Jolerie's Book Hoarding Version 4

Monica Ramos “Forest Girl”

Thread 1 Books: 8 - 9
Thread 1.A Books: 10 - 26
Thread 2 Books: 27 - 36
Thread 3 Books: 37 - 45



Currently Reading: Ender's Shadow - Orson Scott Card

Planned Reading for September:

2010: Odyssey Two (3)
Ender's Shadow (3)
The Hunger Games (3)
City of Ember (3)
Fire (6)
First King of Shannara (6)
Empress Orchid (6)
Eragon (6)
Sweep Volume 1: (6)
Book of Shadows
The Coven
Blood Witch
The Midnight Charter (6)
Foundling (6)
City of Bones (9)
The Good Earth(12)
Dreams Made Flesh (14)

**All books are OTS unless otherwise noted.**

January 2011
1. Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card
2. Speaker for the Dead - Orson Scott Card
3. Xenocide - Orson Scott Card
4. Children of the Mind - Orson Scott Card
5. Mariana - Susanna Kearsley
6. The Queen's Fool - Philippa Gregory
7. The Last Unicorn - Peter S. Beagle
Favourite Read:


February 2011
8. A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini
9. The Last of the Mohican - James Fenimore Cooper
10. The Perfect Storm - Sebastian Junger
11. The Lightning Thief - Rick Riordan
12. The Sea of Monsters - Rick Riordan
13. The Titan's Curse - Rick Riordan
14. The Battle of the Labyrinth - Rick Riordan
15. The Last Olympian - Rick Riordan
16. Anne of Green Gables - Lucy Maud Montgomery
17. Anne of Avonlea - Lucy Maud Montgomery
18. Anne of the Island - Lucy Maud Montgomery
Favourite Reads:


March 2011
19. Magic Kingdom for Sale - SOLD! by Terry Brooks
20. The Black Unicorn - Terry Brooks
21. Wizard at Large - Terry Brooks
22. The Birth of Venus - Sarah Dunant
23. Mary, Queen of Scotland and the Isles - Margaret George
24. Snow Falling on Cedars - David Guterson
Favourite Reads:

April 2011
25. The Mists of Avalon - Marion Zimmer Bradley
26. Ysabel - Guy Gavriel Kay
27. The Sugar Queen - Sarah Addison Allen
Favourite Reads:


May 2011
28. Inkheart - Cornelia Funke
29. The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
30. Mansfield Park - Jane Austen
31. Inkspell - Corneila Funke
32. 1984 - George Orwell
33. Secret Daughter - Shilpi Somaya Gowda
34. Inkdeath - Cornelia Funke
Favourite Reads:


June 2011
35. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan - Lisa See
36. The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho
37. Waiter Rant: Thanks for the Tip--Confessions of a Cynical Waiter - Steve Dublanica
38. The Postmistress - Sarah Blake
39. 2001: A Space Odyssey - Arthur C. Clarke
40. The Wives of Henry Oades - Johanna Moran
41. Coraline - Neil Gaiman
Favourite Read:

July 2011
42. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
43. Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen
44. The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
45. Annabel- Kathleen Winter
Favourite Read:


August 2011
46. Graceling - Kristin Cashore **Library**
47. Thirteenth Child - Patricia C. Wrede **Library**
48. Blankets - Craig Thompson **Library**
49. The Children's Book - A. S. Byatt
50. Virtual War - Gloria Skurzynski **Library**
51. The Clones - Gloria Skurzynski **Library**
52. Lullabies for Little Criminals - Heather O'Neill
53. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie - Alan Bradley
Favourite Reads:


September 2011
54. Book of Shadows - Cate Tiernan
55. The Coven - Cate Tiernan
56. Blood Witch - Cate Tiernan

October 2011
November 2011
December 2011

First! And starred! :D

Second! I love that illustration. So sweet and wonderfully weird.

Hey Valerie - Found and starred! And I love the picture at the top!

I've got you starred as well!

Great to have you around Micky, Ilana, Katie and Roni!

>7 Smiler69: Thanks Ilana! I was thinking along the lines of something from The Wind in the Willows but figured a deer girl with some ducks is as close as I am going to get to a Badger, Toad and Mole. :)

Love the opening picture, Valerie!

Hello Valerie - got you starred!

Hey Valerie - I like your picture too! It's so sweet. I think it would look great in a little girl's room!

WOW! I love how you note the books you have read in a particular month and then show the covers of your favorites!

Just checking in - star!

Hi Valerie! :)

Thanks Stasia, Prue, Brit, Linda, Calm, and Stephen. It is always great to have you guys around.

One more day of holidays for us and then it's back to the real world.

A nice shiny new thread and I just adore the image at the top of your thread. So gorgeous, and love the wee twig antlers in her hair.

Hi Valerie- Nice nifty new thread! Good job! And I love "Forest Girl"!

Hi Valerie. I adore the illustration at the top of your thread! Very nice. It does look like we have some reading in common as I look over your past months. I like that you are keeping a running tab of your reading in your thread. I've just been moving books from one list to another but they don't stay very well organized that way. I may borrow from you. :-)

I also just read Annabel in July and enjoyed it. How did you like it?

Hi Leonie, Mark, and Ellen! :)

>20 EBT1002: Ellen, please feel free to take and use whatever suits your needs as I think I got my organization ideas from other fellow LT'ers. I actually quite enjoyed Annabel, more so than I thought I would have based on the description and the subject matter of the book. I felt that she wrote quite beautifully and there were some passages that were especially poetic but without being frilly. We do have a couple of shared reads this coming months so I look forward to seeing what you think of the books.

...there were some passages that were especially poetic but without being frilly
Excellent description of her prose. :-)

You're starred! Nice new thread :)

>22 EBT1002: Haha..now it's got me thinking of books that I've read that crossed the line into fillyland. :)

>23 AMQS: Glad to have you around Anne!

#46 Graceling by Kristin Cashore
TIOLI Challenge #22: Read a book with an uncommon main character name
Genre: YA/Fantasy
Pages: 471
Rating: 4 Stars
Recommend: I was devouring this book when I should have been sleeping...

Katsa has been graced with an extraordinary ability to kill since she was a little girl. Eyes of different colours, a common trait among those who are graced, Kasta is used by her uncle, King of Middluns to carry out his dirty work. That includes hurting, torturing, sometimes even killing people against her will and conscience. Through a series of events, Po, a prince of Lienid, who is also graced, becomes a friend, ally, lover, and friend. Together, Kasta and Po embark upon a mission to uncover a secret that may unravel the tenuous balance between the seven kingdoms and ultimately the unexpected love that blossoms between them.

