So Far

Since winning the Reading Contest, I have received a book from someone I met at Presentation Reboot and two books from IMS. From the loser of the contest, who committed to send me a book... zero books received.

32 Days and Counting

It has now been 32 days since I won the great reading contest of 2009, and my new book still has not arrived.

So...it has come to this

My ode to Todd.

Simple, yet complicated; sweet yet bitter - I write this ode. An ode to a single syllable man named todd. I being a triple syllable man am not capable of achieving the greatness that comes with a simple name.

SIDE NOTE - I bought "fox and the hound" for my daughters and now they want to name our "soon to purchase" dog Todd - I thought it was fitting.

On with the Ode - You win, yes win. Painful is the word, but now forever connected. Two single syllable words with the same meaning (Todd and Win).

So what will I do? Complain, cry foul? I could blame the age of my kids, young as they are they need attention! Or I could blame my job - Erik has me working crazy hours. But no, I will not. You won - I must accept.

On second thought - considering that the prize is an alternate history - maybe we can have one of our own. What would have happened if I had won! Matt would be linked with win. I would have confidence, laughter, happiness. I would, I would, I would... the words leave me.

But this is not alternative! It is real. So send me your damn book order and I will have it sent to your home... Jerk

Matt

Check and Mate

Finished the Fastnet Lighthouse book on the flight to DC. Truly is an engineering marvel, particularly for the time period in which it was build.

Happy Birthday Alec!

Since Alec Guinness was born on April 2, I decided to stay up to the wee hours of the morning and finish this dreadful book.  Really it was on the reasonable option I had.  I'm leaving for Club this morning and I wasn't taking it with me, it's too big, and I wasn't waiting until Wednesday when I return to finish reading it.  The section on Star Wars was mildly entertaining, but maybe only by comparison since everything else was so boring.

Sorry to hear your tiger book is turning out bad as well.  I have my second Updike on it's way.  Also for a fiction writer, I've really gotten into Cormac McCarthy.  It started with "No Country for Old Men" and then I read the very masculine sounding "All the Pretty Horses."  I'm taking "The Road" with me to Club because I'm hoping to finish the Lighthouse pamphlet, I mean book, and win this contest before I return.

D.C. here I come.

Bad Joke

What do you get when you have a boy who is a Muslim, a Hindu and a Christian and who is stuck in a life boat with a tiger? give up -- one bored mormon!

Ok - I need to research my books better - I am half way through my replacement of Updike and I am bored, Why wont the tiger eat this kid!

Man! well on the bright side i went to one of the best used bookstores on the planet! it is called Powells book in Portland. It takes up an old downtown warehouse with millions of used and new books. Needless to say I spent over $100 on used books. Including this rare print of Huck Finn.

Check it out

www.powells.com

Game Back On!

I can't wait to finish this giant proof that NOT every life has a story. I read a non contest book over the weekend. Good to take a topic break, but keep exercising the muscles.

Okay, here we go. Focus. Speed. I am speed. One winner, forty-two losers. I eat losers for breakfast. Breakfast? Maybe I should have had breakfast? Brekkie could be good for me. No, no, no, focus. Speed. Faster than fast, quicker than quick. I am Lightning.

Game on

Alright -- it is time to start up again.

I am begnning my novel and it is time to turn up the heat!!!

On another note, I am ready to shun my children and all other resposability to put this, and you pride, to bed.

Starting Tuesday - it's game on!!

Going Silent

Glad to put this lame biography down for a few days.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Now sure which is more boring. This Alec Guinness book or your summary of the book. At least yours is shorter.

Changing Books

I'm okay with you changing books. This contest is meant to be fun, not stressful. The Alec Guinness book is dreadfully boring. No story, no conflict. Just him being born and then auditioning for a lot of play and acting in some of them. Hope it picks up soon, or it's going to be a long, slow ride.

Sorry for the bad spelling

So Sysco does not allow me to access Blog sites - so most of my posts are made on my iPhone (thus the bad grammar).  Also my steading stream of in-laws is not helping my reading!  

Interesting about updike - I think I read the witches book.  I don't remember all the sex.   Ummmm, not sure what to do.  Can I replace the book with one called, The Life of Pi?  It is about a boy who is on a life boat with a tiger, I hear it is really good.

Thoughts on changing the rules a little?

Put does it matter -  I still have 300 pages on my thriller,  I need a big push one of these nights.  

matt

Ok, ok - I am getting killed! My father in was in town and then my mother in law is coming! We are closing on a house! Man, I to pick up the pace!!! Almost done with my thriller.

