As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago I’ve already been eyeing a lot of challenges for ’09 and have finally decided to jump in and join the Latin America Reading Challenge hosted by Katrina. I mean, I was born in Mexico, it’d be a crime if I didn’t join this one right? hee.

Here’s the scoop on the challenge:

This challenge will run for 4 months, between the 1st January – 30th April 2009. The aim is to read a 4 books from Latin America, these can be fiction or non-fiction the mix is up to you. The books can be used as part of other challenges, but must be finished between the dates of the challenge.

There are a couple of options to choose from but I’m going to go with Free Choice which is read any four Latin American books. Now, my personal challenge though is that the books I’ll be reading will all be in Spanish. I used to read a lot more books in Spanish but in recent years I’ve stopped doing that and I really shouldn’t have. Another good thing is that these books are also all from my stacks.

Here is my list for now… I tend to make changes as I go along:

• Vivir Para Contarla by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Living to Tell the Tale is Marquez’s memoir which I’ve been meaning to read since it came out.
• Mujeres de Ojos Grandes by Angeles Mastretta. Women with Big Eyes is a book that Publisher’s Weekly claims will captivate readers who enjoy Isabel Allende and Laura Esquivel. I do.
• Retrato en Sepia by Isabel Allende. Portrait in Sepia is a novel about memory and family secrets in nineteenth century Chile.
• Los Versos del Capitán by Pablo Neruda. The Captain’s Verses is actually a bilingual edition but it counts. I figured it would be nice to add some poetry to my reading challenges.

Wish me luck! Oh, and I’ll let you know about the other challenges I’m joining. I’ve found a few that I really can’t pass up.

How’s everyone doing and what exciting books are you reading? I’m back from my little break. I had a good time visiting my mom although I didn’t get a chance to go to any of my usual haunts in Dallas aside from going to the public library every so often to check on email. I so miss my old library, that was really the best with its comfy chairs, cafe and shelves of new books. Anyway, I didn’t have much time at the library either so that’s why I’m so behind on blog reading, emails and all of that but I’m looking forward to catching up with everyone.

I did get back to Austin on Thanksgiving actually and we’ve just been hanging out and I’ve been busy creating some books. Tomorrow I’ll probably bust out the camera and do all the picture taking but for now I’m going to spend the evening with my books.

I have finished some books and I really will tell you about those soon. I feel like I’m always saying this! I just need to figure out how to get a 48 hour day. ha. But, waiting for me were a couple of books which I’ll be eager to read. Here are the new books:

• Rowan of the Wood by Christine Rose & Ethan Rose. This is a YA novel about a 12-year-old outcast who lives with a foster family and to escape his life he loses himself in books. I already like the premise.
• Being Written by William Consecu. This is the story of Daniel Fischer. He’s a character in a book and is determined to get the author to write him a bigger part.
• Beneath a Marble Sky by John Shors. A historical novel of seventeenth-century Hindustan, where the reigning emperor, consumed with grief over the tragic death of his beloved wife, commissioned the building of a grand mausoleum as a testament to the marvel of their love – the Taj Mahal.
• City of God by Beverly Swerling. Another historical novel but this one takes the reader to the streets of Manhattan as the nation struggles to find a compromise between slave and free.

Hope you are all having a great weekend!