Sunday, January 29, 2012
The audiobook I never thought I'd Like
Not that I was thinking this particular audiobook or book would be bad. It sounded interesting, but I have tried a few audiobooks in the past and have never been able to get into them. When I took YA Literature in grad school, I was required to listen to 2 audiobooks. I didn't care for either one of them. Then, in an attempt to make the drive to work and back more interesting, I tried another YA book. One that I picked completely on my own. I almost didn't finish it. (I actually checked out several audiobooks thinking that I could make it a thing to listen to them during my commute. I quickly returned ALL of them). I've heard several times that the narrator makes or breaks the book, but I've never listened to a book with a good narrator. So when my book club decided to read Ready, Player One by Ernest Cline, I decided to give audiobooks one more chance. This one is read by Wil Wheaton and does not disappoint. Wheaton brought such a liveliness and excitement to the book, that I think I enjoyed it more than if I had read it. Ready, Player One incorporates a lot of video games and other nerdy items, mostly from the 80s. A lot of the stuff included I was not familiar with, but with Wil Wheaton reading, it didn't matter. Wheaton brought out the competition of the book and you could hear the excitement in his voice during the nerdy parts. It was a truly excellent book to my ears. For the first time ever, I can say I didn't mind waiting on a delayed plane in the airport, and I actually looked forward to driving to work every morning. On Fridays, I would get sad because I wouldn't be driving during the weekend enough to listen to my book. So thank you Wil Wheaton for restoring my faith in audiobooks, and showing me that the narrator truly makes the experience good or bad. Now, I just need to find something else to listen to.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Newbery Disappointments
I'm currently taking a class in grad school that requires me to read all the Newbery Medal books. I haven't read all of them yet, but I just finished reading the winner, Moon Over Manifest. I did what most book nerds do when the children's literature awards were announced, I looked them up on amazon and Goodreads to see what others had to say about them (John Green tweeted not long after the winner was announced that there was only one review of it on amazon). When I saw that Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool had won, I went to amazon to look it up. I read the plot description and groaned. I'm not a big fan of historical fiction books, and of course,Moon Over Manifest is one (if you want to know what it's about, follow the link, I don't want to repost their reviews). I did not want to read this book, but I had to for class. And I'm still groaning. Moon Over Manifest is not a terrible book. I found it boring, but it's not my favorite genre anyway. It has some good qualities, but overall I gave it two stars. My review, as posted on goodreads:
"Winner of the 2011 Newbery Award. I think my expectations might have been too high because of this honor, but I was very disappointed in this book. I thought it was too long and too slow, and the alternating between past and present drove me crazy. Not much happened in the present except for the three girls running around asking people about the Rattler. The stories that the diviner told from 1918 were interesting and exciting. The book flap says that the girls go "on an honest-to-goodness spy hunt," but the hunt just seems like an excuse to get the ball rolling on the tales from the past. It feels like throughout the book more and more mysterious elements are added that you think relates to their main mystery, but when you get to the end all the mysteries are solved and many of them are not connected. The ending felt like an afterthought when it was realized that the original mystery (the spy) hadn't been solved yet and was quickly mentioned in the last few pages."
My issue with Moon Over Manifest is not that I found it boring, it is would a kid find it boring? I know that 10 or 11 year old me wouldn't make it past the first few pages. I can't realistically see children picking this book up out of a stack *voluntarily* and really enjoying it. Does this really represent the best of children's literature in 2010? Lately there has been a lot of controversy about the book awards, people are asking whether these books are what children would pick or if adults are picking them based on their literary merit. Are these books that adults think childrenshould be reading? I've read a lot of the Newbery winners, and I've read all the ones from the 90s when I was a kid. Most of them, I loved. Missing May, The Giver, Shiloh, Number the Stars: everyone in my class read these books, we had to wait to get our hands on them. They truly are great examples of children's literature. And all of these books led me to read more by the authors. Now, an elementary school librarian I know doesn't even want to buy the Newbery winner because the kids won't read them. Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! won in 2008 and no kids at this school want to read it. It's still a great book and is very useful for literature and drama classes; it definitely has merit. But is this the type of merit we want for a children's book award?
Most years when the awards are announced, I get disappointed. I think the Newbery Award is not doing its job when it comes down to representing the best of children's literature. Overall, the purpose should be to highlight the books children want to read, not the ones they should be reading. They can get those in their classrooms. In my class, we have to present at a children's literature conference on the award winners; many librarians come to these presentations and make a decision whether to buy these books based on the presentations. I would hope that at these presentations we would be able to highlight books that kids will love. Maybe I'm wrong, but I always thought that the point of these awards were to highlight great books for children. After all, we're just trying to get them to read something (and I'm not saying that Diary of a Wimpy Kid should win just because kids love it, I just think there should be a better compromise). I'm worried about the state of the Newbery Award. I trust it, as an adult, but that may not continue for long.
On ALA's website there's a quote from the Newbery committee chair, Cynthia Richey:
"Vanderpool illustrates the importance of stories as a way for children to understand the past, inform the present and provide hope for the future."
I can see Moon Over Manifest accomplishing this, but it seems like this is more directed at something teachers and educators would find useful over children. We in my class are having this same problem, while discussing the Newbery and Caldecott books, we keep talking about how they would work in shcools and in the classroom and we neglect to think about the appeal they would have in a public library sitting on a shelf. I understand the difficulty that comes along in this decision, but I think the Newbery Committees are losing sight of the ultimate goal, and I hope they can find their way back again soon, before everyone loses faith in their decisions.
There's an excellent article from School Library Journal here that talks about the Newbery Awards. It was written in 2008, but I think it still holds up today. My favorite quote:
"John Newbery, a highly successful publisher, believed that children’s books should offer readers delight and instruction in equal measure. So he searched for materials that would be both popular and profitable."
That is THE John Newbery.
Also, interesting point, 4 of the 5 Newbery books this year are historical fiction. Why? Thoughts?
x-posted to paradingsam
Sunday, October 31, 2010
All Hallow's Read
Recently, Neil Gaiman posted a blog with his new idea: on Halloween, give scary books to people. He thought there weren't enough holidays where people gave each other books and Halloween seemed like a good time to do so. I completely agree! I love the idea of giving scary books on Halloween. I'm a big fan of giving/getting books as gifts and don't think it happens near enough. Of course, reading about this idea made me wonder what scary book I would give to someone, and then I realized that I had no idea! When I was in middle and high school I read all sorts of scary books. I pretty much read every Fear Street and Christopher Pike novel out there, but I haven't really read any since then (which is terrible). So now I'm on a mission to find some scary books to read. I've picked up Pet Sematary, because I've never read it and according to Stephen King, it's the scariest book he wrote. Hopefully by next Halloween I'll be better prepared with scary books to give. I did give books to my two favorite budding readers, Amber and Gabriel, and they enjoyed them both very much!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Coraline, and what's happening now
A few weeks ago the Newbery Award winner was announced: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. When I heard that I was surprised, my dad had just bought that book not too long ago, and it didn't strike me as a kid's book. Then again, the Newbery Award seems to have veered from being focused on book's appropriate for children to just books adults think are good. I had not read The Graveyard Book yet, nor anything by Neil Gaiman. Of course Coraline had just been made into a movie and I was hearing a lot about it, and it sounded interesting. Although I never could really tell what it was about, all I heard was that a girl goes through a door and finds a house similar to hers, but not really. I wasn't real sure of the story. While I was reading posts on the Newbery Project blog someone had posted a link to Neil Gaiman's journal, about when he found out he had won the Newbery. I read that post, and then several more, intrigued. This man is weird, I thought. In one of his posts there was a button trailer he had made, which was really odd. And another he answered questions from fans, one of which being would my young child like Coraline? In his answer he said that adults would probably be creeped out more than children, kids just viewing it as an adventure story. So I knew I had to read it. I bought and read Coraline in a few hours, it is shelved in the "young reader's" section at my bookstore. And it was definitely creepy. To sum up the book, Coraline's parents don't pay much attention to her, being busy with work and other things. She wants them to play with her, and is bored so she explores the house. She discovers a door that is bricked up. Later that night, she hears a noise, follows it and discovers the door is open. She goes through and finds a house just like hers, with a mother like hers only with button eyes. The mother invites her to stay, Coraline refuses. But the mother is determined and does many things to make her stay, including stealing her parents. It really creeped me out, especially once I thought about it. But it is a well-written book. A quick read, but will definitely stay with you, and maybe make you scared of buttons.
