Since I slacked off on blogging and haven't posted here since February, here is a large portion of the books I have read for this challenge:

February 2008 (Month 4)

10. Thief of Time by Terry Pratchett
    This was my first exposure to the work of Terry Pratchett. As a long-time Douglas Adams fan, I had heard Pratchett's name many times, but never took the time to actually read one of his books. I grabbed this one because the plot sounded interesting, and when I read the jacket at home, I noticed it was part of the "Discworld" series. Curious about how to properly start the series, a lump formed in my throat as I discovered that there are thirty-two Discworld novels, and that's not counting four young adult novels, several graphic novels, multiple short stories, and a few science novels! In fact, there's even a flowchart displaying the proper reading order for eight different sub-plots within the Discworld series! Though this book is near the end of a reading order, I noticed that it was only "loosely" connected to the other books, so I went ahead and started reading. I could tell that I'd be reading more Pratchett (and more Discworld) books in the future shortly after I started. The Discworld is a mythology very similar to what you find in Lord of the Rings and Chronicles of Narnia, but much more irreverent. A very fun read — so much so that I decided to start at the beginning of this sub-plot reading order ("Death Novels") and read more Pratchett.
11. The Book of General Ignorance by John Lloyd & John Mitchinson
    This is a great book that gives you the answers to questions you never knew you didn't know. For instance: Who invented the telephone? What is the normal state of glass? What is the Number of the Beast? How many states are in the US? What shape did Columbus think the earth was? How many sheep were on Noah's Ark? Despite what you think, you don't know these answers (unless your answers happened to be: Antonio Meucci, solid, 616, 46, pear-shaped, and 14). Be sure to read this book and find out the truth about 230 misconceptions that are considered "common knowledge". A truly enlightening read.

March 2008 (Month 5)

12. No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy
    I slipped this book in early so I could read it before the Coen Brothers' movie based on this book came out. It's an interesting story. In fact, I was shocked at how loyal the Coens were to the book. Little was left out or changed, save for some extraneous plot lines that jumbled up the last few chapters.
13. Girl Boy Etc. by Michael Weinreb
    This is an enjoyable collection of short stories primarily narrated by single men. Throughout the various stories, Weinreb uses contrastingly different personalities and shows us points of view that we don't often read, see, or hear.
14. Mort by Terry Pratchett
    In Pratchett's first "Death Novel" of the Discworld series, Death hires a lanky apprentice who is appropriately named Mort. When Death takes a break and Mort fails to properly carry out his duties, strange things start happening throughout the Discworld.

April 2008 (Month 6)

15. Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay
    Fans of the hit Showtime series Dexter will enjoy reading the book that started it all. Those unfamiliar with the show might enjoy the book as well. Dexter suffered a traumatic incident as a child and was adopted by a cop. Dexter's past altered his brain and gave him homicidal urges, so his adoptive father Harry taught him to kill only those truly evil people in the world who kept escaping the law. Fittingly, Dexter works in the police crime lab as a blood spatter expert.
16. Company: A Novel by Max Barry
    Anyone who has ever worked in an office environment and/or for a large corporation will adore this book. Barry does an excellent job at picking on bureaucracy as well as pointless and often contradictory business methods. The book begins with Stephen Jones' first day at Zephyr. Jones is fresh out of school and has high hopes for his career, but before he even meets most of his co-workers he is given his first task: Find out whether the department was shorted a donut that morning, or if someone took a second donut. Jones discovers that Zephyr is a mind-bogglingly (and hilariously, for the reader) bureaucratic company. After continually being frustrated with the mindless bureaucracy, Jones decides to march his way to complain directly to Senior Management (gasp) without an appointment!

May 2008 (Month 7)

17. Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett
    In the second of the Discworld "Death Novels", Death is fired from his job and sent to live among the humans. Not surprisingly, he chooses to work as a farmhand, using a scythe to cut grain. There's plenty of humor as Death attempts to live among humans, while the Wizards attempt to deal with strange occurrences due to the lack of a Death.

