I started this challenge as a challenge to myself… but I’ve already found good company. Still, the more the merrier, as they say, so if you want to join you’re welcome. For more information on the challenge, or to sign up, please check the original post.

Here’s the list, as of  March 31st:

1. Bethany (B&b ex libris)
2. Kathrin (Secret Dreamworld of a Bookaholic)
3. Diadhuit (Il rumore della foresta)
4. Paula (Paulas bokblog)
5. myself

Oh, my! There’s a reason I don’t subscribe to A Novel Challenge in my reader! Every time I visit that blog I end up subscribing here and there and everywhere… Not that I don’t enjoy it! So here we go:

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First off, there’s Carl’s Once Upon a Time III. I already participated last year and enjoyed it, so although I still find that Carl’s blog is hard on my eyes, I’m in at least for The Journey: read at least one book within one of the four categories (fantasy, folklore, mythology, fairy tale). Period: March 21st to June 20th.

• No title decided yet.

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Trish is continuing Joy’s Non Fiction Five Challenge. Rules are the same as last year, five books from at least two different areas of non fiction. Period: May 1st to September 30th. Tentative list:

• Luca Serianni, Prima lezione di grammatica (a take on grammar from a top-notch Italian linguist)
• Corinne McKay, How to Succeed as a Freelance Translator (the title is self -explanatory)
• Giuseppe Caffulli, Giuste Nozze (a booklet on how to organize a wedding following fair-trade principles)
• James Kakalion, The Physics of Superheroes (learning physics through fantasy)
• Roberto Saviano, Gomorra (no presentation needed)

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Bethany from B&b ex Libris (how cute a blog name is that?) is hosting again the Orbis Terrarum Challenge: read 10 books from 10 different countries. Period: March 1st to December 31.

• No title decided yet.

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And finally, Maree is hosting the April Mini Catch-Up Challenge at just add books. The goal is to read up to four books for up to four other challenges. Period: April 1st through to 30th. Tentative list:

• One Agatha Christie book for my own challenge (I’ll go to the library and see which entices me the most).
• Andrew Davidson, The Gargoyle for the 2nd Canadian Challenge (I’m waiting for the bookring to arrive, but I should be next in line, so it should be here some time soon)
• Luca Serianni, Prima lezione di grammatica for NFF (see above)
• TBA

(Photo credits: .Fabio on Flickr)

In questo periodo scrivo, traduco e bloggo in condizioni precarie, cioè senza tutta una serie di strumenti hardware e software ai quali mi ero ormai abituata. In attesa di tempi migliori ho scoperto però che la rete offre molte soluzioni. Eccone alcune.

Modificare le immagini. Gli editor grafici online sono tantissimi. MyImager.com è quello che ho usato per creare il logo per la mia disfida di lettura (a proposito, l’avete vista? Avete ancora qualche giorno di tempo per iscrivervi e partecipare all’estrazione di un libro in omaggio!). Un altro, più ricco di opzioni, è Pixlr.

Modificare un PDF. È una questione annosa tra chi lavora con i testi ed esistono molti software che si possono scaricare e usare gratuitamente, più o meno buoni. Se però non potete installare programmi sul computer che state usando, provate Pdftoword. (NB. Non so dire nulla della qualità, per il momento. Se qualcuno lo testasse con PDF non modificabili e mi facesse sapere cosa ne pensa, gliene sarei grata).

Stampare un documento o una pagina web in PDF. Intanto segnalo PDF Online, che offre la conversione in entrambi i sensi (da DOC a PDF e viceversa) oltre a stampare pagine web in PDF. In alternativa c’è la versione online di PrimoPDF, che io già usavo nella versione installata e che in questo caso crea il PDF e lo consegna direttamente tramite posta elettonica.

Tutto un ufficio online. Non sono ancora pronta a una mossa così radicale, ma Thinkfree propone una serie di strumenti che intendono soppiantare quelli di Microsoft Office e un hosting completo dei tuoi documenti online. Per avere tutto l’ufficio sempre a portata di mano.