Now I'm in the middle of reading The Pirate Hunter by Richard Zacks, the true story of Captain Kidd. I've always been a fan of pirates and pirate books. This one is taking me a while to read, but it's very interesting. I'm actually feeling sorry for Captain Kidd, and learning a lot about pirates and privateers.
Recently I went to the bookstore with a co-worker of mine and picked out some B&N classics (so cheap, I love them). He asked for a recommendation and of course, I picked my all-time favorite, The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas. He's now reading it and enjoying it very much and from time to time we talk about it. And of course, talking about the Musketeers makes me want to re-read them all. But I feel like I should read the 30+ books on my "to-read" shelf first.
Next weekend I am going to the McConnell Literature Conference and I'm really excited. I get to see Chris Crutcher and Gary D. Schmidt (whose book, The Wednesday Wars I just finished reading). Should be a fun experience!
Now I'm in the middle of reading The Pirate Hunter by Richard Zacks, the true story of Captain Kidd. I've always been a fan of pirates and pirate books. This one is taking me a while to read, but it's very interesting. I'm actually feeling sorry for Captain Kidd, and learning a lot about pirates and privateers.
Recently I went to the bookstore with a co-worker of mine and picked out some B&N classics (so cheap, I love them). He asked for a recommendation and of course, I picked my all-time favorite, The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas. He's now reading it and enjoying it very much and from time to time we talk about it. And of course, talking about the Musketeers makes me want to re-read them all. But I feel like I should read the 30+ books on my "to-read" shelf first.
Next weekend I am going to the McConnell Literature Conference and I'm really excited. I get to see Chris Crutcher and Gary D. Schmidt (whose book, The Wednesday Wars I just finished reading). Should be a fun experience!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
book list 2008
so it's super late, but here's my book list for 2008. obviously my plan of writing reviews didn't quite work, so i'm thinking of a way to revise my blog some. i think i'll start by just giving select reviews. oh! and the award winners are coming soon! yay!
1. Cursor’s Fury – Jim Butcher
2. Strawberry Girl – Lois Lenski
3. A Walk to Remember – Nicholas Sparks
4. Kira-Kira – Cynthia Kadohata
5. Mystic River – Dennis Lehane
6. Gentlemen of the Road – Michael Chabon
7. Criss Cross – Lynne Rae Perkins
8. Maus I – Art Spiegelman
9. The Earth Giant – Melvin Burgess
10. Beloved – Toni Morrison
11. Princess on the Brink – Meg Cabot
12. The Book of Three – Lloyd Alexander
13. Young Zorro: The Iron Brand – Jan Adkins
14. Bud, Not Buddy – Christopher Paul Curtis
15. The Black Cauldron – Lloyd Alexander
16. A Great and Terrible Beauty – Libba Bray
17. Their Eyes were Watching God – Zora Neale Hurston
18. Out of the Dust – Karen Hesse
19. Confessions of a Prep School Mommy Handler – Wade Rouse
20. A Visit to William Blake’s Inn – Nancy Willard
21. Life of Pi – Yann Martel
22. The Hero and the Crown – Robin McKinley
23. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan – Lisa See
24. Notes from a Small Island – Bill Bryson
25. Rebel Angels – Libba Bray
26. Tender is the Night – F. Scott Fitzgerald
27. Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim – David Sedaris
28. Into Thin Air – Jon Krakauer
29. The High King – Lloyd Alexander
30. Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices – Paul Fleischman
31. The Mark of Zorro – Johnston McCulley
32. Prep- Curtis Sittenfeld
33. The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread – Kate DiCamillo
34. The Secret Life of Bees – Sue Monk Kidd
35. The Panama Hat Trail – Tom Miller
36. The Age of Innocence – Edith Wharton
37. Falling Leaves – Adeline Yen Mah
38. A Gathering of Days: A New England Girl’s Journal, 1830-32 – Joan W. Blos
39. American Born Chinese – Gene Luen Yang
40. Shakespeare: The World as Stage – Bill Bryson
41. A Handful of Herbs – Barbara Segall
42. The Beekeeper’s Apprentice – Laurie R. King
43. Physik – Angie Sage
44. MC Higgins, the Great – Virginia Hamilton
45. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time – Mark Haddon
46. Subterranean – James Rollins
47. No Talking – Andrew Clements
48. New Book of Herbs – Jekka McVicar
49. The Doll in the Garden – Mary Downing Hahn
50. The Subterraneans – Jack Kerouac
51. Warriors: Into the wild – Erin Hunter
52. Within Reach: My Everest Story – Mark Pfetzer
53. A Child Called It – Dave Pelzer
54. A Monstrous Regiment of Women – Laurie R. King
55. The Titan’s Curse – Rick Riordan
56. Crispin: At the Edge of the World – Avi
57. Rules – Cynthia Lord
58. The Lost Boy – Dave Pelzer
59. Spud – John van de Ruit
60. A Brother’s Journey – Richard Pelzer
61. Roller Skates – Ruth Sawyer
62. Peony in Love – Lisa See
63. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume 1: The Pox Party – MT Anderson
64. Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village – Laura Amy Schlitz
65. A Man Named Dave – Dave Pelzer
66. Dairy Queen – Catherine Gilbert Murdock
67. …and Now Miguel – Joseph Krumgold
68. It’s Okay to Miss the Bed on the First Jump: and Other Life Lessons I Learned from Dogs – John O’Hurley
69.The Torrents of Spring – Ernest Hemingway
70. Sold – Patricia McCormick
71. Barrrel Fever- David Sedaris
72. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life – Barbara Kingsolver
73. Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia – Elizabeth Gilbert
74. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl
75. Igraine the Brave – Cornelia Funke
76. Confessions of a Shopaholic – Sophie Kinsella
77. Into the Wild – Jon Krakauer
78. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian – Sherman Alexie
79. Cave of the Dark Wind – Dave Barry
80. Shopaholic Takes Manhattan – Sophie Kinsella
81. Small Favor – Jim Butcher
82. Shopaholic Ties the Knot – Sophie Kinsella
83. The Off Season – Catherine Gilbert Murdock
84. Zorro Unmasked – Sandra Curtis
85. A Letter of Mary – Laurie R. King
86. The Willoughbys – Lois Lowry
87. The Giver – Lois Lowry
88. P.S. Longer Letter Later – Paula Danziger & Ann M. Martin
