A 'Sinful' Giveaway for Chick with Books Blogoversary Celebration Day 2!

A 'Sinful' Giveaway for Chick with Books Blogoversary...

And the Winner is... Elaine from Canada! Congrats! And Thank you to EVERYONE who joined in on the fun by Entering, Tweeting & Blogging about this Blogoversary Giveaway!

Last June I read a devilishly fun book called The Sinful Life of Lucy Burns by Elizabeth Leiknes. This is what I wrote... "Lucy Burns just wants a normal life. She's gorgeous, forever young and can eat all the chocolate she wants and not get fat! What's so bad about that?! Well, those are some of the perks of the job she has, but she also can never see her family again, never have a boyfriend and must spend her entire life leading sinners to justice! (That last part isn't so bad really)... What's her job?! Lucy Burns is a Facilitator to HELL! (Hell now located behind her basement door!) And her boss is "a real devil!" When Lucy was 11 her sister Ellen had a horrible accident and ended up in the hospital in a coma. Desperate to save her, Lucy wrote a note:

To Whom It May Concern: ...Make Ellen wake up and I'll be forever in your debt. Sincerely, Lucy Burns

She went out in the middle of the night to her & Ellen's magic mailbox, that was in front of their playhouse and usually saved for Dear Santa letters, put the note in, raised the flag and crossed her fingers. By morning "a miracle" had happened and Ellen was fine! Feeling foolish, Lucy raced out to the mailbox to destroy the letter. But her letter was not there. Instead there was a new note:

Dear Lucy, It's a deal... I'll be in touch. Sincerely, "To Whom It May Concern"

And with that Lucy's fate was sealed. But after 19 years as the devil's check-out girl, she misses her family, would like some steady companionship and has become a bit bored with her routine. She wants out! Eternity is eternity, right?! Not so fast....She may be able to retire after all!... Lucy found a loophole! But it won't be easy and she'll have to follow her heart along the way...

I liked The Sinful Life of Lucy Burns! It was fun, sassy and a quick read. A kind of chick-lit with a dark side. How could it not be 'dark' with a job like hers- facilitator to the devil? (Of course going to Squeaky's car wash makes her feel cleansed after a tough day at work!) But in essence Lucy is a single girl struggling to make a life for herself. She's gotten herself into this tough situation and is trying to dig her way out. Along the way, we see her frustrations with her job (it's really not so fun leading sinners to their end all the time and accidents DO happen!), and her personal life (boyfriends aren't allowed but men can still be tempting!) and her success at having a best friend even though she has to lie to her constantly about what's going on 'at work'. We begin to root for Lucy in being able to lead a normal life, and her antics in getting there are what makes this book so much fun! She is a great character! And you will be entertained! I recommend you put The Sinful Life of Lucy Burns by Elizabeth Leiknes in your beach bag this summer!

Bancroft Press joins in to help celebrate Chick with Book's First Year Blogoversary by sponsoring a giveaway of a copy of The Sinful Life of Lucy Burns for my U.S. & Canadian readers! Bancroft Press is a small press publisher has grown leaps & bounds since 1992. And Publishers Weekly called them "small but enterprising". Thanks Bancroft Press for joining in on the festivities!

How to Enter this Giveaway...

*For One Entry, leave me a comment with your email address!

*For One more entry, Blog or tweet about this giveaway and leave me the link.

This giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents only.(No PO boxes). The books will be shipped to the winners directly from the publishers. Contest ends 11:59pm EST on Feb.26th, 2010. I will randomly pick the winners the next day and email them! Good Luck!

Chick with Books Celebrates its First Year!

It's My First Blogoversary!

And Our Winner is.... Cheryl! Congratulations Cheryl! Thank you to EVERYONE who sent their One Year Blogoversary Congrats to me! And for joining in on the beginning of the Blogoversary fun!

One year ago today I began Chick with Books Blog with the idea of being able to chat about one of my passions- reading! With 207 posts there's certainly been a lot of buzz on my blog! It's been a fun year! Thanks to YOU the blog has grown leaps and bounds! So, let's start celebrating! For the next week there will be some HOT giveaways courtesy of some great publishers and publicists! There will be a little romance, some historical fiction, and even something 'sinful'. And I'll be giving away some of my favorite reads from this year too! Let's start at the beginning though...

My very first post was a review for Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. It still remains one of my favorite books of all time! Here's what I wrote in that review...