June 2008 (Month 8 )

18. Jennifer Government by Max Barry
    After finishing Company, I had to read another Max Barry novel. This novel takes place in a time where large companies have more or less taken the place of countries. Employees take on their employer's name as their last name, the government cannot do anything unless they are paid in advance, and companies begin using less guerrilla marketing and more guerrilla warfare. A unique view of a possible future, and a very interesting insight on large corporations.
19. Dearly Devoted Dexter by Jeff Lindsay
    Another excellent Dexter book from Lindsay. These books spawned the Showtime series Dexter, and though the plots vary, the books contain the same dry, dark humor and eerie detail that you might have seen on the show. Regardless, the author does a great job at writing interesting plots that make us enjoy this "lovable monster" as he interacts with the world around him.

July 2008 (Month 9)

Though I read during the month of July, I didn't finish a book, and there are several reasons for this. First, I have gotten into geocaching (which I will discuss in a future post), and this took up a lot of the spare time I had been using for reading. Nonetheless, I have been geocaching since April, so this is hardly an excuse. Additionally, I finished Dearly Devoted Dexter at the tail end of June, so I didn't have a "head start" on any books for this month. The book I was reading (Soul Music) was enjoyable, but for some reason it was a slow read for me. All that said, we also spent a week traveling on vacation, and while the book made the trip, quality reading time hardly ever made itself available.

August 2008 (Month 10)

20. Soul Music by Terry Pratchett
    Another interesting book in the Discworld series. In this book, the Discworld (a Lord of the Rings-esque mythical land) is infused with rock music after a musician finds a mystical instrument. As usual, a fun Pratchett book.
21. Soon I Will Be Invincible by Austin Grossman
    An excellent novel for fans of the superhero genre. Chapters alternate between the two narrators, the evil super-genius Doctor Impossible and the cybernetic super-heroine Fatale. The book is filled with homages to common superpowers, catchphrases, and origin stories found in countless comic books. Particularly enjoyable are Doctor Impossible's internal discussions about fighting superheros despite the fact that he loses every single time.

I just finished my 21st book and I have over two months left to read the last two. To tell you the truth, I'm actually reading two books simultaneously (one fiction, one self-help), so I shouldn't have too much trouble with this.

See more progress on: Read 23 books in three years

Perhaps I'll get into the habit of posting movie reviews based on comments from my family . . .

Last night, we watched The Family Stone, another holiday family get-together movie. In general, I enjoy this genre of movie because they show the quirks, embarrassments, and fights that are inherent in most families, but they also show the love that inextricably binds them together.

This is my mother's one-line review of The Family Stone:

I didn't like the beginning when they were all being mean, but it got better when they started fighting.

So, there you have it. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has surely been waiting for my mom's review of this one.

This post discusses Oscars contests for the Academy Awards that took place on Sunday, March 5, 2006. For the most recent Oscars posts, be sure to check out the Oscars/Academy Awards category page. There, you should find contests, predictions, and results.

Oscar's no grouch

Here is my annual list of Oscars prediction contests. For those of you who enjoy predicting the winners each year (and also for those of you who hate it, but predict it anyway), here's a way to take up an hour or two and possibly win some cool swag if you're lucky. Enter away, and good luck!

I included some hints and suggestions at the end of this post. Also, I have some guidelines that determine which contests are displayed and which are not. Contests must be:

1. Skill-based. You pick the winners. No "enter your name and cross your fingers" lottery-style games here. If you've got knowledge and skill, get them all right. Then, you'll have a better chance.
2. English only. Sorry, no hablo francais.
3. National. No regional contest prizes. Most people reading this won't care about winning a dinner for two in Vancouver. If regional prizes are open to people in any location with non-regional prizes, they will be included. If there is a regional prize included but the grand prize also includes a generic prize, I will probably include the contest.
4. Open to Americans. Americans must be eligible to enter. If you are under 18 (and maybe even if you're under 21), you'll want to double-check the rules to see if you're eligible.
5. Free. Must be free. Registration might be a requirement, but
6. Up to you. I will do my best to skim rules and regulations to confirm what I've mentioned above. No promises that I didn’t miss something. It’s up to you to read the rules yourself. I'm not responsible. I am also not responsible for any spam you might receive as a result of entering these contests. The guidelines above do not check for privacy or anything of the sort. I myself have created a special e-mail just for contests to catch all the spam (and congratulatory winners' e-mails, of course).