89. Shopaholic and Sister – Sophie Kinsella
90. They Cage the Animals at Night – Jennings Michael Burch
91. Snail Mail No More – Paula Danziger & Ann M. Martin
92. Gathering Blue – Lois Lowry
93. Messenger – Lois Lowry
94. Big Fish – Daniel Wallace
95. Finding Manana – Mirta Ojito
96. Shopaholic and Baby – Sophie Kinsella
97. Captain’s Fury – Jim Butcher
98.Veil of Roses – Laura Fitzgerald
99. The Sweet Far Thing – Libba Bray
100. When I Crossed No-Bob – Margaret McMullan
101. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier – Ishmael Beah
102. The Young Merlin Trilogy – Jane Yolen
103. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry – Mildred D. Taylor
104. The Namesake – Jhumpa Lahiri
105. The Execution of Sherlock Holmes – Donald Thomas
106. The Star of Kazan – Eva Ibbotson
107. The Undomestic Goddess – Sophie Kinsella
108. Ticket to Ride – Larry Kane
109. Possible Side Effects – Augusten Burroughs
110. Beyond the Deepwoods – Paul Stewart
111. Bitter Sweets – Roopa Farooki
112. How to Twist a Dragon’s Tale – Cressida Cowell
113. The Moor – Laurie R. King
114. The Well of Ascension – Brandon Sanderson
115. This Can’t Be Happening at Macdonald Hall – Gordon Korman
116. Go Jump in the Pool! – Gordon Korman
117. Beware the Fish! – Gordon Korman
118. The War with Mr. Wizzle – Gordon Korman
119. The Zucchini Warriors – Gordon Korman
120. Something Fishy at Macdonald High – Gordon Korman
121. Macdonald High Goes Hollywood – Gordon Korman
122. What is the What – Dave Eggers
123. Steve and Me – Terri Irwin
124. Purity of Blood – Arturo Perez-Reverte
125. Twilight – Stephenie Meyer
126. The Thirteenth Tale – Diane Setterfield
127. O Jerusalem – Laurie R. King
128. Under the Banner of Heaven – Jon Krakauer
129. Endymion Spring – Matthew Skelton
130. The Pirates! In an Adventure with Communists – Gideon Defoe
131. Brisingr – Christopher Paolini
132. On Subbing – Dave Roche
133. Peter and the Shadow Thieves – Dave Barry
134. Maus II – Art Spiegelman
135. A Shadow in Summer – Daniel Abraham
136. The Last Lecture – Randy Pausch
137. New Moon – Stephenie Meyer
138. Sweet Thursday – John Steinbeck
139. Charlie Bone and the Beast – Jenny Nimmo
140. The Complete 35mm Sourcebook – Michael Busselle
141. The Hedge Knight – George R. R. Martin
142. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao – Junot Diaz
143. Justice Hall – Laurie R. King
144. Not Without My Daughter – Betty Mahmoody
145. I’m Emma, I’m a Quint – Stella Pevsner
146. The Au Pairs – Melissa de la Cruz
147. The Luxe – Anna Godbersen
148. 100 Cupboards – ND Wilson
149. Spud- the Madness Continues – John van de Ruit
150. Eiger Dreams – Jon Krakauer
151. The Jellyfish Season – Mary Downing Hahn
152. The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle – High Lofting
153. Elantris – Brandon Sanderson
154. Eclipse – Stephenie Meyer
155. Breaking Dawn – Stephenie Meyer
156. Confessions of a Counterfeit Farm Girl – Susan McCorkindale
157. Daphne’s Book – Mary Downing Hahn
158. The Tales of Beedle the Bard – JK Rowling
159. The Game – Laurie R. King
160. Twilight – Stephenie Meyer
161. Following My Own Footsteps – Mary Downing Hahn
162. Polgara the Sorceress – David and Leigh Eddings
163. Princeps’ Fury – Jim Butcher
164. Eclipse – Stephenie Meyer
165. Iceland: Land of the Sagas – David Roberts
1. Cursor’s Fury – Jim Butcher
2. Strawberry Girl – Lois Lenski
3. A Walk to Remember – Nicholas Sparks
4. Kira-Kira – Cynthia Kadohata
5. Mystic River – Dennis Lehane
6. Gentlemen of the Road – Michael Chabon
7. Criss Cross – Lynne Rae Perkins
8. Maus I – Art Spiegelman
9. The Earth Giant – Melvin Burgess
10. Beloved – Toni Morrison
11. Princess on the Brink – Meg Cabot
12. The Book of Three – Lloyd Alexander
13. Young Zorro: The Iron Brand – Jan Adkins
14. Bud, Not Buddy – Christopher Paul Curtis
15. The Black Cauldron – Lloyd Alexander
16. A Great and Terrible Beauty – Libba Bray
17. Their Eyes were Watching God – Zora Neale Hurston
18. Out of the Dust – Karen Hesse
19. Confessions of a Prep School Mommy Handler – Wade Rouse
20. A Visit to William Blake’s Inn – Nancy Willard
21. Life of Pi – Yann Martel
22. The Hero and the Crown – Robin McKinley
23. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan – Lisa See
24. Notes from a Small Island – Bill Bryson
25. Rebel Angels – Libba Bray
26. Tender is the Night – F. Scott Fitzgerald
27. Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim – David Sedaris
28. Into Thin Air – Jon Krakauer
29. The High King – Lloyd Alexander
30. Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices – Paul Fleischman
31. The Mark of Zorro – Johnston McCulley
32. Prep- Curtis Sittenfeld
33. The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread – Kate DiCamillo
34. The Secret Life of Bees – Sue Monk Kidd
35. The Panama Hat Trail – Tom Miller
36. The Age of Innocence – Edith Wharton
37. Falling Leaves – Adeline Yen Mah
38. A Gathering of Days: A New England Girl’s Journal, 1830-32 – Joan W. Blos
39. American Born Chinese – Gene Luen Yang
40. Shakespeare: The World as Stage – Bill Bryson
41. A Handful of Herbs – Barbara Segall
42. The Beekeeper’s Apprentice – Laurie R. King
43. Physik – Angie Sage
44. MC Higgins, the Great – Virginia Hamilton
45. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time – Mark Haddon
46. Subterranean – James Rollins
47. No Talking – Andrew Clements
48. New Book of Herbs – Jekka McVicar
49. The Doll in the Garden – Mary Downing Hahn
50. The Subterraneans – Jack Kerouac
51. Warriors: Into the wild – Erin Hunter
52. Within Reach: My Everest Story – Mark Pfetzer
53. A Child Called It – Dave Pelzer
54. A Monstrous Regiment of Women – Laurie R. King
55. The Titan’s Curse – Rick Riordan
56. Crispin: At the Edge of the World – Avi
57. Rules – Cynthia Lord
58. The Lost Boy – Dave Pelzer
59. Spud – John van de Ruit
60. A Brother’s Journey – Richard Pelzer
61. Roller Skates – Ruth Sawyer
62. Peony in Love – Lisa See
63. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume 1: The Pox Party – MT Anderson
64. Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village – Laura Amy Schlitz
65. A Man Named Dave – Dave Pelzer
66. Dairy Queen – Catherine Gilbert Murdock
67. …and Now Miguel – Joseph Krumgold
68. It’s Okay to Miss the Bed on the First Jump: and Other Life Lessons I Learned from Dogs – John O’Hurley