"A wonderful story with all the elements! Adventure, treachery, art, love, sex and superstition. What starts as a story of Tom Builder and his love of family & craft, grows into the tale of the assasination and sainthood of Thomas Becket. The characters are so real they almost walk out of the pages! So, get ready to experience the building of a magnificent cathedral, the world of 12th-century England and a cast of characters you simply will not forget. You will not be able to put this book down once you open it. You'll wish there were 900 more pages!"

Have you read it yet? If you haven't read it yet, YOU SHOULD! So, here's your opportunity! I'm giving away a copy of Pillars of the Earth! This giveaway is open to EVERYone (that means INTERNATIONAL)! If I can send a book to you through the mail, you are eligible to enter! Here's how to enter...

To Enter this giveaway...

*For one entry leave me a comment with your email address!

*Get an extra entry for following my blog! Just leave a comment letting me know you're a follower! ( Not a follower yet? No problem, sign up by clicking on the 'followers" button on the sidebar to the right! Just let me know you became a new follower!)

*Blog or tweet about this giveaway and leave me the link.

This giveaway will end Feb. 25th, 2010 11:59 EST! I will randomly pick the winner and email them! Good luck!

Memoir Monday... In Memory of Dick Francis

In Memory Of...

Sometimes the memoirs aren't written yet, and may never be... Sometimes with the passing of a great author we are only comforted by the fact that they have left something behind of themselves... their words, their ideas, their stories... We may not have actually known a favorite author, but we have shared a moment in time we them, we've shared a laugh, maybe a tear or two.

Dick Francis passed away yesterday at the age of 89, leaving behind an unbelievable career in writing with 41 best selling novels! He came by a writing career in an unusual way- by a horrible twist of fate when his horse collapsed in the Grand National on the Queen Mother's horse Devon Loch in 1956. He was within sight of winning, but by the time the horse recovered it was all over. Public sympathy prompted him to write his autobiography, The Sport of Queens, which has been out of print for some time now.

His father, grandfather and great grandfather were all amateur steeplechase jockeys, so it was only natural that Dick Francis would learn to ride. He became Great Britain's leading National Hunt jockey and a champion steeplechaser, and jockey for the Queen Mother. He was a celebrated jockey with over 350 wins. He was Champion Jockey in 1953/1954 and became jockey to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother for four seasons. It has been said that he would have preferred to be known as a great rider instead of a great writer.

Dick Francis is the winner of the prestigious Crime Writers’ Association’s Cartier Diamond Dagger and received the Mystery Writer of America’s Edgar Award for Best Novel three times! (He was the only person ever to have won it three times) He was a Thrill writer who wrote about what he loved most- horse racing (or at least with the backdrop of horse racing). And with all of his accolades there is still a bit of a controversy surrounding his writing- it is rumored that his beloved wife Mary, who was well educated, wrote the books but because Dick was the well known jockey, they were published under his name.

You can find out more about Dick Francis, his career in writing and in horse racing at the Dick Francis website. You can also find there a list of all of the author's books, AND a full list of the characters from all the books!

Sunday Salon... Happy Valentine's Day! Some Great Love Stories to Devour!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Long before there was a Bella & Edward, there was a Cathy & Heathcliffe, Scarlett & Rhett, and Elizabeth & Mr. Darcy. The history of Valentine's Day is a mystery, but "One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men — his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death." While in prison, Valentine fell in love with the jailor's daughter, and just before his death sent her a letter signed, "From your Valentine".

What better way to celebrate Valentine's Day then to devour a good love story! (Less calories than chocolate)... So, today's Sunday Salon highlights some great literary romances! And please share some of your favorite's too!

Love Story by Erich Segal... Love Story is a modern day "classic". The tragic love story between two young vibrant people, a Harvard student and a Radcliffe student. Love Story was originally written as a screenplay. When Erich Segal couldn't sell it as a screenplay, he turned into a novel and the rest was history. A New York Times No. 1 bestseller, the book became the top selling work of fiction for 1970 in the United States, and was translated into 33 languages worldwide. Shortly after the book sensation it was turned into a movie too! Here's the first few lines...

"What can you say about a twenty-five-year-old girl who died? That she was beautiful. And brilliant. That she loved Mozart and Bach. And the Beatles. And me."

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy... Forbidden Love, Adultery, Jealousy, and True love, that's what Anna Karenina is about. It's a long book, with the backdrop of Russian politics and farming, but the love affairs, and the romance of Anna and Vronsky, seem fresh and could have been written yesterday. The new Pevear/Volokhonsky translation is key to this 'freshness', because they have added footnotes and appendages for the reader to fully understand 19th century Russia. I loved this book! We read this in my reading group, which took a couple of months for everyone to finish, but everyone was glad to have read it. It's a book that takes effort, but you won't regret it! Here's the first line...

"Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger... Have I told you all how much I loved The Time Traveler's Wife? I think I probably have, it's one of my favorite books. It just grabbed me and held me for 546 pages. A wonderful love story between Claire and the time traveling Henry. Henry is a librarian with "Chrono Displacement" disorder; at random times, he suddenly disappears without warning and finds himself in the past or future, usually at a time or place of importance in his life. Henry travels back and forth in time meeting his true love Claire when she is 6 years old, when she is 20. They fall madly in love and endure these "episodes". The story is told through both characters, the writing is wonderful, and the story is funny, heartbreaking and fantastic! It may take some people a little bit of time to get use to the time traveling aspect of the book, but eventually the wonderful story and interesting characters take over the need to keep the years straight and you will just sit back and enjoy! You can read the beginning of The Time Traveler's Wife at Google Books.

Harvee of Book Dilattante recommends Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. I loved this book too! It all takes place with the backdrop of the circus!

Scobberlotcher (Karen) recommends The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje. 4 lives thrown together in a desolate Italian villa during the ravages of World War II.

Esme of Chocolate & Croissants recommends The Thornbirds by Colleen McCullough. An epic saga of dreams, struggles, dark passions, and forbidden love between Meggie and Ralph de Bricassart, the handsome parish priest. All of which takes place in the Australian Outback. I actually have this on my nightstand...waiting to find the time to open!

Other great love stories... Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell (which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1937), Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo. What are your favorite love stories? Leave a comment and I'll add them to the list!!

Have a wonderful week! And don't forget! The Blogoversary celebration starts Thursday! A sprinkling of great giveaways throughout the week! Remember to sign up to be a "follower", if you haven't already, on Google Friends (which is on the left of the blog posts) to be able to enter some of the exclusive giveaways for all registered followers! You won't be sorry!

Happy reading... Suzanne

Kindle Korner... You Light Up My Life (or at least my Kindle)

Kandle for Kindle

There's a new gadget for our Kindles, and it's designed to light up our lives... or at least our Kindle reading page. It's the Kandle, and it's a LED light with a wide grip that fits securely on the top of your Kindle (this also works on other eReaders). This wider design is suppose to help secure the light on your Kindle and NOT block the page your reading. And it does it nicely. The light is also on a pivoting arm that allows you to adjust your light to illuminate in different positions. Here are some of the highlights from the Amazon page:

*New patent-pending WideLipTM grip that does not block the screen on the KindleTM, Sony® Reader and other eBook readers.

*Double pivoting arms allows for easy positioning and adjustment for tailored screen illumination.

*WideLipTM grip also works perfectly on books without blocking text on the page.

*Powered by two lifetime X2 LEDs optimized to distribute uniform light without creating glare or eyestrain.

*Works perfectly as a stable, free-standing night light

All in all the Kandle is a cute little light that works pretty well. It's nice to be able to attach it to the top of theKindle and not have the page blocked. And because of the wide grip it's very secure. Before the Kandle, when reading in a low light situation, I'd use my Mighty Bright Light, which I attach to either to my Kindle cover or on the side of my Kindle (*see photo's below). The illumination of the Kandle is nice, but I did find that towards the bottom of the Kindle page that the illumination was not very strong - still readable though. The Kandle folds up into itself and is nice and portable. The LED light is protected when it's folded up too, so you can literally throw it in a pocket and not worry. The Kandle comes with a battery already installed AND 2 extra batteries too! Made by Ozeri and available through Amazon.com, the Kandle can be used not only for your eReaders, but regular books and can even be used for a nightlight. It's available in white or now in black for a discounted price of $25. If you're looking for a reading light for your Kindle, the Kandle is a nice choice. Don't forget about the Mighty Bright XtraFlex Clip on Light (Kindle Version) which has been a favorite among Kindle readers for some time! (It sells for $19.99)

Are you using a reading light that attaches somehow to your eReader? Which one? Share what you like and don't like about your reading light and enlighten us!

*Here are those examples of how to attach the Mighty Bright Clip on Light to your Kindle...

