Monday, October 08, 2007

Non-Fiction Five Completed!

Sorry, this took so long, Joy! I finished the Non-Fiction Five Challenge before the end of September, but am just now getting around to posting my participation. I loved the challenge and am thankful Joy hosted such an immensely thought-provoking genre.

Out of the five original books, I read none! Bah! It is just impossible to stay to a list of books. When I sit down to type my article for the newspapers, usually on a Wednesday morning, I have a hard time getting started if the book doesn't already match a seasonal, topical theme. Why? Well, I'm no writer; I'm a librarian.

This limits my challenge participation as earlier mentioned. Thankfully, Joy approved my modification of the rules, and I got to read some damn good books. My favorite, Rats by Robert Sullivan, gave the hubby and I an added adventure during our trip to New York City. Here is a picture of me under the sign to Eden Alley. We have pictures of dead rats in the alley, too. Not sure y'all would appreciate them though?!?

Oh, Hubby thought I should tell you about our encounter before finding the alley. We, dressed as wrinkled tourist, kept looking around corners and walking blocks looking for the alley. Finally, an older white haired gentleman wearing the latest in brooks brothers, asked if we needed directions. Our temporary tour guide must have thought we wanted to see something in the financial district and he was eager to please. Well, that is, until we said Eden's Alley. He abruptly frowned and said he never heard of it and literally scurried away! Bah!

My final list:
The Big Bam by Leigh Montville
Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
Flower Confidential by Amy Stewart
Rats by Robert Sullivan
Teach like your Hair is on Fire by Rafe Esquith

14 comments:

Literary Feline said...

Congratulations on finishing the challenge, Maggie! It's nice to have some flexibility, I imagine. I'm wishing I had more wiggle room in some of my current challenges. :-S Either that or I shouldn't take so much on at once. Haha

maggie moran said...

It's so hard not to join them though, Literary Feline. Every challenge has been something I want to read! :D

Anonymous said...

I love NYC-one of my favorite places !! :-) maggie : Check out Walter Mosley's "Fearless Jones" series.

maggie moran said...

Thanks Paul for the suggestion! I like Mosley except for his sci-fi stuff. Mouse is one of my favorite characters. Hubby, on the otherhand, loves him and has read them all. :)

sage said...

what was your thoughts on Eat, Pray and Love--it was a little too much navel gazing for me.

maggie moran said...

LOL, Sage! Did you find it labourious? Kinda-like giving birth? I was crying crocodile tears in the first trimester, but I found myself liking her humor. I picked this for our 2008 reading round table and I can't wait! It's a love/hate relationship and I'm sure the ladies will be eager to talk. :)

Isabel said...

I like flexible bloggers.

If you ever give a talk at an elementary school, you can show the pictures of the Rats and talk about the book.

Kids loooove to be grossed out!

Plus, you can show them that authors write about a lot of things.

maggie moran said...

Working Words 100, ain't it the truth? If there's a subject, someone's written about it! And, I love to hear that ew running across a room full of kids! :)

I was on vacation when I e-mailed the Rats article to work, and apparently it caused a little stir. Along the lines of, "Just what won't she read and find fascinating?" or "We never know what to expect!" :D

Hey, what can they reasonably expect? Gentle sagas and inspirational dribble is not my schtick. Rats had NYC history and interesting rodent facts, way better than the Big Oyster book, I attempted to read a year ago! ;D

Anonymous said...

I very rarely read non-fiction but your books sound interesting. I couldn't have done 5 for sure but I am getting ready to read Paula Dean's book about her life. The book I am reading I will be ashamed to review. Martin's agent sent it to me knowing that I love vampires but this one is a bit odd...it is called Fangland. I'd never even heard of it. Nasty!

maggie moran said...

Oh, Deana, I feel your pain. Have you read any Laura K Hamilton? Fangland sounds like it's from the same erotic vampire genre. Hard to book talk a book you dislike, but great for reviews, the negative kind. :)

Diane said...

I'm off to NYC tomorrow - don't think I won't be thinking about Rats . . . :-)

maggie moran said...

LOL Diane! Well, if you get down to lower Manhattan...

Cipriano said...

That is a great photo.
I mean, in an artsy way.
Well taken.
Could be a book cover, or something.

maggie moran said...

Why thanks, Cipriano! Never thought of it as artsy! ;D