Katsa may be rough around the edges, but I like her. She is a no nonsense, kick you in the balls, and then ask questions later kind of girl. But at the heart of it all, there is also a vulnerability about her that gives her depth and nuance as a character. Graceling is an action packed story filled with suspenseful action, witty banter, and interesting characters. My only critique of the book is that there were certain portions of the story that felt rather abrupt and sudden. The resolutions came so quickly that I kept thinking that there would be more elaboration, only to find chapters later that there really were no gimmicks and events had truly resolved themselves in a paragraph and a half. Despite the fact, I will eagerly anticipate the next volume in the series as both the story and the characters were worth the time invested.

July Summary:

Nonfiction: 0
Fiction: 4
**Classics: 1
**Contemporary Fiction: 2
**Children: 1
Total Pages: 1293

Favorite Read:

There was something magical about Water for Elephants. It could have been the characters, the animals, or maybe because it all happened in a circus. Regardless, it was a great read and comes highly recommended.
Annabel is a very close contender for favourite read of the month but Lolita might go down as the worse read of the year, if not EVER.

Glad you liked Graceling. I enjoyed it myself. I really need to read Fire some time soon.

Liked your review of Graceling Valerie. And your description of why you liked Water for Elephants so much is pretty much what I wrote somewhere too.

Hi Valerie - I love the way you have little thumbnails of the covers of your favourite reads. You make me want to read Water for Elephants more and more...

I'm basically going to duplicate Morphidae's comments: I'm glad you liked Graceling, I liked it myself (I remember tearing through it, though I didn't find it too memorable after the fact) and I've been meaning to read Fire for quite a while now.

Oh, and I'm looking forward to seeing your thoughts on Thirteenth Child; that's another one that I've had my eye on for a while.

>27 Morphidae: Thanks! I am debating about whether I want to put Fire on hold at the library now or wait a bit since her last book in the trilogy has not been published yet.

>28 Smiler69: Hi Ilana. Now the question is whether I want to watch the movie or not. I don't think it can live up to the book but I've heard that it's not too bad.

>29 souloftherose: Thanks Heather! You should give it a shot when you have the time. I think it's definitely worth the read. :)

>30 _Zoe_:/31 Hi Zoe. I tore through the book too. The second half the book really hooked me and you just can't turn down a book with a kick butt heroine so I will definitely want to read Fire at some point. The question is when....

If it helps in your decision-making, Valerie, many of the people I know who have read both books loved Fire more than Graceling. I think I enjoyed them both equally, so I'm all for sneaking Fire into the pile sooner rather than later. ;)

I was considering going to see the movie version of Water for Elephants, but since I haven't heard anyone raving about how good it is, I think I'd rather avoid it and keep my own images intact in my mind. Plus, I'm not crazy about whatshername—can never remember names, SO annoying... REESE, there we go—I just don't see her in that role at all somehow.

Hi Valerie, so much to catch up on. Firstly, thank you for your review of Graceling, the name is actually my 12 year olds name and her middle name is Grace so how weird is that? I have never met another person with that name so I'm tempted to buy the books for her now.

Also, I have to agree about Water for Elephants being an amazing book. My favourite parts were the rest home scenes. As for the movie, I have seen it and went in with low expectations (not sure about the two lead actors either) and I was pleasantly surprised. They actually did a pretty good job, I enjoyed the movie, the elephant was amazing and even though they didn't include the rest home scenes, I still think it is worth a look.

Good to see you are enjoying Thirteenth Child so far, I found it so different and fun.

>33 MickyFine: I had actually had the book on hold before my vacations but then realized that I wouldn't be in town to pick up the book so I had to cancel it. LT has definitely given me so much freedom and liberties because look at me here not HAVING to read the next book in the series right away and the fact that it's a library book is pretty amusing. :)

>34 Smiler69: I was actually quite curious about the chemistry between Reese and Rob so that might just be enough to get to watch it. I didn't hear raves about it but I also didn't hear anyone trash either so I take that as a good sign.

>35 KiwiNyx: That is very cool Leonie! Let me get this straight tho..her name is Graceling Grace?
I am so glad that you said that your favourite scenes were the rest home scenes because I loved those ones as well. His old, senile, and cynical senior citizen bit was a riot to read so to think the movie doesn't have that is a bit disappointing.

Valerie- Good review of Graceling. I've had this one on the WL for quite awhile. Time to find a copy.

Thanks Mark! I hope you do enjoy it when you get around to it.

Completely side questions to anybody out there who is participate in the LT Early Reviewers, just curious as to whether you think there is more chance of getting a book if you check all the available options or just the books that you would really be interested in? This is my first month trying so I wasn't really expecting to win anything and I only checked off like 5 books so I don't know if that hurts my chances or not?

Hi Valerie, "Forest Girl" is so cute. Those goofy looking penguin type creatures look rather troublesome to me, like they want to mess up her happy day.

I think the traveling circus atmosphere of LWfE really played a huge part in making the story magical and bringing that magic to new places. Characters too. Definately, one of my favorites.

Val, there is no formula for ER books. I used to check off everything that might remotely interest me and sometimes got nothing, or sometimes ended up with a book I wasn't that keen on, which wasn't great. Lately, I've only been choosing 2-3 books MAX that REALLY appealed to me, and so far, it looks like I get one more or less every other month, no matter what I do, so I guess I've just been lucky (knocking on wood).

This is my last stop for the night. Must get to sleep before a big day tomorrow. Ciao for now! :-)

I usually only pick 1, sometimes 2 ER books and my luck has been pretty good.

And the Cashore trilogy isn't really a trilogy. From what I understand, Fire has different characters and happens much earlier in time.

I've been kind of going through the list and categorizing the books into about 4 tiers. First tier is "I don't want to miss this book." 2nd tier is I want to get around to reading this book sometime. 3rd tier is The book sounds interesting but I have reservations. 4th tier is "No way do I want to read this book." On my first time through, I only request 1st tier books. If I only have one book requested, I will usually go through and add one or more second tier books. I rarely add 3rd or 4th tier books now. It has helped me get books in which I'm more interested by doing so.

>39 Carmenere: Yes, the idea of a travelling circus does sound rather magical. I wonder if such a thing still exists nowadays..

>40 Smiler69: Thanks Ilana! I don't think I would want to check off everything on the list anyways because I don't think I want to read/review a book that I have no interest in so it's better to stick with the ones I would want and then hope for the best. I hope you have a great day at volunteering and I look forward to hearing how your day went.

>41Thanks Morphy. That sounds like a good plan. I will try it again for August and see what happens. Yeah I figured it isn't a true trilogy in a sense since Fire is more like prequel but since it's all set in the same world and I'm not a stickler for terminology I'll just let it be. :)

>42 thornton37814: That sounds super organized, tiers and all! :) Like you, I think I will just stick with selecting the books I really am interested in and hope that I get something. Hopefully second time around will win me something!