As I already told you on this blog, after getting my library card here in Portugal I decided to read as much Agatha Christie books as possible in Portuguese. From my college days I remember learning that her novels, translated in any language, are a good place to start reading a foreign language, because of simple style, useful vocabulary and lots of dialogue. I wasn’t able to track back the linguist who actually said this, but a simple Google search for “Agatha Christie language learning” gives many results hinting at this, including this book, where you can read the following:

If you have nothing that you particularly want to read about, newspapers and magazines are probably best. Detective stories are also excellent, if you like them. Translations of stories by writers like Agatha Christie or Georges Simenon contain very useful language. (p. 91)

I’ve already signed up for the one Agatha challenge I found on the blogosphere, hosted by Kathrin at Secret Dreamworld of a Bookaholic. Later, I was in contact with her over the email, I discovered that she is a fellow language-lover (please do head over to her blog!), and she encouraged me to create my own reading challenge. So, without further ado, hereby I present the:

Polyglot Agatha Reading Challenge

I intend it as a very low-pressure challenge, basically there is only one rule: you commit to reading at least one book by Agatha in a language other than your own. It may be your high-school French, your grandparents’ Polish, your fiancé’s Chinese, a new language that you want to pick up, whatever.

More details:

1. The challenge runs from April 1st to December 31st.
2. To sign up leave a comment on this post, with a link to your post about the challenge if you write one — but you don’t need to if you don’t want to! It’s up to you. You don’t even need to have a blog: just comment here to let me know.
3. You can sign up anytime.
4. When you read a book for the challenge, I’d like you to tell me (either in a blog post or in a comment here) what you learned from it. I’m not so much interested in reviews, but I’d like to know which new words or turns of phrase you discovered. For example, when reading The murder of Roger Ackroyd in Portuguese, I learned that to indicate two people that are very close, inseparable, you can say “ser unha e carne” (i.e. to be nail and flesh). Again, this is entirely optional.
5. At the beginning of April, I’ll set up a special post to collect comments and links after you read your books.
6. The button above was created by me on an image by izarbeltza on Flickr. Feel free to grab it, but please copy and upload it to your own server, as this blog is too often down Also, if anyone knows how to make a better button, that would be very welcome!

I’m very excited at the idea of hosting a challenge, but please note that it’s the first time I do, so please be kind with me. Also, any suggestion is welcome!

And now, challenge giveaways:

1. I know it’s all very short notice, and you are all welcome to sign up for the challenge at any stage. But there is a special giveaway for people who sign up by March 31st: I’ll draw a name on April 1st and send them one book of their choice to read for this challenge.
2. Again because it’s very short notice, I decided to set up a giveaway for people who link to this challenge in their blogs. Again, the time limit is March 31 and I’ll draw a name on April 1st. This giveaway is open even to people who don’t want to sign up for the challenge. To enter, leave me a comment on this post, with a link to the post in which you linked to the challenge. [ETA: the prize for this giveaway is a surprise, it's for me to decide based on the winner's reading tastes, and for you to find out!]

More giveaways will come during the challenge months.

PLEASE NOTE: I need to have comment moderation on, because of the huge heap of spam I get on this blog. Your comments will be saved to moderation queue and need for me to approve them before they actually appear on the blog. So if you don’t see them, don’t fear. But if after 2-3 days they still haven’t appeared, drop me a line at ioscribacchina AT gmail DOT com.

That should be all. If you have comments or doubts, comment away, or email me!

Happy language reading!!!

The book: The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd

The edition: Penguin Books US 2002 edition

The story: South Carolina in the 60s is a place of strong racial tensions. Against that backdrop, this is the story of white, 14-year-old Lily Owens, who runs away from an abusive father and from the memory of having accidentally killed her mother, and ends up living with a family of black bee-keepers. It’s the story of her coming of age, through violence, death, love, and the strong presence of a group of women, a real sisterhood.

