Sunday, June 10, 2007

Book Challenge - Update 3

Okay, let's weigh my choices last night -- eight hours of sleep or more time reading? Given the serious jet lag that I'm still dealing with, the choice was a relatively easy one. I did read to the boy for 45 minutes and then went to be when he did, at 8 pm. I was, however, up by about 3 am. I tried mightily to get back to sleep, but when that failed me, I got up and read. I finished another book in the nearly four hours of quiet before heading off to 8:30 mass.

Believe it or not, I had never read Kate DiCamillo's The Tale of Despereaux. I suppose that some of the reviews of Edward Tulane made me a bit gun shy about this title. However, I loved the diminutive Despereaux, Princess Pea, Roscuro and Mig. And now that I've decided to embrace my inner romantic, I'll admit to being secretly thrilled by Chapter 50 and these lines.
"PRINCESS!" Despereaux shouted. "Princess, I have come to save you."
The Princess Pea heard her name. She looked up.
"Despereaux," she whispered.
And then she shouted it, "Despereaux!"
Reader, nothing is sweeter in this sad world than the sound of someone you love calling your name.
Nothing.
For Despereaux, the sound was worth everything: his lost tail, his trip to the dungeon, and back out of it and back into it again.
For those of you keeping score, here's where I stand to date.
Books read: 5
Pages read: 272 + 288 + 208 + 240 + 214 = 1,222
Hours read: 15.5 (Okay, so I'm a slow reader!)

I have some errands to run with the boy, laundry and some cleaning, but hope to get to at least one more title before my time expires at 7 pm. Wish me luck!

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