Hi Val, sorry I wasn't too clear, my daughter's name is Casta Grace, Casta (or Kasta) being the Greek form of Catherine and meaning pure. She was a real bruiser as a kid so 'pure grace' was a funny name to give her but now when she plays these complicated pieces on the piano, the name is perfect. Casta was also apparently a very ancient goddess of the hunt which seems to match the character in the book.

As to the ER books, I only ever have a small selection to choose from anyway as there are less books available to smaller countries like NZ. I also only request real books as I don't have an e-reader but in the last year, with those limitations I have received 2 books (one early reviewer, one mbr giveaway) and just won a third one, an early reviewer one. It sounds like you might have more luck, having more giveaways open to you.

Hi Valerie! Thanks for " delurking" ;) and visiting my thread. I really enjoyed - if that's the word - Lullabies for Little Criminals last month - so I really reccomend it to you. I see you recently read Snow Flower and Secret Fan by Lisa See. That's a favourite of mine that I read a year or so ago. So enthralling and tragic too. As for the books in my thread that you say you've not heard of - some of them are Scandanavian Crime/ Mysteries. I also read a number of short listed Orange Prize books in May. I also look for Canadian authors a fair bit. I should add on a little bit more too my list like you have - classic, fiction , non- fiction. That's a great idea! I"ve starred your thread! Thanks again for visiting!

Ok, I hate to be a downer and a stickler, Valerie, but you misspelled the character's name from Graceling. It's Katsa. :)

>44 KiwiNyx: I didn't think her name would be Graceling Grace. That would be an odd combination. That is a really pretty name and really pretty meaning as well! But now I just realized that I've been spelling the name wrong. The girl's name is Katsa in the book and not Kasta...oh curse my eyes!
I totally forgot about the region part of the giveaway but I guess North America does get a lot more of the books then the rest of the world so that is pretty awesome that you've been able to win a couple of times.

>45 vancouverdeb: Hi Deb! Thanks for dropping by and visiting. I think I will definitely expand my horizon of books by visiting your thread especially since I don't read a lot of crime of mystery books. I know a lot of people here on LT who enjoy that genre quite a bit so I may have to give it a try one of these days.

>46 MickyFine: Oh Micky! Thanks for pointing that out for me. Now that is a serious case of reading what I want to read. I think the entire time that I read the book, I kept pronouncing the name as Kasta instead of Katsa. I tend to do that with uncommon names and names that I can't pronounce. :)
**My error was thorough and complete since I spelled her name the same way everywhere... :/

I've done that, gotten half way through a book and realized I had switched two letters (or inserted a random one for no apparent reason) in a name and had been pronouncing it wrong in my head the whole time. At that point I just say screw it and continue pronouncing it wrong anyway. :)

>48 Ape: Stephen, I would do the same. :) It reminds me of Neil Gaiman's Coraline and the whole issue of Caroline versus Coraline. My eyes go all buggy.

On a side note, we went to the library after the hubby came home from work today and I picked up 5 more books that I probably won't have time to read this month and the books that sit on my shelf are now giving me the evil eye.... @.@ I am right now sitting by my kitchen windows watching the lightning and listening to the thunderstorm. It's ironic but somehow all the loud crashing and booming just gives me a sense of peace and calm. :)

I've got wayyyyy too many books from the library this month too Valerie. The good news is that books don't actually have feelings. And that they can always be borrowed from the library again when there's more time for them.

I love thunderstorms too, and I know what you mean, they make me feel peaceful too. It helps that all three of my pets are totally cool about them. Not bothered on bit. Otherwise it would make for quite a different experience.

Hi Valerie, glad to see you are home from your trip, I'm sure you had a great time in Vancouver visiting your family. I just got home today from Vancouver Island and I am so behind on all the threads. Of course the first thing I did was go to the TIOLI thread since I am totally addicted to those challenges! Spent the afternoon sorting through my books and planning my August reads.

I see you enjoyed Graceling which I read and loved a couple of years ago. The second book Fire is very good as well.

*waving* at Valerie

50: They do have feelings! They must! Or at the very least, they emit waves of guilt that make you feel horrible for not reading them. I swear. I'm not crazy. *Nervous laugh*

That's why whenever I return my books, I sit them on the desk instead of slipping them into the drop off slot, where the fall a 2+ feet into a hard metal tray. Oh, the horror, who would do such a thing to poor, innocent books?

>50 Smiler69: I used to be terrified of thunderstorms but one time we actually went to go watch one from a park and it was absolutely beautiful and breathtaking. From that moment on, the fear was gone and a sense of awe was left in its place. :)
That's great that your pets take it so well otherwise I imagine it would be quite chaotic trying to settle them down.

>51 DeltaQueen50: So nice to have you back Judy! I hope you had a great time on the Island. I know what you mean about the TIOLI challenges being addictive. It's causes so much anxiety if I am not around my books when the challenges come out and then it causes even more anxiety when I have so many books to choose from and knowing that I'm not going to finish even half of them!

>52 alcottacre: *Big Waves* to you Stasia!

>53 Ape: I'm okay with the library books. It comes with the territory. They know that people check them out, sometimes will ignore them and then return them untouched. I think they are prepared for that kind of life. It's the books that I own, all 600 of them that give me the evil. It's like I'm brining home mistresses and they are tiffed!

>53 Ape: When my library moved to their new location, they got a sorter for the return slot. Now, you place a book on the conveyor belt, the machine reads the RFID tag, and it then gets shunted into one of several fabric bins to go through the rest of the check-in process. I so want a machine like that for laundry or something. Plus, it's shiny.

I find all books, regardless of whether I own them, borrow them, or just look at them in the bookstore send out vibes that demand they be read RIGHT NOW!!! :)

#55: I find all books, regardless of whether I own them, borrow them, or just look at them in the bookstore send out vibes that demand they be read RIGHT NOW!!! :)

I am so happy to find someone else who shares this problem!

I don't care what other people say, I think my books give me the guilt treatment!

If scientists were looking for a bunch of loopy people to study, they need go no further than LT because the lot of us think that our books are trying to communicate to us. ;)

#47 Thirteenth Child by Patricia C. Wrede
TIOLI Challenge #22: Read a book with an uncommon main character name
Source: Public Library
Genre: YA/Fantasy
Pages: 344
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Recommend: Laura Ingalls Wilder meets western fantasy steampunk - odd yes, but entertaining nonetheless

In the western world, the number thirteen is often synonymous with bad luck or ill fortune. In Eff's world, there is nothing worse than being the thirteenth child except for perhaps being the twin of a brother who is a double seventh son (meaning being the seventh son of a seventh son). Growing up Eff is constantly living in the shadow of her twin brother, Lan who is heralded as a source of the greatest power and talent. She on the other hand, is repeatedly shunned by her extended family and those in the neighbourhood as one who will bring disaster to anyone and everyone around her.
Eff and Lan live in a world filled with magical creatures and wild animals that are separated from the civilized world by a magical barrier, but suddenly that safety is threatened and the twins come face to face with a calamity that puts their magical abilities and courage to the test.

