2014 Hub Reading Challenge check-in #4

I’m in a bit of a pickle. Today I begin my first Slice of Life Story Challenge, (SOLSC) which means I will be writing a Slice of Life Story daily in March. Either I write only for the SOLSC, or I write two posts some days. I will probably opt for the latter and double up on the books I mention in each books related post. Let’s see if I can pull this off.

I managed 4 books again, this week for the HUB Challenge.Here’s the list:

22. Killer of Enemies by Joseph Bruchac

23. Viva Jacquelina! Being an Account of the Further Adventuresof Jacky Faber, Over the Hills and Far Away by L. A. Meyer

24. The Adventurees of Superhero Girl by Faith Erin Hicks

25. Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong by Prudence Shen and Faith Erin Hicks

Twenty-five is the goal, so technically, I have finished. The Challenge, however,  continues into June, so I’m going to keep reading things I haven’t read from the list.

My favorite this week was the audiobook of Viva Jacquelina! Being an Account of the Further Adventuresof Jacky Faber, Over the Hills and Far Away by L. A. Meyer. Olé.

What a romp!!!

When the audio first started playing, I thought the cockney accent of the narrator, Katherine Kellgren, might be too much. But she nails Jacky. She has found the exact voice, tone and pacing for her. Our heroine, Jacky Faber, is sent to Spain by British Intelligence to spy for the Crown during the early days of the Peninsular War. She works on Wellington’s staff,  finds herself in the company of guerilla freedom fighters, poses for the famous artist Goya, runs with the bulls, is kidnapped by the Spanish Inquisition, and travels with a caravan of gypsies…all while hoping to one day reunite with her beloved Jaimy Fletcher. It’s like Forest Gump, but better!

This is book 10 in the series, and the first of the series I have read. I have already put the first audiobook on hold at the library. I want to get to know Jacky’s past, and I want to hear it in Katherine Kellgren’s voice.

March comes in like a lion: A Slice of Life Story

And so it is March. Finally. February might be the shortest month, but if feels the longest. But, thankfully, March is here, and so is the Slice of Life Story Challenge.  And March has come in roaring. This is also the NCTE Regional conference weekend ( more on this tomorrow) and  Rose City Yarn Crawl weekend.

What is that you might ask? An annual Portland experience, the Rose City Yarn Crawl is a four-day event for fiber enthusiasts (knitters, crocheters, spinners, and felters) to explore the many shops in and around Portland. Basically yarn crazed people driving all over the metro Portland area. We recognize each other. Sometimes you see the same people for a couple of shops in a row. Sometimes you see a trainer but recognize him/her by the Rose City Yarn Crawl tote bag and passport she is carrying.

At each shop, you get a stamp on your passport. Last year was extra fun because each of the 19 shops handed out a button to pin on the bag.

The yarn crawl runs from Thursday February 27-Sunday March 2. I visited 3 shops after work yesterday & 2 today. As I entered the third shop last night, two women I’d seen at the previous two shops, entered behind me. They proudly walked up to the counter to get their FINAL stamp on their passports. Yup, they did it all in one day. In previous years, I might have been disheartened by this. But I’m an experienced yarn crawler. I’m in it to have a ball.