My thoughts: when I signed up for the Bookring that brought me this book, I only knew one thing about it, its title, and it was enough to make me curious. Then, page after page, it not only lived up to its promise (how many good titles cover awful books?), but I discovered a great story, great narration, great characters. Despite some things feeling a bit like deus-ex-machina solutions, it was all very believable, and I did care for the characters and for what happened to them.

What I liked: the bee’s hum and the honey smell almost coming out of the pages. The fact that Lily’s middle name is Melissa (honey-bee), although this fact is never underlined. The strong bond among the Daughters of Mary winning even the strongest opposition or the hardest moments in life.

What I didn’t like: the Daughters of Mary makeshift religion. I found that part utterly ridiculous and over the top. Also, I was not completely convinced by the ending –and even less so after reading this explanation by the author (CAUTION: SPOILER AHEAD):

“I was influenced, too, by my impression, right or wrong, that “happy endings” in literary novels were often sneered at. I decided she would have to go back to the peach farm with T. Ray. Then one night I had a dream in which August came to me, complaining about my idea for an ending. “You must let Lily stay with her ‘mothers,’” she told me.

Best character: many of them were lovable in their own way. August is the prototype of the perfect, understanding, knowledgeable, strong woman. I liked May despite her quirks. And there are two minor characters I liked a lot: Mr. Forrest, the lawyer who starts Zach out on his revolutionary (for a black child in the 60s) career as a lawyer, and Neil, June’s wooer (see below).

Best scene: Neil is always proposing to June, and she is always turning him down. At one time they have a big quarrell about it, but then everything goes on just the same as ever, as Neil is in love and June is, too, but she is too afraid. (CAUTION: MORE SPOILERS AHEAD!) This scene is after a great tragedy hits June.

“What are you doing here?” June asked.
He cleared his throat, rubbed his sideburns. “I–I came over here hoping for a word with you.”
This sounded so stiff coming out of his mouth that June narrowed her eyes and studied him a second. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine.” He put his hands in his pockets. Took them out. “I just want a word with you.”
She stood there waiting. “Well, I’m listening,” she said.
“I thought we could take a drive.”
She looked around the kitchen. “If you haven’t noticed, I’m up to my ears in work, Neil.”
“I can see that, but–”
“Look, just tell me what it is,” June said, starting to get into one of her huffs. “What is so all-fired important?”
I glanced at August, who had her lips screwed over to the side, trying to look busy. Rosaleen, on the other hand, had stopped all semblance of work and looked from June to Neil. Back to June.
“Hell,” he said, “I came over here planning to ask you, for the hundreth time, to marry me.”
I dropped my spoon in the sink. August laid down the honey drizzle. June opened her mouth and closed it without anything coming out. Everyone just stood there.
Come on. Don’t mess up your time to live.
The house creaked, like old houses do. Neil glanced at the door. I felt my shirt dampen all under my arms. I had the sensation I used to get in fifth grade when the teacher would write some nonsense word on the blackboard, like “pnteahel,” and we had two minutes to unscramble it and find the word “elephant” before she dinged her bell. I used to break out in a sweat trying to beat the clock. I had that feeling now, like Neil was going to walk out the door before June could unscramble the answer in her heart.
Rosaleen said, “Well, don’t you just stand there with your mouth open, June. Say something.”
June stared at Neil, and I could see the struggle in her face. The surrender she had to make inside. Not just to Neil but to life. Finally she let out a long, sighing breath. “All right,” she said. “Let’s get married.”

The verdict: a well-written, enjoyable book (rating: 4.5/5). Read this if you liked Anita Nair’s Mistress, Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner and/or Laura Esquivel’s Like Water for Chocolate (but without the magical realism). Don’t read this if you are looking for a light read.

Did I ever say how much I liked this book? (Yes, I did!) Well, yesterday I finished re-reading it, this time in Portuguese (it’s in NO way comparable to the original…)

Well, today I discovered that Marie @ Cupcake Witch is holding a giveaway for an AUTOGRAPHED COPY! Please go and check it out (or rather, don’t, so I’ll have more chances to win… )

Do you like a good mystery? Well I do. And Agatha Christie’s novels are exactly what I call a good mystery. But that’s not the reason I started reading Agatha. There are too many books on earth to spend a lot of time on mysteries.