It took some time in the beginning of this book to wrap my head around the concept of this book. The setting of the book takes place in a world similar to the frontier days of North America except you throw in magicians posted as outback sentries, a couple of steam dragons, and mutating grubs that devour the plants, and you will get a sense of the oddity that is the Thirteenth Child. Despite it all, I found the book light, fun and perfectly suited for summer reading. The story was well paced and the premise creative and refreshing so I will most likely look for the sequels at a future date.

#57: because the lot of us think that our books are trying to communicate to us. ;)

You mean they're not?

#58: I will be reading that book for one of the TIOLI challenges this month. Glad to see you ended up liking it, Valerie.

>58 jolerie: Sound like an interesting read, Valerie, and a very nice review as always. I'm not sure whether I want to add it to the TBR list though. LT say I will like it but I'm wavering. I'll probably stick it in the category of books to think about adding to the list. :)

And books do try to communicate with us. Hasn't anyone else seen Pagemaster?

#60: Hasn't anyone else seen Pagemaster?

I did - years ago, when my daughters were young.

If scientists were looking for a bunch of loopy people to study, they need go no further than LT

Haha, so true.

If only my books could actually speak, my books and I could get a lot more accomplished. Instead they give me that look and it drives me crazy. It's unreasonable, when are they going to start acting like adults? I guess it's my fault, since most of them are under 10 years old.

>61 alcottacre: It was one of the first films I ever bought for myself when I was 8 or so but I think the VHS has worn out now. :(

Hi Valerie, I love that lovely whimsical illustration that opens your thread. It makes me smile.

My books are also trying to communicate with me. The problem is that they are all saying, "Read me, read me"! I'm reading as fast as I can. ;-)

I have started reading The Thirteenth Child and I like it so far. It is quite unique, I am finding.

>59 alcottacre: Looking forward to what you think of the book Stasia.

>60 MickyFine: What? If LT says you will like it then you HAVE to give it a try. ;) Actually that whole LT recommend thing has done major damage to my wishlist so I try not to click on that link too much. My wallet is crying as we speak.

>62 Ape: Well Stephen, you know what they say - books take after their owners. ;)

>64 Donna828: Hi Donna! I know what you mean. If only we all had like another set or eyes or two. Imagine the damage we could do then. :)

>65 chinquapin: Yes, I believe there are a couple of people who are reading that book for the TIOLI challenge so it will be interesting to see what everyone things once we are all done. I see you are currently reading Snow Falling on Cedars as well. I just read that one earlier this year and remember the book was so fitting for the snowy weather we are having then but if I was reading it now, it would seem so out of place with the warm and sunny weather we are having now.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!!

I found the LT recommend thingie to be completely inaccurate in several cases, so I don't really consult it anymore.

Yeah it can be hit and miss but I figure it comes with a territory because no matter how "good" it potentially can be, it is still only a computer program and us readers are so varying in our tastes depending on time we read a book to our mood while we are reading it, that I can't imagine it ever being really accurate about nailing down our likes and dislikes.

I'll often just peek at the "will you like it" bar when checking out some book titles to see what LT has to say. I don't take it as gospel but sometimes I'll let it nudge me one way or the other.

Well Stephen, you know what they say - books take after their owners. ;)

Crap, I didn't think of that. Now I guess I better go through all my books to find the ones with sex scenes in them, and seperate them from the rest. Hard to tell what's been happening on my bookshelves when my back was turned.

Hi Valerie,
I see that we are both reading The Children's Book. I'm actually just planning to start it tonight but will be interested to see how we both like it.
Enjoy,
Ellen

#70: Hard to tell what's been happening on my bookshelves when my back was turned.

Books reproduce behind your back. At least, mine do.

>69 MickyFine: Yeah as if I need another place to find more suggestions on books I should be reading. Angry, I can feel my books getting angrier each time I bring home new books.

>70 Ape: Sex scenes should be the least of your problems. It's self contained and it means they are getting along with each. Imagine the massacre if they didn't.

>71 EBT1002: Hi Ellen. I hope you are enjoying your vacation so far. The book is starting kind of slow for me and I know it's probably because I'm not that well read or maybe I'm not knowledgable about the time period, but I'm finding there are a lot of references and terms that I'm unfamiliar with so it's making to be a bit of a tough read right now.

>72 alcottacre: Oh my Stasia, that explains so much..haha!

>66 jolerie: I am reading Snow Falling on Cedars right now. I actually usually look for a wintry book or two to read in August. It mentally helps me to get through the month to vicariously visit snowy locales through my reading.

>74 chinquapin: That makes a lot of sense. Mind over matter. :)

#48 Blankets by Craig Thompson
TIOLI Challenge #22: Read a book with an uncommon main character name
Source: Public Library
Genre: Graphic Novel
Pages: 582
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Recommend: A bold and stark autobiography filled unapologetic honesty

After reading several positive reviews from other LT members about Blankets, I decided to read my very first graphic novel and boy was I impressed. I was impressed with the calibre of story, of the visual appeal, and the fact that 500 pages was easily devoured within one day. There is something about combining the written word with page after page of visual images that is pure magic. The imagination does not need to exert itself as your eyes can see and interpret all that the author chooses to convey.
Blankets is one man's sojourn in discovering the joys and pains of family, the heartache and the gut wrenching temptations of first loves, but most of all it is a diary of his struggle to find faith, God, and realizing that sometimes all the pieces fit together and other times they are scattered and senseless. This was my very first foray into the world of graphic novels, but it definitely won't be my last.

Nice review, Valerie. I'm pretty sure Blankets is already lurking on the TBR list. I'm so glad you enjoyed the graphic novel format. My first graphic novel(s) was Maus by Art Speigelman (there are actually two volumes but it was treated as one book in the class I read it for) which is really an impressive display of what the format can do. If you want a really great Canadian graphic novel series, Scott Pilgrim is a really fantastic series. They're quick and fun.

#76: I have had that one in the BlackHole forever. After my book buying ban of this year is gone, I am buying that book!

Aloha Valerie! Just stopping to say hi and trying to remain caught up on threads!

Great review of Blankets! I just read it as my first graphic novel and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Phew.. catching up here Valerie but I have to say your last couple of reviews are beautifully written and I am so glad you enjoyed Thirteenth Child and Blankets. Two very unique books and I love the way Blankets just draws you in immediately and it's hard to put down.

Valerie- I loved your thoughts on Blankets. I was a big fan of this book too! I hope this opens up the door, to many more graphics. If you need any recs, let me know.
Hope you are enjoying your weekend.

Hi Valerie! You've read some interesting books by the look of it. I have yet to try a graphic novel.... Can you tell that I'm old - or something :)I'll have to look at my library for some graphic books to try them out. Blankets looks quite interesting. Great reviews!