69.The Torrents of Spring – Ernest Hemingway
70. Sold – Patricia McCormick
71. Barrrel Fever- David Sedaris
72. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life – Barbara Kingsolver
73. Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia – Elizabeth Gilbert
74. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl
75. Igraine the Brave – Cornelia Funke
76. Confessions of a Shopaholic – Sophie Kinsella
77. Into the Wild – Jon Krakauer
78. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian – Sherman Alexie
79. Cave of the Dark Wind – Dave Barry
80. Shopaholic Takes Manhattan – Sophie Kinsella
81. Small Favor – Jim Butcher
82. Shopaholic Ties the Knot – Sophie Kinsella
83. The Off Season – Catherine Gilbert Murdock
84. Zorro Unmasked – Sandra Curtis
85. A Letter of Mary – Laurie R. King
86. The Willoughbys – Lois Lowry
87. The Giver – Lois Lowry
88. P.S. Longer Letter Later – Paula Danziger & Ann M. Martin
89. Shopaholic and Sister – Sophie Kinsella
90. They Cage the Animals at Night – Jennings Michael Burch
91. Snail Mail No More – Paula Danziger & Ann M. Martin
92. Gathering Blue – Lois Lowry
93. Messenger – Lois Lowry
94. Big Fish – Daniel Wallace
95. Finding Manana – Mirta Ojito
96. Shopaholic and Baby – Sophie Kinsella
97. Captain’s Fury – Jim Butcher
98.Veil of Roses – Laura Fitzgerald
99. The Sweet Far Thing – Libba Bray
100. When I Crossed No-Bob – Margaret McMullan
101. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier – Ishmael Beah
102. The Young Merlin Trilogy – Jane Yolen
103. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry – Mildred D. Taylor
104. The Namesake – Jhumpa Lahiri
105. The Execution of Sherlock Holmes – Donald Thomas
106. The Star of Kazan – Eva Ibbotson
107. The Undomestic Goddess – Sophie Kinsella
108. Ticket to Ride – Larry Kane
109. Possible Side Effects – Augusten Burroughs
110. Beyond the Deepwoods – Paul Stewart
111. Bitter Sweets – Roopa Farooki
112. How to Twist a Dragon’s Tale – Cressida Cowell
113. The Moor – Laurie R. King
114. The Well of Ascension – Brandon Sanderson
115. This Can’t Be Happening at Macdonald Hall – Gordon Korman
116. Go Jump in the Pool! – Gordon Korman
117. Beware the Fish! – Gordon Korman
118. The War with Mr. Wizzle – Gordon Korman
119. The Zucchini Warriors – Gordon Korman
120. Something Fishy at Macdonald High – Gordon Korman
121. Macdonald High Goes Hollywood – Gordon Korman
122. What is the What – Dave Eggers
123. Steve and Me – Terri Irwin
124. Purity of Blood – Arturo Perez-Reverte
125. Twilight – Stephenie Meyer
126. The Thirteenth Tale – Diane Setterfield
127. O Jerusalem – Laurie R. King
128. Under the Banner of Heaven – Jon Krakauer
129. Endymion Spring – Matthew Skelton
130. The Pirates! In an Adventure with Communists – Gideon Defoe
131. Brisingr – Christopher Paolini
132. On Subbing – Dave Roche
133. Peter and the Shadow Thieves – Dave Barry
134. Maus II – Art Spiegelman
135. A Shadow in Summer – Daniel Abraham
136. The Last Lecture – Randy Pausch
137. New Moon – Stephenie Meyer
138. Sweet Thursday – John Steinbeck
139. Charlie Bone and the Beast – Jenny Nimmo
140. The Complete 35mm Sourcebook – Michael Busselle
141. The Hedge Knight – George R. R. Martin
142. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao – Junot Diaz
143. Justice Hall – Laurie R. King
144. Not Without My Daughter – Betty Mahmoody
145. I’m Emma, I’m a Quint – Stella Pevsner
146. The Au Pairs – Melissa de la Cruz
147. The Luxe – Anna Godbersen
148. 100 Cupboards – ND Wilson
149. Spud- the Madness Continues – John van de Ruit
150. Eiger Dreams – Jon Krakauer
151. The Jellyfish Season – Mary Downing Hahn
152. The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle – High Lofting
153. Elantris – Brandon Sanderson
154. Eclipse – Stephenie Meyer
155. Breaking Dawn – Stephenie Meyer
156. Confessions of a Counterfeit Farm Girl – Susan McCorkindale
157. Daphne’s Book – Mary Downing Hahn
158. The Tales of Beedle the Bard – JK Rowling
159. The Game – Laurie R. King
160. Twilight – Stephenie Meyer
161. Following My Own Footsteps – Mary Downing Hahn
162. Polgara the Sorceress – David and Leigh Eddings
163. Princeps’ Fury – Jim Butcher
164. Eclipse – Stephenie Meyer
165. Iceland: Land of the Sagas – David Roberts
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
more
and the marathon continues...
Shopaholic and Sister - Sophie Kinsella
This one was probably my least favorite of the Shopaholic series mostly because of how quickly Luke changes from a sweet romantic person to a jackass. Becky and Luke have finished their 10 month honeymoon and return to England where Becky finds out that she has a long-lost sister. And even worse, her sister hates to shop! It involves Becky spending lots of money, trying to cover it up, Luke getting mad at her/caught up in his work, and so on. My favorite parts of this one was some of the weird ideas the sister has to save money, like when she goes into a stationary store and collects bags full of used envelopes to reuse.
They Cage the Animals at Night - Jennings Michael Burch
This is a memoir based on Jennings' time in foster homes and orphanages. While he was growing up his mother was unable to care for him and his siblings at several times so she was forced to put him in homes. In this book he tells the stories of the neglect and abuse he received in these homes and the lessons he learned there. This memoir was horrifying at times, I couldn't believe that kids were treated this way in orphanages. It's just awful. But it made me happy that Jennings found an unlikely friend who ended up being his savior. And it made me happier that Jennings adopted a child from the foster care system.
Snail Mail No More - Paula Danziger & Ann M. Martin
The sequel to P.S. Longer Letter Later, and like the first written in a series of letters, and then emails. This continues right where the previous book left off. It follows Tara and Elizabeth's relationship through the summer and then some, with arguments, visits, tragedy, happiness and a baby. It kinda drives me crazy how quickly their relationship goes "south." One person writes some remark and the other takes it the wrong way and the next thing ya know they're having a huge argument. But I guess it just reinforces that it's difficult to tell what someone really means in writing. But still an interesting book.