Absolute Power by David Baldacci... Audiobook Review

Absolute Power was the first book written by David Baldacci. It was a mystery, a thriller, a page turner, and set a high bar for future political thrillers... From the publisher: "In a heavily guarded mansion in a posh Virginia suburb, a man and a woman start to make love, trapping Luther Whitney, a career break-in artist, behind a secret wall. Then the passion turns deadly, and Luther is running into the night. Because what he has just seen is a brutal murder involving Alan Richmond, the president of the United States. How far will the government go to protect the president? Set in Washington, D.C., this fascinating thriller of unparalleled suspense dares to explore an unthinkable abuse of power and criminal conspiracy: a vicious murder involving the President and a cover-up orchestrated by his most trusted aides. One unlikely witness saw everything, but will America ever learn the truth? This riveting debut novel of murder, honor, loyalty and betrayal reaches into the highest echelon of power... and the lowest depth of deception..."

What a great story this is! I just had the opportunity to listen to Absolute Power as an unabridged audiobook and fell in love with the story all over again! David Baldacci poured all he had into writing this book, his first, and it shows. The story is great, but so is the narrator of the audiobook! And as I've said before, the narrator is the key to a good audiobook. Scott Brick reads Absolute Power with perfect timing, great nuances, and with a wonderful warm voice. I feel frustration, desire, and empathy in his voice. He brings each character alive and switches voices smoothly and without missing a beat. I downloaded this onto my iPod and was totally entranced by Scott's reading. He's won numerous audio awards, including 2 Audie Awards, and after listening to this audiobook, I know why. Want to listen to a great book? The unabridged audiobook I listened to is 17 CD's, AND there is a bonus short story by David Baldacci included! Learn more about David Baldacci at davidbaldacci.com! Then Listen to an Excerpt of the Audiobook Absolute Power by David Baldacci!

*I want to thank Anna from Hachette Book Group for the sending along a copy of the audiobook for me to review! It was great listening!

Memoir Mondays... He Crashed Me So I Crashed Him Back by Mark Bechtel

The Story of One of the Roughest & Rowdiest Seasons in Racing...

He Crashed Me So I Crashed Him Back by Mark Bechtel...From the publisher: On a cold February day in 1979, when most of the Northeast was snowed in by a blizzard, NASCAR entered the American consciousness with a dramatic telecast of the Daytona 500. It was the first 500-mile race to be broadcast live on national television and featured the heroes and legends of the sport racing on a hallowed track. With one of the wildest finishes in sports history--a finish that was just the start of the drama--everything changed for what is now America's second most popular sport. HE CRASHED ME SO I CRASHED HIM BACK is the story of an emerging sport trying to find its feet. It's the story of how Bobby Allison, Donnie Allison, Cale Yarborough, Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Darrell Waltrip, A.J. Foyt, and Kyle Petty came together in an unforgettable season that featured the first nationally televised NASCAR races. There were rivalries--even the sibling kind--and plenty of fistfights, feuds, and frenzied finishes. Rollicking and full of larger-than-life characters, HE CRASHED ME SO I CRASHED HIM BACK is the remarkable tale of the birth of modern stock-car racing.

NASCAR stands for The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing. What is a "Stock Car"? It's defined as, "A stock car, in the original sense of the term, described an automobile that has not been modified from its original factory configuration. Later the term stock car came to mean any production-based automobile used in racing. This term is used to differentiate such a car from a race car, a special, custom-built car designed only for racing purposes." And thanks to Mark Bechtel, there's a wonderful new book that brings NASCAR to life.

What did I think of the book? I thought it brought the sport of NASCAR to life! Especially for someone like me who knows only a little about the sport. And I enjoyed it too! Mark Bechtel is a great writer, and the book brought the people like Bobby Allison and Dale Earnhardt to life, but it also brought some of the excitement of NASCAR to the page. A look at the behind the scenes fighting, the men, the friendships and the history of NASCAR makes this a must read for any racing fan, but it's also a great story that any non-racing fan can enjoy! He Crashed Me So I Crashed Him Back is funny, feisty and full of great NASCAR history! Mark did a great job researching and interviewing people for this book, and all his sources are noted in the back of the book. Plus through out the chapters there are interesting footnotes added at the bottom of the page that add some great insights.

February 6th, 2010 marks the start of NASCAR's 62nd season. Read about the infamous fight that put NASCAR on the map! Read an Excerpt of He Crashed Me So I Crashed Him Back.

*And Thanks Valerie for my review copy! It was a fun read!

The Sunday Salon... Books with Buzz!