All this talk of books reproducing on the shelf. Maybe so. Mine get shuffled around quite a bit so my husband does cannot tell what new books I have hidden from him. Sometimes I end up hiding them from myself. For a time , I would cover multiple different hardcovers with the same cover so my husband would think that I was reading the same old book for a month. Then one day , he noticed that the hardcover part of the book was sticking out of the cover and the jig was up!;) Busted!!! :)

>77 MickyFine: Thanks Micky! I've read bits and pieces of Maus before but it was such a long time ago that I don't really remember much from it except that it was quite powerful. At the time I was actually quite surprised that you could write about something so heavy in comic form and it not be weird. I will look into the series you recommended.

>78 alcottacre: Stasia, you have amazing self control!

>79 weejane: I appreciate you dropping by Brit even though you are on vacation!!

>80 DorsVenabili: Yay for reading our first graphic novels together! :)

>81 KiwiNyx: Thanks Leonie! Yes, Blankets totally drew me in and when I think about it, there was nothing "extraordinary" about his story, and yet it was captivating nonetheless.

>82 msf59: Thanks Mark! I will be looking up Radioactive next since I remember seeing rave reviews about it on your thread earlier this year.

>83 vancouverdeb: Hi Deb! I'm guessing based on the different tastes we all have here on LT, age had no bearing on the types of books that perk our interest. :) The thing I enjoy about graphic novels was just how fast you can get though one but not at the sacrifice of a good story!
That story is hilarious! I think we are all guilty at one time or another of the same crimes although I've never tried your tactic before. It seems brilliant, until you get busted of course. ;)

I have been completely side tracked from reading the last 2 days because I picked up these cross stitching kits I bought at Disney World on my honeymoon (which was 4 years ago) and never finished...talk about major procrastination! But they are definitely addicting because once I get started I have a hard time stopping. :)

Hi Valerie

After reading your comments about Blanket, I'm going to try to get a copy from my local library.

Yippee! Valerie has entered the world of Graphic Novels! So glad you liked Blankets oooooo and there are so many more great GN's out there for you to investigate and enjoy. Beware, they are addicting.

Val, I looked up Blankets and they have it at the library, so it's on the wish list. Thanks for the review.

>85 Whisper1: I hope your library has a copy Linda!

>86 Carmenere: Who would have thunk that I would actually be reading GN and enjoying it so much! I always thought it was something that only teenage boys would like but my scope of GN's is now much wider than just the marvel stuff!

>87 Smiler69: Yay for public libraries! Hopefully you will enjoy it when you get to it and since you are the resident expert on all that is art, I look forward to seeing what you think of it. :)

I will definitely be on the lookout for Blankets as well. I am also a newcomer to the Graphic Novel format and certainly have been surprised at the variety that is available. I too, once considered Graphic Novels an area for teenage boys and computer geeks! I have had my eyes opened, one of my top books of the year is The Complete Essex County an excellent G.N.

*waving* at Valerie

Hi Valerie- I heard Craig Thompson has a new graphic coming out next month. Yah! I also 2nd Judy, on The Complete Essex County. It's fantastic.

Hi! :)

Hey, Valerie, just stopping by to say hi!

>89 DeltaQueen50: Hi Judy! I am glad that I am not alone in discovering GN this year. LT had definitely broaden my reading horizons and I refuse to go back! :)

>90 alcottacre: *Big wave* to Stasia

>91 msf59: Ooh..thanks for the heads up Mark. I will want to look that up after the hype of a new book dies down a bit at the library.

>92 Carmenere: Thanks for dropping Roni! I hope you have a great weekend! :)

Just dropping by too - and I see you are reading The Children's Book (which refuses to load touchstone). How are you finding it? I read it early last year - I got fully drawn into it on a couple of long train journeys, and enjoyed it a lot, though I felt she did a bit too much of showing off all her background reading: occasionally it read more like a social history than a novel!

Hi Valerie,
Well, I admit that I never started The Children's Book --- I let DP start it in the middle of our vacation while I read lighter fare (she's liking it a lot, but is also more knowledgeable about that era than I). Your review of Blankets has me interested. I think I'll add it to my ever-growing TBR list. My only-ever graphic novel was Fun Home and I greatly enjoyed it.
Has The Children's Book gotten any more engrossing/engaging for you?
~Ellen

Just catching up! Somehow I missed the link to your new thread, but I've got it now.
How's The Children's Book coming? I started it, but could never really get into it.

Just passing through and *waving hello* :-)

I am waving along with Ilana

>95 gennyt: Hi Genny. You totally nailed it with what I don't like about the book. (I don't know why the book has such issues with the touchstones so I've given up.) Reading the book has made me feel quite dense since half the references she uses, I don't know if they are real or not which makes me realize just how unread I am if that makes any sense.

>96 EBT1002: Hi Ellen. I hope you enjoy Blankets when you get a chance to read it. It looks like a chunkster but it goes by quite fast. I really don't know what to think of The Children's Book at this point. There are some parts that I really enjoy but there are definitely dry spells in this one that make me want to just gloss over but I have about a quarter of the book left and really hope to finish it this week as my other books are calling to me. I think you are right that if you are knowledgable about this time period, the book will be more enjoyable.

>97 nittnut: Glad to have you back Jenn! I am almost done The Children's Book and all I can say is that I wish that I was enjoying it more than I am right now. It's like a terrible tease where certain parts draw you in and then I get lost within a mountain of details that don't make any sense to me in regards to the actual story.

>98 Smiler69: Hello my friend! I need to catch up on your thread before it's time for you to start a new one. :)

>99 alcottacre: Great minds think a like Stasia as I was just by your thread doing the exact same thing. :)

Didn't I comment on the GN discussion? Hmmm... well, anyway, I like 'em. I also had the perception that they were all...errr, superhero-esque. Then I read Persepolis and it completely altered my opinion of them.

Hi Valerie- I have had The Children's Book on my WL forever. I have not read any Byatt. Bad Mark. Hope all is well.

#100: Great minds think alike. Where does that leave us? ;)

#100 - That is how I felt, but I didn't stick it out. Brave of you. I did read Possession a few years ago, and I liked that.

I read and enjoyed The Children's Book last year and do think that some knowledge of the period helped . Byatt does have a habit of info-dumping in the book which doesn't help the flow of the story:)

>100 jolerie:: I am both intrigued and repelled by the differing thoughts on The Children's Book here. I have iked the books by A.S. Byatt that I've read and own TCB so I will be reading it sometime. It doesn't help that it's a longish book that doesn't appear to be all that compelling. Oh well, I do like a challenge.

>101 Ape: It is a whole new world out there that I've barely scratched the surface of. Long gone are the days of just Marvel superheroes and for that I'm thankful for. I will have to check out Persepolis since I've seen reviews for that one around LT as well. Although one type of GN that I don't think I will venture to is all the zombie stuff. I have a hard enough time getting the written stuff out of the head so an artists' interpretation will probably do wonders for my imagination....

