pages; fiction/epic poetry; three-part series)
• Short Stories by Vladimir Nabokov (62 stories, 580 pages; fiction/short stories)
• The Planets by Dava Sobel (250 pages; nonfiction/popular science)
• Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn (200 pages; fiction)
• The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway (125 pages; fiction/novella)
• Anthem by Ayn Rand (105 pages; fiction/novella)
• A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (110 pages; fiction/novella)
• A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith (500 pages; fiction)

Children’s Projects

I’m working on some children’s literature projects. First, I’m reading Children’s Literature by Seth Lerer and writing a post per chapter that either integrates what I’m learning or reviews one of the books he discusses. Some more information about this project is here. This month, I considered lullabies.

Also, I’ve decided to read the Newbery Medal winners and the Caldecott Medal winners. I reviewed one Caldecott Honor winner this month (Mo Willems).

Here are the children’s books I’ve reviewed this month (in alphabetical order):

• Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems
• Edwina, The Dinosaur That Didn’t Know She Was Extinct by Mo Willems
• George and Martha by James Marshall
• Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems
• Knuffle Bunny Too by Mo Willems
• Leonardo the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems
• Let’s Dance, Little Pookie by Sandra Boynton
• Lullabies: An Illustrated Songbook by the Metropolitan Museum of Art
• The Monster at the End of the Book (starring Grover) by Jon Stone
• What’s Wrong, Little Pookie by Sandra Boynton
• Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

Challenge Updates

In November:

• I finished one HTR&W short story author (Nabokov).
• I read one Pulitzer Prize novel also written by a Nobel Prize winner (The Old Man and the Sea).
• I read one Really Old Classic (The Iliad).
• I read two works from the Martel-Harper challenge list (A Modest Proposal and Anthem).
• I reviewed one aspect found in Seth Lerer’s chapter 3 (lullabies).
• My post about abecedaria for children was featured in the Carnival of Children’s Literature.
• My post on Palestine by Joe Sacco was featured in the Graphic Novels Bookworms Carnival.
• My post on Why Women Should Rule the World by Dee Dee Myers was featured in the Memoirs Bookworms Carnival.

December Reading Journal

The last time I wrote about my monthly reading plans, I read something else completely. I guess I couldn’t stand staying “inside the box.” My generic plans are these:

• I plan on reading fiction, including Charles Dicken’s Christmas novellas and Possession by A.S. Byatt (currently in progress) and Borges’ Ficciones in Spanish (a HTR&W short story author).
• I plan on adding at least one poetry book to my reading every month, in anticipation of the poetry portion of my HTR&W project.
• I have a number of Christmas Children’s picture books to help get you and your children in the Christmas mood.

I’ve come to peace with my librarians. I mentioned that I was frustrated with the interference in my privacy when librarians talk to me, but now I don’t mind so much when they start a conversation. I check out 10-20 children’s picture books a week, as well as request three or four books be held for me every two weeks or so, so I see them often.

One more day to enter the giveaway for a copy of The Planets!