Just tracking my progress here:

My original list with links to book reviews or summaries.

1. Consequences of Sin by Clare Langley-Hawthorne
2. Sworn to Silence by Linda Castillo (an advance readers’ edition, it’s coming out June 2009)
3. Get Outta My Face! by Rick Horne
4. The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns
5. The Odyssey by Homer
6. Spectacular Sins by John Piper
7. How Long, O Lord by DA Carson
8. Finally Alive by John Piper
9. Emily Climbs by LM Montgomery
10. To Kill A Mockingbird by Lee Harper
11. Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
12. The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett
13. finish Les Miserables (I’ve read 1 volume)
14. the ChristianAudio April freebie – not a good book, but I did read Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne
15. the ChristianAudio May freebie
16. the ChristianAudio June freebie
17. Believing God by RC Sproul, Jr.
18. George Muller bio by Pierson

It’s tempting to put off finishing something deep and get a quick success in, but I need to hold down and finish what I have in progress already.

This was part of the Classics Bookclub at 5 Minutes For Books. I pulled up a free copy on the Kindle and I’ve read it in between the more serious nonfiction sitting on my nightstand. I know I’ve read an abridged version but I don’t think I’ve ever read the entire work. I could relate to Passepartout seeking out an employer who could be consistent and dependable. Too bad his first day on the job turns out to be the day the dependable Phileas Fogg gets rash.

The cast of characters:

Phileas Fogg – a gentleman (when that word meant something) of unknown means, very regular in his actions with no time or energy wasted on superfluous activity or emotions. It is easy to believe he has no emotions – he is not excited or irritated by anything, but calmly takes the good and the bad, the beautiful and the mundane, and continues about his business without curiosity or urgency.

Passepartout – naturally good-spirited Frenchman, looking for a stable, reliable master where things are very well regulated. He is a perfect fit for Fogg. He is also, unfortunately,  the direct or indirect cause of most of the delays. And he left the gas light in his room running when they left England.

Detective Fix – a policeman determined that Fogg is a bank robber and working hard to get Fogg and a warrant on English soil at the same time so he can arrest Fogg. He starts out by putting obstacles in their way while he could possibly arrest Fogg in India or Hong Kong (English colonies), and then by helping them to rush them back to English soil once they get into Japan and the United States.

Aouda is the Indian widow doomed to be burned to death on her husbands funeral bier until Fogg and Passepartout, along with an English colonel and a native rescue her. She can’t be left in India so she joins their party. She is indeed grateful to Fogg and he is very solicitous of her comfort.

Much is made about how Fogg seems to have no emotions and that is in direct contrast to the other members of the party who are excited by the sites, and depressed by the delays, and fret and worry over the bad luck they run into. I admire that Fogg sleeps calmly and is not disturbed by the things he cannot control. I do think more emotion along the positive side would be welcome. Not that he doesn’t feel it, perhaps, but he could certainly demonstrate a bit more. He is very solicitous of the feelings of others.

I still doubt they could get through the US without realizing they were a day ahead. If the ship left New York on time then it would have left a day before the day they expected (per his trusty schedule). I do understand not looking at any newpapers or otherwise seeing the date. Surely Fix was flooded with information after his embarassing false-arrest and he could have sent a telegram. But, the ending is good, even if it is convenient.

Some people read one book at a time. Some people have a number of them on the go at any given time, perhaps a reading in bed book, a breakfast table book, a bathroom book, and so on, which leads me to…

1. Are you currently reading more than one book?
2. If so, how many books are you currently reading?
3. Is this normal for you?
4. Where do you keep your current reads?

I tend to read more than one book at a time. Nonfiction reads tend to take longer (I take notes, need to be in a place where I can take notes, need to digest it) so while I’m doing that, I will have one or two novels that I can travel with.

This year has been even more scattered than usual. I am reading more nonfiction books this year than previously and have more books on hold at the library than usual.

Right now I am in the process of reading 7 books. That is typical for this year, but definitely higher than prior years.

I have a novel in the car that I only read when I find myself out and about with nothing else to read and some time on my hand. It’s a Jeffrey Archer book and really very good for this long-term sporadic reading as the plot is sticking with me, there aren’t dozens of characters to keep straight, and the action picks up everytime I read a chapter or two.

I keep most of my nonfiction books in my office since I take my notes directly on my book blog. Some stay by the couch where the cat and I can curl up together.

___________

I have a novel on the Kindle that I’m reading, Around the World in 80 Days, which is due this week for Classics Bookclub at 5 Minutes for Books. That has been a fun read, but pretty much limited to soccer games/practice.

I am reading Not Knowing Where: A Spiritual Journey Through the Book of Genesis, which a friend loaned to me. It is very rich and I have gotten a lot out of it. I am about 3/4 of the way through it. I interrupted it to read The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom for my church book club (I read that while Connor took his annual tests last week).

I’m also still reading Les Misérables (Signet Classics), and The 7 Hardest Things God Asks a Woman to Do.

I also started Believing God: Twelve Biblical Promises Christians Struggle to Accept while we were at the Ligonier Conference last month.