>102 msf59: Mark, I would be extremely curious to see what you think of it when you get around to it. You would probably have some insight that will make me go ahhh..so that's how it was supposed to be read, and then there may be a chance that I would enjoy it a bit more. :)

>103 alcottacre: Don't fight it Stasia. We are brilliant and humble to boot and there's nothing we can do about it.

>104 nittnut: Thanks Jenn. I am still curious to see what other books Byatt has written just as a comparison but yeah this one was a bit hard to get through and I'll be glad to be done soon.

>105 calm: An author that suffers from being too well-read, shucks, what a pity it wasn't better utilized. I think I was looking for more story and less fact dropping but oh well...

>106 Donna828: Like Mark, Donna, I would be also really curious to see what you think of the book as well. Maybe I can check out what other books Byatt has written since I don't usually write off authors based on just one book. Two, possibly. Three, and it goes in the fire. :)

Hi Valerie, just dropping by to give you the link to the September Series and Sequels Thread. Hope to see you over there.

The Children's Book is on my TBR list, and I hope to get to it this year. I will be looking forward to reading what you think about it.

Hey Valerie! Just skimmed your thread in an attempt to catch up!

#107: We are brilliant and humble to boot and there's nothing we can do about it.

LOL!

>108 DeltaQueen50: Thanks for the link Judy. I will have to take a look at all the books and organize it all for September. So exciting!

>109 chinquapin: I am finally done the book. Can't say that I'm not relieved.

>110 weejane: Welcome back Brit. Hope you had a great vacation. :)

#49 The Children's Book by A. S. Byatt
TIOLI Challenge #11: Read a book by an author using his/her first two initials and last name
Source: Off the Shelf
Genre: Contemporary Fiction (finalist for the Man Booker Prize)
Pages: 615
Rating: 3 Stars
Recommend: Equal parts captivating and equal parts painful

Knowledge is power, but not if it is only partial knowledge and the knower is a dependent child, already perturbed by a changing body, squalling emotions, the sense of the outside world looming outside the garden wall, waiting to be entered. Knowledge is also fear.

Set against the backdrop of the late 19th century and ending with the climax of World War I, The Children's Book is a story about growing up, about understanding the world and the people in them and how that affects who we ultimately become. Following the lives of several characters as they experiment with the world as innocent children; the arc of the story continues with them navigating the waters of adulthood. As a rite of passage, these children turned adults and their families will discover that secrets have the power to bind people together and at the same time has the terrifying ability to wreak destruction in its wake.

A. S. Byatt definitely did her research. The book is filled with lush details and vibrant descriptions of the time period, to the point that if you closed your eyes, you could imagine yourself playing in the yard, or exploring the woods with the children at the turn of the century. At points the book read more like a historical commentary on the social conditions in the late 1800's and the story itself was just a faint backdrop to hang the multitude of facts, statistics, and organizational names on. When the story was being told, I found myself intrigued, but the constant interruption caused the overall flow of the story to feel stunted and disjointed. I really wanted to enjoy this one more than I actually did, but I can see how some people who are well versed in the references she makes and in this particular period of history could really sink their teeth into this one.

Great review! Equal parts captivating and equal parts painful
You put the pin in my problem with the book. Constant interruption! I love history, and I was fairly familiar with the people and events referenced, but I just couldn't sustain interest. Just when I felt like the story began to flow, it would come to a screeching halt. I finally gave up, and I rarely give up.

The premise of that book sounds great! Pity it didnt live up to how good it sounds (for you anyway).
Love the cover too :)

>114 nittnut: Thanks Jenn! I have such an issue of not being able to put down a book even though it's brutal and this one was nowhere near as frustrating as some other books that I've read. I think the fact that it's a book that I own was motivation itself to finish it since it will always just sit on my shelf as a reminder that I gave up on it. I sound insane. :)

>115 LovingLit: Hi Megan! I'll be honest that the cover was one of the reasons that drew me to the book at the store even though I knew nothing about it. Yes, quite a pity. At least now I'm done and I can just sit and stare at the cover all day long. I sound insane again.

#113: I liked that one a bit more than you did, Valerie, but not by much - I think I gave it 3.5 stars.

I hope your next read is better for you!

#113 I've been undecided about The Children's Book for a while (and I also love the cover). I will probably try it one day but I'm not in a rush.

Very good review of The Children's Book Valerie. I liked it ... but I did study all that history at school:)

Valerie- Good review of The Children's Book. You gotta Thumb! This one has been on my WL and I hope to get to it one of these days. I have never read Byatt.

When the story was being told, I found myself intrigued, but the constant interruption caused the overall flow of the story to feel stunted and disjointed.Exactly! I did know quite a bit about the period, the history, the literature and the art movements - and am very interested in that period, but even so I found the constant switching between storytelling and information giving to be distracting and annoying.

Somewhere recently (in a newspaper article I think) this book was mentioned as being about what it's like for children growing up with a (famous) author as a parent, and that's certainly one aspect of the story-telling that was very interesting, but I wish it had been a little more prominent and less swamped with the evidence of Byatt's exhaustive research!

Hi Valerie! I saw your question re Jackson Brodie books by Kate Atkinson. Since I've read all 4 of the novels featuring Jackson Brodie - what I can tell you is that while Jackson Brodie is a constant in all of the books, he plays a lesser and bigger role in each of the books. The other thing that unites the books is that Kate Atkinson is masterful at creating three or four seemingly different stories in one book -and bringing them altogether. It amazes me! The themes in each book are quite different. Kate Atkinson has also written several non Jackson Brodie books. I've yet to read one, but I've got Scenes at the Museum on my TBR read pile.

Great review of The Children's Book. That one big read!!!
Thumb up from me too. It looks to me like you've got a hot review! :)

#122 And following on from Deborah's answer, as one who's read the first three Brodies but not the fourth one yet, but who did read Behind the Scenes a few years back and has another earlier book - Emotionally weird - waiting to be read, I would add that she has not always written 'detective' stories (though the Brodies are far from typical detective genre anyway) but there does seem to be a recurring theme of people dealing with loss, which is explored in different ways. Someone else wrote recently on one of the threads that there also always seems to be some kind of 'mystery' at the heart of her books though they are by no means all in the 'mystery' or detective genre.

Morning, Valerie! Oh, DUH me - I still had your old thread starred and wondered where you had gotten to. Figured you were just busy with summer. This is the second time I've done this in the last week - summer brain syndrome! Anyway, I've got you now. Had to come by to see what Deb, prez of the Jackson Brodie club, has had to say about a question you asked on my thread : ).