Good Morning! It's been a busy week planning my blogoversary, so there was a lot going on behind the scenes of Chick with Books, but not much posting. Not to worry though, I'm going to make it up to you in a few weeks time, with some exciting things going on for the celebration! In the meantime, I did get in a bit of reading- I started and finished The Help by Kathryn Stockett and really enjoyed it! The characters came alive to me and I found that when I had to put the book down, I eagerly went back for more! If you haven't cracked the spine on this one yet, let me say YOU SHOULD! I'll be reviewing it this week, so I'll talk more about it more then. This coming week I've also got a few great reviews with giveaways coming up, including a couple of audiobooks! And Kindle fans, I've got a cute little gadget review coming up in a Kindle Korner post this week too! But on to the Sunday Salon, and some great books with buzz! I've got a little of everything today, including a medical miracle...

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot... "Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors, yet her cells—taken without her knowledge—became one of the most important tools in medicine. The first “immortal” human cells grown in culture, they are still alive today, though she has been dead for more than sixty years. If you could pile all HeLa cells ever grown onto a scale, they’d weigh more than 50 million metric tons—as much as a hundred Empire State Buildings. HeLa cells were vital for developing the polio vaccine; uncovered secrets of cancer, viruses, and the effects of the atom bomb; helped lead to important advances like in vitro fertilization, cloning, and gene mapping; and have been bought and sold by the billions... Yet Henrietta Lacks remains virtually unknown, buried in an unmarked grave. Rebecca Skloot takes us on an extraordinary journey, from the “colored” ward of Johns Hopkins Hospital in the 1950s to stark white laboratories with freezers full of HeLa cells; from Henrietta’s small, dying hometown of Clover, Virginia—a land of wooden slave quarters, faith healings, and voodoo—to East Baltimore today. Henrietta’s family did not learn of her “immortality” until more than twenty years after her death, when scientists investigating HeLa began using her husband and children in research without informed consent. Henriettas Daughter Deborah wonders, if her mother was so important to medicine, why couldn’t her children afford health insurance?" Rebecca Skloot is an award winning science writer, but The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is not suppose to be some dry piece of research, but a story of a woman, her family, her legacy and scientific research. This book has gotten a lot of praise and just seemed so interesting to me. I never knew about "immortal" human cells or what they could be used for. Read an Excerpt of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks from O the Oprah Magazine, and learn more about the author and the book at her website, Rebeccaskloot.com.

Burn by Ted Dekker and Erin Healy..."Years ago, the Gypsy Kumpania (c0mmunity) where Janeal Mikkado lived was attacked by outsiders. With her best friend about to be consumed by a fire, Janeal had two options: try to save her friend--at serious risk to her own life--or disappear with the million dollars that she had just discovered... But the past is quickly coming back to haunt her. Both the best friend and the boyfriend that she was sure were dead have reappeared in her life, as has someone who knows about the money. There's a debt to be paid for the money she found, but there's an even greater debt she must face--and if the chaff isn't burned from her own heart, it will consume her." Thrill writer Ted Dekker is back along with Erin Healy with another page turner. Lots of buzz on this one, and sure to be another Ted Dekker best seller. So if you'd like a little more terror in your winter reading, check out Burn!

The Postmistress by Sarah Blake... "Weaving together the stories of three very different women loosely tied to each other, debut novelist Blake takes readers back and forth between small town America and war-torn Europe in 1940. Single, 40-year-old postmistress Iris James and young newlywed Emma Trask are both new arrivals to Franklin, Mass., on Cape Cod. While Iris and Emma go about their daily lives, they follow American reporter Frankie Bard on the radio as she delivers powerful and personal accounts from the London Blitz and elsewhere in Europe. While Trask waits for the return of her husband—a volunteer doctor stationed in England—James comes across a letter with valuable information that she chooses to hide. Blake captures two different worlds—a naïve nation in denial and, across the ocean, a continent wracked with terror—with a deft sense of character and plot, and a perfect willingness to take on big, complex questions, such as the merits of truth and truth-telling in wartime." The Postmistress by Sarah Blake is due in stores this coming week and it has gotten so much positive praise for the writing and the story. WWII has been a favorite among authors this past year, (I'm thinking The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society), but there's always room for another great book and this promises to be one! This is suppose to be a big hit this year! Read the first chapter of The Postmistress by Sarah Blake and see what you think! (and here's a little sneak peek at a surprise for a lucky "follower" of my blog... a copy The Postmistress is part of a wonderful bundle of books up for grabs as part of my blogoversary and courtesy of G.P.Putnam's Sons!)