Gathering Blue - Lois Lowry
The first companion book to The Giver. Like The Giver, it is set sometime in the future except that instead of progressing, the town has regressed to worse times. The people live in mud huts, bathe in the river, and don't have indoor plumbing. They fear a disease, and when people get too old or maimed they take them out to a field and leave them for dead. They fear the monsters in the forest (and yes, I was reminded of The Village when reading it). This is Kira's story, she has a gimp leg but redeems herself with her sewing ability. When her mother dies the villagers try to kill her but she is saved by a councilman. But now she must repair the Singer's robe and of course, in doing so, she uncovers secrets of the village. This book doesn't really have anything to do with The Giver, unless you want it to. They speak of other villages nearby and one of them could be the village Jonas lived in. But I liked how the two books together show contrasting future villages, how easy it is for one village to go forward while another goes back and neither village knowing what they could be.
Messenger - Lois Lowry
The final companion book, this one is really a sequel to Gathering Blue, except it follows Matty, who is Kira's friend. Matty is acting as messenger between the outcasts' Village and Kira's village (and other villages actually). But when the Village decides to stop accepting outcasts Matty must run to warn everyone and to get Kira to bring her to stay before the people build the wall and the forest attacks them. Yeah. This one was a little too out there for me. I understood part of it --with the people closing off their town. But really, the forest attacking them? This was my least favorite of the three. What I disliked the most was that it ruins the ending of The Giver. If you haven't read The Giver, the ending is kinda open, it's left to the reader to decide what exactly happens to Jonas. But in this book it tells you. Although Lowry denies it and says that it could be whoever you want it to be, but I don't see how that works.
Big Fish - Daniel Wallace
I've always enjoyed the movie, so when I saw this at the library I decided to read it. It ended up being pretty interesting. The stories are really good, and I remembered a lot of them from the movie. I liked how the book is actually made up of many stories, each chapter being a story; it reminds me of a father telling his kids a different story every night.
Finding Manana - Mirta Ojito
This is a memoir of a Cuban family waiting to flee Cuba and Castro to the United States. It has a first-hand account of the Mariel boatlift in 1980. I guess I thought this book would be more than what it was. I was hoping for a book about a family fleeing Cuba and then adapting to life in the United States, something to give me a better perspective of how it is to be an immigrant. But almost the entire book took place in Cuba, about the family's life there and how controlled it was and how everyone viewed them as outcasts. It was an okay book, the information was interesting it just wasn't what I expected it to be.
Shopaholic and Baby - Sophie Kinsella
The last of the Shopaholic series and my 2nd favorite, after the first one, of course. Obviously, by the title Becky is now pregnant and can't stop buying things for her baby. Becky and Luke are looking to buy a house and need to buy one quickly cause they've already sold their flat. And it turns out that Becky's posh new doctor is Luke's ex-girlfriend. Funny like always. Jess is back and has plenty of cost-saving ideas for the baby, like making reusable baby wipes out of old rags. Honestly, even though Luis and I aren't planning on having kids for a while I love reading books with babies in them cause part of me is soooooo ready for little kiddies. I don't know if Kinsella has any plans to write any more Shopaholic books, I hope so for I enjoy them.
Captain's Fury - Jim Butcher
The fourth book in the Codex Alera series. Tavi, or Rufus Scipio is now Captain of his legion. Tavi has ideas of how to stop this war with the Canim, but getting his superior to listen is another story. Meanwhile Gaius Sextus is performing a final act on Kalare, in order to try and save people. Tavi also learns a secret about his past and must deal with all this new information. An excellent continuation of the previous book, although it's been a while since I read the last one so it took me a while to remember what was going on. Good book, but I hate it when the book ends with an obvious lead to another. Psh.
Veil of Roses - Laura Fitzgerald
Tamila was born in the USA but when she was young her family returned to Iran. On her 27th birthday Tamila's parents secure a visa and passport for her, she is to go to America to stay with her older sister and find a husband so she won't have to return. Tamila only has 3 months to find and marry a husband which seems to be going smoothly until she meets Ike. At the beginning of this book there was a lot of information about women living in Iran, and it was very interesting. I have no way of knowing if it is true or not, but I was still amazed at how life is for women over there. Overall the book was interesting, I've heard of many immigrants doing something similar to that, but usually there's money involved. I just liked the story and how I've heard real stories of people who have come to the US escaping their home country, and marrying to stay here.
The Sweet Far Thing - Libba Bray
The final book of the Gemma Doyle trilogy. Gemma has now bound the magic from the realms to herself and has promised all the creatures there she will form an alliance. But now she must keep her promise or start a war with the creatures. Meanwhile, in the real world Gemma and her friends are preparing to make their debuts into society. I can't explain this book without confusing you. So don't bother with my review, just go pick up the first book, A Great and Terrible Beauty and read it. It's amazing. This one was a good conclusion, some surprises but overall it was a great book.
When I Crossed No-Bob - Margaret McMullen
No-Bob is a place, not a person. This one's from my mom's library. Addy is an O'Donnell and no one likes the O'Donnell clan. But when her mother leaves her at a wedding and Mr. Frank takes her in Addy does everything to try and prove that she's a good person. But one day she's forced to make a decision whether to remain loyal to her family or do what she thinks is right. A good little story, my favorite parts were when Addy would do something naughty and it was just thrown in like it was perfectly normal. I like this one; "Before we set out, we stop by Mr. Frank's house where Mr. Tempy is still talking a mean streak. I hide red pepper in Mr. Tempy's chewing tobacco. "
That's 100 books this year.
Newberys read/ out of: 50/86
Shopaholic and Sister - Sophie Kinsella
This one was probably my least favorite of the Shopaholic series mostly because of how quickly Luke changes from a sweet romantic person to a jackass. Becky and Luke have finished their 10 month honeymoon and return to England where Becky finds out that she has a long-lost sister. And even worse, her sister hates to shop! It involves Becky spending lots of money, trying to cover it up, Luke getting mad at her/caught up in his work, and so on. My favorite parts of this one was some of the weird ideas the sister has to save money, like when she goes into a stationary store and collects bags full of used envelopes to reuse.
They Cage the Animals at Night - Jennings Michael Burch
This is a memoir based on Jennings' time in foster homes and orphanages. While he was growing up his mother was unable to care for him and his siblings at several times so she was forced to put him in homes. In this book he tells the stories of the neglect and abuse he received in these homes and the lessons he learned there. This memoir was horrifying at times, I couldn't believe that kids were treated this way in orphanages. It's just awful. But it made me happy that Jennings found an unlikely friend who ended up being his savior. And it made me happier that Jennings adopted a child from the foster care system.
Snail Mail No More - Paula Danziger & Ann M. Martin
The sequel to P.S. Longer Letter Later, and like the first written in a series of letters, and then emails. This continues right where the previous book left off. It follows Tara and Elizabeth's relationship through the summer and then some, with arguments, visits, tragedy, happiness and a baby. It kinda drives me crazy how quickly their relationship goes "south." One person writes some remark and the other takes it the wrong way and the next thing ya know they're having a huge argument. But I guess it just reinforces that it's difficult to tell what someone really means in writing. But still an interesting book.