Matt

Rabbit, Read

Another break. Last night, Gina went to a scrap booking party. Ignored the kids and made great progress on Rabbit, Run. After Sunday morning news shows, sat down and finished it up. Marvelous read! It's helped to have picked two great books to start with, because they were easy to fly through. Now on to the monster Alec Guinness book. No updates from Matt... are you sandbaging me in the contest?

One Down, Three to Go

Finished Daniel Silva's The Secret Servant. His lead character is an agent with the Israeli secret service, and it's a modern day thriller dealing with terrorism. You get to see planning from both sides: the terrorists and the good guys. He has to work with several governments: Danes, Brits, Americans, and Egyptians. I enjoyed seeing Silva's fictional portrayal of their various approaches. There was also the appropriate amount of personal back story. Sometimes it's too much about the person and not enough action. This recipe was just right. Excellent read. I'd give it a recommend with five full stars.

Two out of the other three books are acquired and the third is on the way. I've started Rabbit, Run. Now, I've never read an Updike before, you had mentioned you did in high school. I know you picked the same book, so I wanted to give you this:

WARNING >> If Rabbit, Run were a movie it would be rated "R" for language and sexual content.

Not sure if your standards are the same for books as they are for movies, but I wanted to give you a heads up. If you wanted to change books for this reason, I think that should be allowed. Otherwise, I'm back to reading.

Gaining Ground

Yesterday, I had a two hour delay and four hours on the plane. Made some good headway. Today, modest prgress, but tomorrow another five hours of travel hoping to knock down book one. Although, right now I'm watching Will Ferrell's "You're Welcome America" and he says as George Bush, "I'll probably be known as The Reading President." Too funny!

I dont believe you

I not sure I can trust you, I feel like I am being drawn in to a false sense of security. It was Sarah's birthday yesterday, but I cared not! Beating you is more important. (my self esteem is very low). I am half way through my 700 pager!

Matt

Breaks: Matt 2 Todd 0

Henry's birthday + American Idol = NO reading

Three days of travel = Lots of reading

You caught a break!

Instead of reading, I spend the night watching Tim and Dawn finally get together on "The Office" with Gina. Back to the books tomorrow.

I Plan To!

Let the Games Begin!

And may the best bookworm win.

Wild... Buffalo... Whatever

You're example of Steve Martin just gave me a different paradigm than picking a cowboy showman. I didn't see that one coming. You're right, I should read more.

Wild Bill? I think you are mistaken sure.

You seem to be confused - It is not Wild Bill - but Buffalo Bill. The Great entertainer who had a wild west show in the late 1800's.  He found Annie Oakley and others.  Some credit him as the greatest entertainer of the 19th century.

Here is the Wiki link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_Bill

Man, you should read more!

Matt

Confirmation

Looks good. My lighthouse read my be a phamplet, but it sounds like a fascinating phamplet. Wild Bill? What is that your Biography of an entertainer? How about Saturday as a start date? That gives me a chance to try to finish a few of my current books before I drop them like a bag of dirt.

Oh how I love my iPhone

So true, I do love my iPhone. It treats me well. In fact I am writing this on my phone right now.

Ok, my books (this was hard given your pamplet on the lighthouse)
1. Hoover Dam: an American Adventure (336 pages)
2. Buffilo Bill's Wild West (320 pages)
3. Rabbit, Run - John Updike. (272 pages)
4. Consent to Kill - Vince Flynn (704 pages)

By my count the pages come very close.

When do we start?

Matt and his iPhone

Hello?

Just received first book in the mail: The Secret Servant by Danial Silva

Are you familiar with PaperBack Swap. I love getting free books in the mail, and I love getting rid of books I won't be reading again.

Early Reads and Page Comparison

I agree to the rules posted. Here are my proposed books and the number of pages. I thought we should compare before spending any money.

• Thriller > The Secret Servant by Daniel Silva (512 pages)
  
• John Updike > Rabbit, Run (272 pages)
  
• History of Engineering > A History of the Fastnet Lighthouse by James Morrissey (124 pages)
• Biography of an Entertainer > Alec Guinness by Piers Paul Read (640 pages)

That's a total of 1548 pages. Let me know what you're thinking, so we can compare pages, and see if I need to switch any books. I've got to hurry and finish the books I'm currently reading, so that I can focus on kicking your bookworm butt.

Let the Games Begin

You have 9 Days to choose your titles - As a reminder the categories are as follows:

Thiller...Thiller Night (sorry, I could not help it)

John Updike

History of Engineering

Biography of an Entertainer 

The rules are as followed

1. Posting of blog must take place once a book is finished
   
2. The order in which the books are read will need to be posted prior to the start of the contest
   
3. Other postings of taunting, finger pointing, and excuse making are accepted and expected
   
4. The winner will receive his choice of an alternate history book