You've posted some wonderful reviews here. Your comments on Blankets encourage me to try a graphic novel. I've avoided because they don't really appeal to me. But you inspire! A colleague has used Maus in one of his English courses this year, and I've heard good things about it, too.

>117 alcottacre: Thanks Stasia! My current read is a YA fiction so definitely the on the opposite side of the spectrum for sure.

>118 souloftherose: Hi Heather! I am sure there are people out there who would love that kind of book but I don't think it's everyone's cup of tea. I do hope you enjoy it when you get to it.

>119 calm: Thanks Calm! Yeah I think if you majored or studied in that period of history, the story would definitely be more contextualized. My major in Canadian history didn't help me much on this one. :)

>120 msf59: Thanks for the thumb Mark. Even though this would not be my favourite read by far, I am still willing to try her other books. I hope you enjoy it when you get around to it.

>121 gennyt: Thanks Genny for the information about the article. I never really thought about the book from that perspective but since you mentioned it, it would be an interesting way of reading the book. The relationship between the children and the parents would be a therapists' field day since they all have issues, some bigger than others, but they ALL have something.

>122 vancouverdeb: Well Deb, you definitely have me sold on Atkinson so I will have to see what books of hers my library has and give it a shot. I typically don't read a lot of the crime/mystery/detective genre and so I just was curious if that is what she was known for, but I not against trying it even if that was her specialty. As well, thanks for the thumb! I totally didn't realize it was on the list because the cover that shows up is not the cover that I own.

>123 gennyt: Thanks Genny for the recommendations. I will look up what selection is available at my library. I was just curious if she wrote like Picoult? All her books are on different subject matters but there is always the common component of controversy and often courtroom drama so after you read a few of her books, it all starts sounding really similar if that makes any sense.

>124 lit_chick: No worries Nancy. That happens to me ALL the time. And I do the same thing and wonder why there is no activity for so long only to realize that I'm like 100 messages behind on their new threads. Glad to have you back. :) I hope you enjoy Blankets when you get around to reading it. The whole GN genre is totally new to me but I really enjoyed that one so I will be looking out for some other ones that have gotten really positive reviews here on LT.

Another lovely review, Valerie. I don't think I'll be tackling The Children's Book any time soon. While I don't mind historical context, I prefer it to be integrated into the narrative rather than being a stumbling block to a smooth reading process. Hope your next read is more enjoyable for you. :)

Go Deb! Should inform you, Valerie, that (as the founder and first head of the JBF) I anointed Deb the new head of LT's Jackson Brodie Fan Club when, under the spell, she zipped through all four JB novels in NO TIME FLAT and I am so happy to see her bringing another member on board. Genny is of course firmly in line for the succession. One important addition is that while Atkinson has a serious foundation she is funny -- dark and bleak and oh so painful -- but still funny. Beautiful.

The Children's Book is going to be stared at by me for quite awhile, I'm afraid. Your review was excellent - it just didn't make me want to read the book anytime soon. Someday!

Great review Valerie. I read it at the beginning of the year and though I agree with your assessment, I had a favourable bias because I'm fascinated with that period in history, and was glad for all the threads Byatt gives us to follow up on. Yes, I would have liked there to be more detail about the family life and so on, but in the end I think I was quite generous with my rating. Too generous? Hard to say because I actually want to read that book again once I've got a bit more historical knowledge under my belt.

As others have said, great review, Valerie. I'm still going to get to The Children's Book but not as soon as I had hoped (DP still working her way through it and it wouldn't be polite to take it out of her hands!). As for Kate Atkinson I enjoyed Behind the Scenes at the Museum (not a JB novel) and am waiting for Case Histories to come up on my hold list at the library. I may give in and buy it....

edited for clarity

>126 MickyFine: Thanks Micky! I will have to agree with you there. Typically I really enjoy historical fiction but like you my preference is that it's woven into the actual story and not something separate. It makes for a really choppy read.

>127 sibylline: LOL. That is too funny! Well I can promise you that there will be no Brodie trashing here since there is such loyal following here in the 75 group. And since I never read of Atkinson's work, I really can't say anything about him but I'm definitely more an curious as to where all the love is coming from. :)

>128 Donna828: Hi Donna. I guess my review didn't really want make people want to jump on board with the book. Oops. ;)

>129 Smiler69: Ilana, I did the same thing as well for the first few chapters of the book. I was all ready with post-its and a pen and was writing down all the words and references that I didn't know about. Well, it didn't take me long to realize that it would probably take me twice as long to look everything up than the actual reading of the book so I just gave up and made the best with what I knew. I definitely agree that book would have been so much more interesting if I took a course in that period in history.

>130 EBT1002: Ellen, I will definitely be curious to see what you and your DP think of the book when you get your hands on it. I will be looking up Atkinson in the library one of these days otherwise I will never find out what the Brodie hype is all about. :)

Hmmm, all this talk about The Children's Book intrigues me, Valerie, yet I think I'll take a pass on this one thanks to your honest review.

#131 Ok, Val, I have to ask someone, and it's going to be you! What is DH, DP, Dwhatever? I've seen these acronyms in others' threads - I'm thinking dear husband? dear ? Crazy, or close to the mark? Do tell!

>132 Carmenere: Hi Lynda! That's the great things about books. They don't know so they won't ever feel offended. Or at least I hope so... :)

>133 lit_chick: Hey Nancy. Yeah I did not know what those acronyms were either until I had my little guy and so when you go on all these parenting sites, they all use those short terms. DH=Dear Husband, DP=Dear Partner and sometimes you will see DS=Dear Son, DD=Dear Daughter, and so on. :)

Hi Valerie -- great review of The Children's Book. That one has never tempted me, for some reason. I think that's probably a good thing, after reading your thoughtful review. Thanks!

I use LD too for my teenaged daughter -- that means the Little Darling.

Catching up Valerie, great review of The Children's Book, I will be reading this next year and I always find these polarising books intrigue me more as I want to know which way my opinion will fall.

>135 AMQS: Hi Anne! I guess my review didn't really inspire any temptations for others either, but hopefully those who do give it a try will enjoy it at least.

>136 sibylline: Lucy, and I thought I had learned all the lingo when I figured out all the computer acronyms and then I discover this whole new world of parental ones!

>137 KiwiNyx: It's great to have you around Leonie! Thank you for visiting even though I know you have a lot on your plate right now. I look forward to your review of The Children's Book next year.

**Yay, the touchstones for The Children's Book finally works...**

#50/51 Devastation by Gloria Skurzynski
TIOLI Challenge #22: Read a book with an uncommon main character name
Source: Public Library
Genre: YA/Science Fiction
Pages: 356
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Recommend: A quick and interesting read but nothing mind blowing

Devastation is a compilation of Skurzynski's two books, The Virtual War and The Clones where the main character Corgan is a test tube baby, genetically engineered by a group of scientist. Corgan, along with his two other teammates, Sharla and Brig were designed for a specific purpose. That purpose is the very reason for their existence and for the special abilities that they were selected for. With Corgan's time splitting abilities, Sharla's code breaking skills, and Brig's tactical and strategic depth, the three young friends are called upon to wage and win a virtual war. The reward - the only piece of uncontaminated land on earth that humans can live on.