Gathering Blue - Lois Lowry
The first companion book to The Giver. Like The Giver, it is set sometime in the future except that instead of progressing, the town has regressed to worse times. The people live in mud huts, bathe in the river, and don't have indoor plumbing. They fear a disease, and when people get too old or maimed they take them out to a field and leave them for dead. They fear the monsters in the forest (and yes, I was reminded of The Village when reading it). This is Kira's story, she has a gimp leg but redeems herself with her sewing ability. When her mother dies the villagers try to kill her but she is saved by a councilman. But now she must repair the Singer's robe and of course, in doing so, she uncovers secrets of the village. This book doesn't really have anything to do with The Giver, unless you want it to. They speak of other villages nearby and one of them could be the village Jonas lived in. But I liked how the two books together show contrasting future villages, how easy it is for one village to go forward while another goes back and neither village knowing what they could be.
Messenger - Lois Lowry
The final companion book, this one is really a sequel to Gathering Blue, except it follows Matty, who is Kira's friend. Matty is acting as messenger between the outcasts' Village and Kira's village (and other villages actually). But when the Village decides to stop accepting outcasts Matty must run to warn everyone and to get Kira to bring her to stay before the people build the wall and the forest attacks them. Yeah. This one was a little too out there for me. I understood part of it --with the people closing off their town. But really, the forest attacking them? This was my least favorite of the three. What I disliked the most was that it ruins the ending of The Giver. If you haven't read The Giver, the ending is kinda open, it's left to the reader to decide what exactly happens to Jonas. But in this book it tells you. Although Lowry denies it and says that it could be whoever you want it to be, but I don't see how that works.
Big Fish - Daniel Wallace
I've always enjoyed the movie, so when I saw this at the library I decided to read it. It ended up being pretty interesting. The stories are really good, and I remembered a lot of them from the movie. I liked how the book is actually made up of many stories, each chapter being a story; it reminds me of a father telling his kids a different story every night.
Finding Manana - Mirta Ojito
This is a memoir of a Cuban family waiting to flee Cuba and Castro to the United States. It has a first-hand account of the Mariel boatlift in 1980. I guess I thought this book would be more than what it was. I was hoping for a book about a family fleeing Cuba and then adapting to life in the United States, something to give me a better perspective of how it is to be an immigrant. But almost the entire book took place in Cuba, about the family's life there and how controlled it was and how everyone viewed them as outcasts. It was an okay book, the information was interesting it just wasn't what I expected it to be.
Shopaholic and Baby - Sophie Kinsella
The last of the Shopaholic series and my 2nd favorite, after the first one, of course. Obviously, by the title Becky is now pregnant and can't stop buying things for her baby. Becky and Luke are looking to buy a house and need to buy one quickly cause they've already sold their flat. And it turns out that Becky's posh new doctor is Luke's ex-girlfriend. Funny like always. Jess is back and has plenty of cost-saving ideas for the baby, like making reusable baby wipes out of old rags. Honestly, even though Luis and I aren't planning on having kids for a while I love reading books with babies in them cause part of me is soooooo ready for little kiddies. I don't know if Kinsella has any plans to write any more Shopaholic books, I hope so for I enjoy them.
Captain's Fury - Jim Butcher
The fourth book in the Codex Alera series. Tavi, or Rufus Scipio is now Captain of his legion. Tavi has ideas of how to stop this war with the Canim, but getting his superior to listen is another story. Meanwhile Gaius Sextus is performing a final act on Kalare, in order to try and save people. Tavi also learns a secret about his past and must deal with all this new information. An excellent continuation of the previous book, although it's been a while since I read the last one so it took me a while to remember what was going on. Good book, but I hate it when the book ends with an obvious lead to another. Psh.
Veil of Roses - Laura Fitzgerald
Tamila was born in the USA but when she was young her family returned to Iran. On her 27th birthday Tamila's parents secure a visa and passport for her, she is to go to America to stay with her older sister and find a husband so she won't have to return. Tamila only has 3 months to find and marry a husband which seems to be going smoothly until she meets Ike. At the beginning of this book there was a lot of information about women living in Iran, and it was very interesting. I have no way of knowing if it is true or not, but I was still amazed at how life is for women over there. Overall the book was interesting, I've heard of many immigrants doing something similar to that, but usually there's money involved. I just liked the story and how I've heard real stories of people who have come to the US escaping their home country, and marrying to stay here.
The Sweet Far Thing - Libba Bray
The final book of the Gemma Doyle trilogy. Gemma has now bound the magic from the realms to herself and has promised all the creatures there she will form an alliance. But now she must keep her promise or start a war with the creatures. Meanwhile, in the real world Gemma and her friends are preparing to make their debuts into society. I can't explain this book without confusing you. So don't bother with my review, just go pick up the first book, A Great and Terrible Beauty and read it. It's amazing. This one was a good conclusion, some surprises but overall it was a great book.
When I Crossed No-Bob - Margaret McMullen
No-Bob is a place, not a person. This one's from my mom's library. Addy is an O'Donnell and no one likes the O'Donnell clan. But when her mother leaves her at a wedding and Mr. Frank takes her in Addy does everything to try and prove that she's a good person. But one day she's forced to make a decision whether to remain loyal to her family or do what she thinks is right. A good little story, my favorite parts were when Addy would do something naughty and it was just thrown in like it was perfectly normal. I like this one; "Before we set out, we stop by Mr. Frank's house where Mr. Tempy is still talking a mean streak. I hide red pepper in Mr. Tempy's chewing tobacco. "
That's 100 books this year.
Newberys read/ out of: 50/86
Monday, July 14, 2008
i'm bad at coming up with titles
I still have 25 books to review before I'm caught up! what have I been doing? I have no idea! Lately I have noticed my lovely addiction of buying books seems to have worsened. Once upon a time I would buy tons and tons of books and then not read them, but continue to buy more. But then I started reading so much and so fast that I read all those books and continued to only have 3 or 4 books in my "to read" pile. Or even crazier, have NO books to read and randomly pluck a book from the bookshelf to re-read (I'm dying to re-read The Three Musketeers). But lately I've noticed that I'm buying books and letting them pile up again. I'm not sure how it happened, probably a few book sales, the History Book Club deal I couldn't pass up, and well, now I've got like, 25 books on my shelf to read. And last week I bought 2 more! I'm trying real hard to not buy anymore until I read like, half of those books, but it's not working very well. And for some reason I keep checking books out from the library. I'm not a fan of having too many books lying around waiting to be read. It makes me feel bad.
So here it goes:
Igraine the Brave - Cornelia Funke
I wasn't expecting too much from this book. I loved The Thief Lord and Inkheart, but her other books just went downhill from there. I barely even finished Inkspell and I highly doubt I'll bother reading Inkdeath (the conclusion to the trilogy due out this fall). I really only read this cause my mom got a free copy. This is the story of Igraine, who wants to be a knight. Her parents and brother don't think she should be a knight, but a magician like them. But when their castle is threatened and her parents turn themselves into pigs Igraine must step up and try to save them all! It was a cute book, luckily not too long so it wasn't very boring. I liked the little illustrations throughout the book, and it was mostly entertaining. I think kids would enjoy reading it but it falls a little flat for adults.