Listings will be of the following format:

• Site name (links directly to contest page) — Description or details, if necessary.
  Grand Prize(s) offered. You can read the details for any lesser prizes.

And now, without (even further) ado . . .

The Contests:

Confirmed Contests:

I have entered these and confirmed that they abide by my guidelines above. Unless noted, you can enter these until at least midnight (or 11:59PM) before the Oscars ceremony. Some will let you enter right up until the ceremony begins.

• Oscars.com & Entertainment Weekly — ABC.com membership required
  Prize: All-expense paid weekend in Hollywood to watch your favorite stars arrive at the 79th Academy Awards in 2007
• CNN.com
  Prize: Home Theater System including a 32" LCD HDTV
• Minnesota Post-Bulletin
  Deadline: Thursday, March 2, 2006, 12:00 Midnight CST
  Prize: $100
• Lexington Herald-Leader and Kentucky.com
  Deadline: Friday, March 3, 2006, 12:00 Noon. Time zone unknown.
  Prize: $50 in movie tickets; $50 gift certificate to the Lexington restaurant Oscars
• CentreDaily.com
  Deadline: Friday, March 3, 2006, 5:00 PM. Time zone unknown.
  Prize: Movie theater gift certificate
• Louisville Courier-Journal
  Deadline: Friday, March 3, 2006, 5:00 PM. Time zone unknown.
  Prize: $200 plus an official Oscar program and 78th annual Academy Awards poster
• oregonlive.com
  Deadline: Friday, March 3, 2006, 8:59 PM PST
  Prize: 40 Regal Cinema Movie Passes
• WoKJ's Ultimate Oscar Contest
  Deadline: Saturday, March 4, 2006, 12:00 Noon EST
  Prize: DVDS of 72 of the 77 Best Picture Oscar winners.
• Scuba.com
  Deadline: Saturday, March 4, 2006, 12:00 Noon PST
  Prize: $100 gift certificate for scuba.com
• Fort Worth Public Library — Enter once per day!
  Prize: Million Dollar Baby DVD; Two (2) free passes to AMC Theatres; 2-liter bottle of Coca-Cola Classic; A box of Orville Redenbacher's Microwave Gourmet Popping Corn
• Movieline's Hollywood Life
  Prize: JVC TH-C5 Digital Theater System; over a dozen Oscar-nominated films
• FilmGuru.Net
  Prize: $25 gift certificate to the FilmGuru.Net store; FilmGuru.Net t-shirt
• the-numbers.com
  Prize: Three Best Picture winners of your choice on DVD or video
• n:zone Movies
  Prize: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory on DVD; Corpse Bride on DVD; Mrs. & Mrs. Smith on DVD; Robots on DVD; Harry Potter t-shirt; Harry Potter hat; North Country hat; North Country t-shirt; North Country thermal shirt
• Box Office Mojo (Registration required, but not only do you get to predict who you think will win, you get to also vote for who you think should win!)
  Prize: Last year, it was a one-year Premier Pass on Box Office Mojo. As I cannot find official rules this year (yet), I am not sure that it's the same prize, or even if there is a prize at all.
• The Daily Camera
  Prize: $500 Gift Certificate from McGuckin Hardware
• AroundCinci
  Prize: 17" SpongeBob SquarePants TV/DVD; Premium items from your favorite movies
• TV Oracle
  Prize: $25 gift certificate to Best Buy
• web-goddess
  Prize: one-of-a-kind, never-before-produced gay sock monkey cowboys with hats, boots, and lots of love.
• OscarWatch
  Prize: Unknown (possibly none)
• DE Concierge
  Deadline: Friday, March 3, 2006, 12:00 Noon. Time zone unknown.
  Prize: Three Oscar winning films on DVD; a relaxing massage at the day spa of your choice; dinner for two at the hot restaurant of your choice; six AMC Gold movie tickets
• Raven's Cry Theatre
  Prize: Unknown. Possibly movie passes
• Practicalmadness — This one's a bit different. Read carefully. Registration required but only uses Name/e-mail/password.
  Prize: TBA
• The Augusta Chronicle
  Deadline: Friday, March 3, 2006, 5:00 PM. Time zone unknown.
  Prize: an entertainment prize pack featuring a selection of CDs, DVDs and other surprises
• Drew's "Predict The Oscars…Poorly" Contest — With Drew's contest, be sure to pick losers for every category.
  Prize: Fifty movie goodies (posters, promos, keychains, magnets, hats, postcards, buttons, soundtracks, bumper stickers, bookmarks, yadda yadda)
• Norwich Bulletin — No online form. You must e-mail your picks. (See page for further details.)
  Deadline: Monday, February 27, 2006, 3:00 PM. Time zone unknown.
  Prize: $50
• Lansing State Journal
  Deadline: Monday, February 27, 2006, 5:00 PM. Time zone unknown.
  Prize: $100 (You may have to travel to Lansing to pick the prize up within 60 days.)
• The News Tribune — Enter once per day! Registration required.
  Deadline: Wednesday, March 1, 2006, 5:00 PM. Time zone unknown.
  Prize: Take nine of your closest friends to the movies