Hope you've found something to peak your interest today! Less than 2 weeks before the One year anniversary of the blog celebration! And in the meantime... Happy reading! Suzanne

Manga Reading Challenge 2010

Discover Another World... Manga

If you've ever ventured into the Manga section of your local bookstore, you may feel overwhelmed... I know I did. I was confronted with colorful covers, titles that gave me no clue as to what the book was about ("Fruit Basket"?), and books that had over 27 issues in a series! The artwork is highly stylized (big eyes, small mouths, wild colorful hair), but some of it is absolutely amazing. Between the covers there is love, sex, violence, and a whole range of emotional stories. I decided that I wanted to learn a little more about this wildly popular genre, and while I was at it, I searched for a Manga reading challenge, which I found... but more about the challenge later. Right now, let me share what I found out about Manga...

First, the definition of Manga:

Manga are Japanese comic books. Manga is often made into Japanese cartoons, or Anime. The art in Manga has a very definite look to it and is often referred to as “Manga Style.”

Next, how do you Pronounce 'Manga':

(Maw – Nnnnn – Gah) In Japanese, it is actually three syllables, although the middle "N" is spoken very quick. Americans have a habit of pronouncing it "Man-Gah", but that is not actually correct.

How to Read Manga:

Traditional Manga is read from the back of the book to the front, right to left; text and images read right to left... see illustration at right... The bold numbers represent the boxes that contain the drawings, and the circled numbers represent the order of the dialogue.

Types of Manga: These are just some of the categories

Shônen – Boy’s Manga – (Pronounced Show-Nen) Usually involves action & adventure.

Shôjo – Girl’s Manga – (Pronounced Show-Joe) Usually has romance & is more lighthearted.

Seinen – Men’s Manga – (Pronounced Say-Nen) usually for a mature audience.

Josei (or redikomi) – Women’s Manga – (Pronounced Joe-Say) usually for a mature audience.

Kodomo – Children’s Manga – (Pronounced Kow-Dow-Mow)

The word Manga can be translated as, “humorous pictures.” Manga became very popular in the 20th century when laws prohibiting the publication of those kinds of items were lifted. It has since become a huge part of Japanese culture. Unlike in America, Manga is read by most people in the country. The artists and writer of Manga are well respected for their work, much like the writers of literature in America. The stories first usually appear in serial form in a Manga magazine. If they become popular, they are reprinted in book form, usually small digests.

So now that we know a little about Manga, how do you figure out what to read? Recommendations from people who read Manga are my first choice. Next I would look through the books at my local bookstore and see what artwork & story-lines capture your attention. On the website Manga Worth Reading there is a section called 'Manga starting points', which highlights some books. And of course the online bookstores all have a comic & graphic novel section, which would include Manga. Another way, is to join a challenge and find reviews and recommendations from other people who are part of the challenge! Not only does a challenge give you a goal, but it's fun to chat with other people you meet about what everyone is reading. So, I joined the Manga Challenge 2010, hosted by Rhinoa of Rhinoa's Ramblings.

Here's the Rules of the Challenge...

The Manga Challenge will be running from it's own dedicated blog, Manga Challenge Blog. You can join throughout the year at the Manga Challenge Blog (there is no cut off time to sign up) and it ends on 31st December 2010. The goal is to read a minimum of 6 mangas. There will be the odd prize throughout the year and bonus points if you manage to watch at least one anime film or 3 episodes of a series.

So, it's as easy as that! Sign up at the Manga Challenge Blog and read Manga and review what you've read. If you don't have a blog to link your review, you can email Rhiona directly about posting your reviews on the Manga blog. So, are you up for the challenge? Any of you Manga readers out there? - what are YOU reading!? I would love to hear suggestions here too!

*BTW, the beautiful Manga Challenge Button above was designed by Nymeth's boyfriend. Who's Nymeth? She has a blog called things mean a lot, and she's part of the Manga challenge too!

As I begin to read and review the Manga stories, I'll post review links here... Right now I'm reading my first one called solanin by Inio Asano. The artwork is pleasing and the story is really good! This is it's description,

"College graduates struggle to cope with the real world. Music offers refuge in this modern manga with an American attitude."

Manga is a bit of a reach for me, but it was interesting to learn more about what it is all about. Some of the suggestions I've gotten have been Emma: Volume 1 by Kaoru Mori which is a victorian story, Fruit Basket: Volume 1 by Natsuki Takaya which is a series with mysterious family curses, and Vagabond, Volume 1 by Takehiko Inoue, Nominated for an Eisner Award in the category for Best Writer/Artist, and is based on the life of a true samurai warrior. What do you think about Manga? Is it something you were ever curious about?