Confessions of a Shopaholic - Sophie Kinsella
Even I'm surprised that I a) read this book and b) enjoyed it. Becky Bloomwood loves to shop, and her bank account shows it. By day she works for a financial magazine and by night she's overdrawing her bank account and imagining crazy schemes to pay off her bills. Throw in some romance and you have a very funny, entertaining chick lit book. Something I don't read very often, but quite enjoyed it. If you're looking for an easy to read book that's funny, has a dreamy guy in it, and makes you feel a lot better about your own spending then this is the one. I love the little letters from her banks/bills before each chapter. And I love how easily she BSes through giving financial advice. I enjoyed this book so much that I proceeded to read the entire series.
Into the Wild - Jon Krakauer
After graduating college Chris McCandless sells his possessions, jumps into his car and drives away later being found in a van in Alaska. No one really knows what possessed him to do this or what he was looking for. Krakauer tries to reconstruct McCandless' path and find some sort of motivation for the boy to undertake this journey. This book bored me to tears. I thought it would never end. It seems like the amount of information Krakauer was able to gather was NOT enough for a book and he needed to pad the pages out a little, and pad he did. I really felt nothing from this book and came away with no sympathy for this kid (not really a kid, i know). I was just bored. This book has suddenly become popular because of the movie and I hope the movie is more entertaining than the book was.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian - Sherman Alexie
Arnold Spirit is an Indian born with water on the brain, and consequently gets made fun of a lot. He knows that if he stays on the reservation forever he'll end up like everyone else there, stuck. So on the advice from a teacher, he begins to attend school outside the reservation. This book chronicles Arnold's experiences leaving the reservation, dealing with his friends, making new friends, trying to fit in and stay true to his heritage. It was interesting to say the least. I was attracted to the book, wondering how it was possible to be a part-time Indian. And overall, the story was nice and showed a lot of conflicting typical teen emotions. Teens would probably be able to relate to many of Arnold's problems without being Indians. Since the novel was set up as a diary it was populated with many of Arnold's drawings, they were pretty entertaining.
Cave of the Dark Wind - Dave Barry
This is a Neverland book, written by the author who wrote Peter and the Starcatchers. This book is about the Lost Boys, taking place while Peter is off on some adventure. The Lost Boys and 2 girls from the Mollusk tribe are in need of an adventure, after hearing a story about a cave and an annual sacrifice of goats the boys decide to go in. Unfortunately at the same time Capt. Hook and his crew go into the cave on a treasure hunt. What will happen when the two groups meet? And what is eating all the goats? A short little book, I liked that it was about the Lost Boys, leaving Peter out of an adventure. Peter is pretty cocky so it's nice to know that he misses some things. It was an interesting adventure, and I liked what they found in the cave. Although I think there were a few times inside the cave when I got confused with where they had been/where they were going/ and how they got to where they are. But oh well.
Shopaholic Takes Manhattan - Sophie Kinsella
The second book in the Shopaholic series. Becky is now debt free (supposedly) and happily dating the love of her life, Luke. When Luke's business decides to set up an office in New York, it's off to NYC for Becky and Luke. But when faced with NYC and sales and clothes, it's difficult for Becky to stay out of debt. What can I say? The story is pretty similar to the first novel, just in NYC. But I like it. It's funny and entertaining, and a very quick read. Although I did notice more and more in each book that Luke is pretty much a jerk the majority of the time. And yes, there really isn't any character growth in these books. But I don't care.
Small Favor - Jim Butcher
A Dresden Files book. I haven't read about Harry Dresden in so long! I love this series, this is the 10th book and it still hasn't gotten old, the plot lines are still unique and there's so much growth in all the novels. I can't wait for the next one! And there's billy goats in it. hahaha. so good.
Shopaholic Ties the Knot - Sophie Kinsella
Well, obviously by the title, Becky and Luke are getting married! But the problem is, her parents want the wedding in England at their house with Becky in her mother's wedding dress and Luke's mother wants to plan a posh wedding in NYC. And Becky can't seem to make up her mind what she wants but figures everything will work itself out in the end. Another amusing book with Becky getting crazier and crazier.
The Off Season - Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Sequel to Dairy Queen. School has started, DJ is playing football, dating the quarterback from the rival team and helping out on her family's dairy farm. But of course, disaster strikes. There's a revealing article in People magazine, her boyfriend doesn't want to be seen in public with her and several injuries cause people to make life changing decisions. A good sequel, this book goes into more depth than the first one slowly uncovering the Schwenk family's problems. I hope there's a sequel to this one! I feel like there's a lot more going on with DJ and her family.
Zorro Unmasked - Sandra Curtis
Yet another disappointing book. I was expecting a book about the history of how Zorro came to be, if he was based on a real person, where the stories came from and interesting things like that. There was maybe, a chapter on that stuff. The rest of the book was summaries of the books, movies, comics and TV shows of Zorro. It was boring. If I wanted to know the plot of the movies I'd watch them. There was no unmasking Zorro in this book just ruining the plot lines of movies that not everyone has seen. And the worst part about this book, as that it was written by the wife, or co-owner i guess, of the guy who owns the rights to Zorro. *sigh*
A Letter of Mary - Laurie R. King
Another book telling the story of Mary Russell who is now married to Sherlock Holmes. Mary receives a letter from a female archeologist who then comes for a visit and leaves an intricate box containing a letter believed to be written by Mary Magdalene. Soon after her visit the woman is killed. Russell and Holmes set out to find the murderer as well as translate the mysterious letter. I'm enjoying this series of books immensely. I love the mysteries and really enjoy the fact that Mary Russell is the main character. It's like a grown-up Nancy Drew book, only better.
The Willoughbys - Lois Lowry
The Willoughbys think they should be orphans, their parents don't care for them and they think their lives would be much better as orphans. As the children set a plan in place for this to happen, their parents are creating a plan of their own. One that involves leaving on a trip and selling the house while their kids are staying there. A nanny comes to stay with the children and together they have all sorts of adventures. What starts out as a Lemony Snicket kind of book ends up being a happy weird sort of book. There are several very far-fetched plots running here and they all intertwine. It was.....odd. But good.
The Giver - Lois Lowry
Won the Newbery Award in 1994. It's been a while since I read The Giver, and I wanted to read the companion books, so I decided to read all three of them. I love this book, it tells of a society in the future where everything is created equal and the same. When the children turn 12 they get assigned their jobs, Jonas is selected to become the giver and learns the secrets of the past. The message in this book is still as powerful as it was when I read it the first time.
P.S. Longer Letter Later - Paula Danziger & Ann M. Martin
Tara and Elizabeth are best friends, but when Tara's family moves to another state will their relationship be able to last? This book is written in a series of letters chronicling the events of their lives, father's losing their jobs, alcoholism, parents suddenly becoming responsible and so on. What I liked most about this book is how it was written, one author (Danziger) was Tara and Martin was Elizabeth and they wrote the entire book through letters, neither one knowing what the other was going to write, or where the story was going to go. A really cool way to write.
Newberys read/ out of: 49/86
So here it goes:
Igraine the Brave - Cornelia Funke
I wasn't expecting too much from this book. I loved The Thief Lord and Inkheart, but her other books just went downhill from there. I barely even finished Inkspell and I highly doubt I'll bother reading Inkdeath (the conclusion to the trilogy due out this fall). I really only read this cause my mom got a free copy. This is the story of Igraine, who wants to be a knight. Her parents and brother don't think she should be a knight, but a magician like them. But when their castle is threatened and her parents turn themselves into pigs Igraine must step up and try to save them all! It was a cute book, luckily not too long so it wasn't very boring. I liked the little illustrations throughout the book, and it was mostly entertaining. I think kids would enjoy reading it but it falls a little flat for adults.