During my translation studies, I happened to bump into Christie twice: once for my 1st year translation class, where she was one of the chosen authors, and the second time when I heard a linguist say that reading her novels was a good way to learn a new language fast, because she uses common, everyday language and words.

Now, you know I am starting to learn a new language, Portuguese, and I already know that I will learn faster if I read a lot: and so I decided to give it a try and start reading Christie’s mysteries in Portuguese.

Then, I discovered that the blogosphere had an Agatha Christie challenge going on. I hope it’s not too late to join. The challenge is hosted by Kathrin at Secret Dreamworld of a Bookaholic, it runs from January 1st to December 31st, 2009, and the goal is to read two or more books by or about Agatha Christie. My real goal is to read as many as possible, but for the challenge I’ll try and read a book a month, and starting in March that makes 10. I’ll go with what the library (did I tell you that I subscribed to the city library here?) has, so I hope a list is not necessary at this point.

Kathrin also hosts a second challenge that I’d like to subscribe to, the Pages Read Challenge. I was toying around with a similar idea ever since I compared the number of books I read in 2008 with the lists published my other bloggers, and while I do not think that I read more than they do, I realized that many people in the blogosphere read LOTS of children (shorter) books. And in January I started to keep track of how many pages I read, as well as how many books and in which language (I have a little Calc file that neatly sums it all up for me, I’ll try and post a copy of it on the blog in case anyone wants to use it). And so, having reached now a total 3525 pages read in 2009, I happily join Kathrin’s challenge, challenging myself to read 15,000 by the end of the year (that may not be much, but while I read fast in Italian and English, I am somehow slower in French and German, not to say that reading in a new language really is a challenge in itself!)

Happy reading…

(Photo credits: izarbeltza on Flickr)

The book: Kate Jacobs, The Friday Night Knitting Club

The edition: Portuguese translation by Isabel Alves (O Clube de Tricô de sexta à noite)

The story: Georgia Walker is a strong woman, a single mother and the owner of a yarn shop. Since bearing Dakota (the daughter she had from her one true love who abandoned her as soon as she was pregnant) she has struggled to juggle the demands of her life, raising a child and managing a shop with no help from her family. Now she has to face a series of events that will completely destroy the hard-earned, delicate balance of her life. But while family has forsaken her, a group of returning customers has turned into a true sisterhood that shoulder her and take her as a model.

My thoughts: up front, I need to admit that this was the first book I read in Portuguese, which I only recently began to learn, and of course this altered my perception of the book. That said, it was a fairly light read, but one I didn’t enjoy. I could see that Georgia was a great woman, an admirable person, I could see that all the women in the book were to be admired for this reason or that… but I couldn’t care less about them. Each of them also had one trait that made them intolerable: for Georgia it was her thinking that her daughter owed her her love, for Dakota it was her teenager antics, for Darwin it was her need to always be rebellious… I couldn’t feel for them, I couldn’t relate to them.

What I liked: I liked the idea that you can always create something good in your life, that you don’t have to be dependent on anyone/anything, that if you need to, you can make everything happen. Georgia had Anita to help her out, but in my present situation it was refreshing to read the story of a successful enterprise.

Rating: 3/5

Counts as: book nr. 10 for the 2nd Canadian Reading Challenge

Lo so che non mi faccio sentire molto, ma per ora accontentatevi di queste: sono proprio da non perdere.

Biblioteche: forse questo ve l’ho già mostrato in passato, ma c’è una foto della biblioteca di Coimbra di cui parlavo con qualcuno ieri sera (qui altre informazioni sui pipistrelli e le altre stranezze di questa università)

Book trailer: con il pane tostato

Lavoro: 5000 parole (via)

Lingue: come riprendere una lingua straniera dimenticata (via)

Passione: oppure no

Pioggia: 35 foto

Reclami: uno così non l’avete mai letto (via)

Utile: idee straordinarie per oggetti ordinari (via)