Tiebreakers:

Here are the tiebreaker and/or nontraditional questions you will encounter in some of these contests:

• Which film will win the most awards?
• How many awards will the most decorated film win?
• How many awards will Brokeback Mountain win on Oscar night?
• Who will win the Best Live Action Short Film award?
• Who will win the Best Song award?
• Who will design Reese Witherspoon's dress?
• Pick a number between 1 and 100.
• Choose A Number between 1 and 1,000.
• How many films did my mom see in the theater in the calendar year 2005?
• How long will the Oscar ceremony last?
• How many dead people will be featured in the annual Hollywood obituary tribute reel?

Before you start entering, be sure you already know what has been nominated in which categories! Print the official Oscars printable ballot or the Yahoo's printable Oscars ballot and make your picks first. Based on years of contest entry experience, I guarantee that this will make your life easier. You might also want to decide on your tiebreaker answers ahead of time, too. See the end of this post for the current list. Also, it's up to you, but I suggest entering the same picks in every contest you enter. First, this makes it much, much easier to keep track of how well you do in the contests. Second, you might think that "If I enter in multiple contests and try various selections, I'm more likely to win something," but the problem is that, even if you get all the selections correct, you're (usually) still in a drawing among all the other winners. If you nail the picks, then you've got a dozen or so chances to win. If you only get the correct picks in one or two different contests, you might not win anything at all.

Feel free to bookmark the Academy Awards page. There, you will find this information, as well as predictions and results.

The most major category that I have seen a nominated film in is for original screenplay: Match Point. If it hadn't been Woody Allen, I wouldn't have seen that, either.

The other categories in which I have seen films? Art direction, costume design, makeup, sound editing, sound mixing, and visual effects. I have seen every movie in the visual effects category, and two of the three were a couple of my least favorite movies of 2005.

King Kong was simply unbearable. If I find out that one of my friends is going to rent King Kong, I'm going to schedule a dentist appointment instead. Horrendous. And then there's War of the Worlds . . . popcorn movie from start to finish. This is a great movie for radio and also for movie special effects teams, but it just doesn't make for an exciting movie.

The nominated movies I have seen are Match Point, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, King Kong, War of the Worlds, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Star Wars: Episode III. I know, I know . . . not the highest quality selection of 2005, but when half your movies are intended for children under 8, what are you to do? Still, I was quite pleased with Charlie and the Chocoalte Factory and The Chronicles of Narnia. Match Point was good, except that we've already seen this Woody Allen story as just a portion of the superior Crimes and Misdemeanors. Star Wars III was my favorite SW prequel. Harry Potter, King Kong, and Tom Cruise can all just go away.

This post was originally posted at The Smarmy Carny, Novac's general blog.