Confessions of a Shopaholic - Sophie Kinsella
Even I'm surprised that I a) read this book and b) enjoyed it. Becky Bloomwood loves to shop, and her bank account shows it. By day she works for a financial magazine and by night she's overdrawing her bank account and imagining crazy schemes to pay off her bills. Throw in some romance and you have a very funny, entertaining chick lit book. Something I don't read very often, but quite enjoyed it. If you're looking for an easy to read book that's funny, has a dreamy guy in it, and makes you feel a lot better about your own spending then this is the one. I love the little letters from her banks/bills before each chapter. And I love how easily she BSes through giving financial advice. I enjoyed this book so much that I proceeded to read the entire series.
Into the Wild - Jon Krakauer
After graduating college Chris McCandless sells his possessions, jumps into his car and drives away later being found in a van in Alaska. No one really knows what possessed him to do this or what he was looking for. Krakauer tries to reconstruct McCandless' path and find some sort of motivation for the boy to undertake this journey. This book bored me to tears. I thought it would never end. It seems like the amount of information Krakauer was able to gather was NOT enough for a book and he needed to pad the pages out a little, and pad he did. I really felt nothing from this book and came away with no sympathy for this kid (not really a kid, i know). I was just bored. This book has suddenly become popular because of the movie and I hope the movie is more entertaining than the book was.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian - Sherman Alexie
Arnold Spirit is an Indian born with water on the brain, and consequently gets made fun of a lot. He knows that if he stays on the reservation forever he'll end up like everyone else there, stuck. So on the advice from a teacher, he begins to attend school outside the reservation. This book chronicles Arnold's experiences leaving the reservation, dealing with his friends, making new friends, trying to fit in and stay true to his heritage. It was interesting to say the least. I was attracted to the book, wondering how it was possible to be a part-time Indian. And overall, the story was nice and showed a lot of conflicting typical teen emotions. Teens would probably be able to relate to many of Arnold's problems without being Indians. Since the novel was set up as a diary it was populated with many of Arnold's drawings, they were pretty entertaining.
Cave of the Dark Wind - Dave Barry
This is a Neverland book, written by the author who wrote Peter and the Starcatchers. This book is about the Lost Boys, taking place while Peter is off on some adventure. The Lost Boys and 2 girls from the Mollusk tribe are in need of an adventure, after hearing a story about a cave and an annual sacrifice of goats the boys decide to go in. Unfortunately at the same time Capt. Hook and his crew go into the cave on a treasure hunt. What will happen when the two groups meet? And what is eating all the goats? A short little book, I liked that it was about the Lost Boys, leaving Peter out of an adventure. Peter is pretty cocky so it's nice to know that he misses some things. It was an interesting adventure, and I liked what they found in the cave. Although I think there were a few times inside the cave when I got confused with where they had been/where they were going/ and how they got to where they are. But oh well.
Shopaholic Takes Manhattan - Sophie Kinsella
The second book in the Shopaholic series. Becky is now debt free (supposedly) and happily dating the love of her life, Luke. When Luke's business decides to set up an office in New York, it's off to NYC for Becky and Luke. But when faced with NYC and sales and clothes, it's difficult for Becky to stay out of debt. What can I say? The story is pretty similar to the first novel, just in NYC. But I like it. It's funny and entertaining, and a very quick read. Although I did notice more and more in each book that Luke is pretty much a jerk the majority of the time. And yes, there really isn't any character growth in these books. But I don't care.
Small Favor - Jim Butcher
A Dresden Files book. I haven't read about Harry Dresden in so long! I love this series, this is the 10th book and it still hasn't gotten old, the plot lines are still unique and there's so much growth in all the novels. I can't wait for the next one! And there's billy goats in it. hahaha. so good.
Shopaholic Ties the Knot - Sophie Kinsella
Well, obviously by the title, Becky and Luke are getting married! But the problem is, her parents want the wedding in England at their house with Becky in her mother's wedding dress and Luke's mother wants to plan a posh wedding in NYC. And Becky can't seem to make up her mind what she wants but figures everything will work itself out in the end. Another amusing book with Becky getting crazier and crazier.
The Off Season - Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Sequel to Dairy Queen. School has started, DJ is playing football, dating the quarterback from the rival team and helping out on her family's dairy farm. But of course, disaster strikes. There's a revealing article in People magazine, her boyfriend doesn't want to be seen in public with her and several injuries cause people to make life changing decisions. A good sequel, this book goes into more depth than the first one slowly uncovering the Schwenk family's problems. I hope there's a sequel to this one! I feel like there's a lot more going on with DJ and her family.
Zorro Unmasked - Sandra Curtis
Yet another disappointing book. I was expecting a book about the history of how Zorro came to be, if he was based on a real person, where the stories came from and interesting things like that. There was maybe, a chapter on that stuff. The rest of the book was summaries of the books, movies, comics and TV shows of Zorro. It was boring. If I wanted to know the plot of the movies I'd watch them. There was no unmasking Zorro in this book just ruining the plot lines of movies that not everyone has seen. And the worst part about this book, as that it was written by the wife, or co-owner i guess, of the guy who owns the rights to Zorro. *sigh*
A Letter of Mary - Laurie R. King
Another book telling the story of Mary Russell who is now married to Sherlock Holmes. Mary receives a letter from a female archeologist who then comes for a visit and leaves an intricate box containing a letter believed to be written by Mary Magdalene. Soon after her visit the woman is killed. Russell and Holmes set out to find the murderer as well as translate the mysterious letter. I'm enjoying this series of books immensely. I love the mysteries and really enjoy the fact that Mary Russell is the main character. It's like a grown-up Nancy Drew book, only better.
The Willoughbys - Lois Lowry
The Willoughbys think they should be orphans, their parents don't care for them and they think their lives would be much better as orphans. As the children set a plan in place for this to happen, their parents are creating a plan of their own. One that involves leaving on a trip and selling the house while their kids are staying there. A nanny comes to stay with the children and together they have all sorts of adventures. What starts out as a Lemony Snicket kind of book ends up being a happy weird sort of book. There are several very far-fetched plots running here and they all intertwine. It was.....odd. But good.
The Giver - Lois Lowry
Won the Newbery Award in 1994. It's been a while since I read The Giver, and I wanted to read the companion books, so I decided to read all three of them. I love this book, it tells of a society in the future where everything is created equal and the same. When the children turn 12 they get assigned their jobs, Jonas is selected to become the giver and learns the secrets of the past. The message in this book is still as powerful as it was when I read it the first time.
P.S. Longer Letter Later - Paula Danziger & Ann M. Martin
Tara and Elizabeth are best friends, but when Tara's family moves to another state will their relationship be able to last? This book is written in a series of letters chronicling the events of their lives, father's losing their jobs, alcoholism, parents suddenly becoming responsible and so on. What I liked most about this book is how it was written, one author (Danziger) was Tara and Martin was Elizabeth and they wrote the entire book through letters, neither one knowing what the other was going to write, or where the story was going to go. A really cool way to write.
Newberys read/ out of: 49/86
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