This book was mildly reminiscent of Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game in the sense that children are bred to be adults and to save the world, but in terms of depth, complexity, and character development, the books are night and day. Devastation was certainly enjoyable but in terms of science fiction, there was nothing original about the story or the people, but overall it was a quick read that was sufficient in terms of entertainment.

Hi Valerie. No book bullet for me, yay!

Taking a pass on Devastation, Valerie. It's a shane when a SF book is not original because it seems to me if the writer has a over active imagination, anything is possible.
Have a good day with the little guy!!

Sounds like one I can safely avoid:)

Hope the next read is better for you.

>141 Carmenere: Haha, at this point in the year, any book bullets that can be avoided is a big relief to the already sagging TBR shelves I'm sure. :)

>142 calm: Hi Lynda! Yes and I feel like SF is one of those genres that you can really go to town and the imagination is really you only limit. But when it's repetitive or something that's been done so many times already, then really what is the point?

>143 jolerie: Hi Calm! Yes, the one I'm currently reading is definitely different and enjoyable in a different way. :)

I am having a very hard time coming to terms with the fact that it is already the end of August?? My little monkey is turning a year in less than a week and I'm in the middle of planning is first birthday party. It makes me realize that really the party is for the adults since he won't have a clue what is going on but 1 years old is definitely a milestone to celebrate. :)
On a side note, after many many discussions, planning with our financial advisor, and working through our budgets, we have decided that I will be able to stay at home with the monkey for now and just see how it goes. That is a huge burden off my shoulders since going back to work was definitely not my first choice!

I'm really glad for you that you have that burden out of the way for now Nathalie. I'm in a completely different situation, but when it was decided that I shouldn't go back to work until I felt ready to do so again... well yes, it took a huge load off too.

So exciting that your little one is turning one year old! I remember when my best friend and I used to talk about children, she saying she was quite ready yet, and now her girl is turning 15 already, with attending teenage complications rearing their ugly heads and I think it's so weird because weren't we teenagers just a few years ago still?

Another great review, Valerie, as always. I don't think I'll pick it up at this point but some of the elements seem intriguing enough that I may reconsider sticking it on the list at some point. Also congrats on being able to do the stay-at-home mom thing. My mom did that until my younger brother hit junior high at which point he started eating so much she had to go back to work. :)

I agree with others -- great review, Valerie. I almost never read SF even though a few of the classics have been some of my all-time favorite reads ( The Martian Chronicles, The Left Hand of Darkness). I'll wait until you or some of the other SF-knowledeable LTers give a really strong recommendation for something to dip my toe further into the genre.

Good news on being able to stay home Valerie, these years are so precious. And you made me remember our first few birthdays which I loved and enjoyed a lot more than the later ones (10 screaming children at Lollipops playland - shiver). You are right, it is more a party for your friends at this age but that makes it even better as you are celebrating something huge with the people that mean the most to you.

>139 jolerie: A quick and interesting read but nothing mind blowing
It feels like I read a lot of these kinds of books!

Hey Valerie, that's great news about being able to stay home. I realize that in today's world that is a rare blessing. My Haley is lucky to have her mommy at home all day, too, even if it means that my son has to work 60-hour weeks. It worked for my hubby and me!

Have fun at the party. I hope we can see a picture or two.

>144 Smiler69: Hi Ilana! I think it's great that you can take time off work. I actually think all workplaces should make that mandatory for all their workers. I feel too many people who work actually could do good with taking some time off just to spend some time for themselves or who are going through a hard time who need someone to give them a break, but then I can totally see people abusing that (ie: sick days).
Honestly, I STILL feel like a teenager on most days. There was a period when I wasn't wearing my rings and I could see people giving me THAT look - a mixture of pity and scorn. I guess the jeans and hoodies didn't really help my teenage mom look. :) I'm just glad to have the rings back on my fingers and it's all silly, but hey it's nice to feel legit.

>145 MickyFine: Micky I know what you mean. My husband comes from a family of 3 boys so I've heard all the stories of being eaten out of house and home. :) My MIL said she used to make a full tray of fried chickens for the 3 boys as an after-school snack. Let me repeat, SNACK, and they would have that polished off and come back 3 hours later demanding dinner. I shudder at the thought.

>146 EBT1002: Ellen, if you are looking for a good SF, I would recommend Orson Scott Card's Ender Game series. I haven't read too many SF books but that stands out as one of the best I've read thus far.

>147 KiwiNyx: Yes, you nailed it Leonie. He won't remember a thing but we will have evidence in pictures when he grows up. :)

>148 LovingLit: Megan, I hope you get to read some mind-blowing stuff sooner than later since the time you get to yourself is so precious with the little guy at home. :)

>149 Donna828: Thanks Donna! Yes, I think making it work is just a matter of priorities for us. I think there will be time in the future once the little guy is older for me to pursue my "career". Right now I cherish and relish the joys of being a stay at home mom and just watching him grow each day. I wouldn't trade it for the world!

Valerie, thanks for the suggestion. I'll put it on my library hold list. :-)

Hi Valerie, boy, I bet that first year has just flown by. Enjoy the party! It was my granddaughter's 7th birthday today and I went to lunch with her, her mother and brother which was lovely. Her big party will be this weekend, a pool party with water balloons - I think I am going to avoid that one!

Valerie, you'll be glad you stayed home -- for however long it will be. You never get those years back. Happy birthday, little monkey!

*waving* at Valerie

Good luck with the birthday bash planning!

Hurray for you, Valerie, hurray and Happy Birthday to little monkey. I'm so happy to see you two will continue to be spending alot of time with each other.
Enjoy the birthday festivities!!! Yes, the party is more for the adults but you'll be surprised how quickly your son with catch on to these things.......messy cake, lots of presents, more messy cake, baloons......

Oh, Happy Birthday to the wee one! And congrats on staying home - I'm very much enjoying being home with Charlie (who turns 3 (eek!) in a couple of weeks), despite the slight budget crunch we've made to do so.

>151 EBT1002: I hope you enjoy it Ellen!

>152 DeltaQueen50: Hi Judy! Yes, I have a hard time believing that it has already been a year, but I figure this past year will be indicative of all the years to come. I know I will look back one day and think it's all been such a blur. You are probably smart to avoid a party that will involve water balloons. :)

>153 AMQS: Thanks Anne! I am just relieved that we finally made a decision and I am super happy about it.

>154 alcottacre: Thanks Stasia. :)

>155 Carmenere: Thanks Lynda. :) I couldn't be more excited to be able to stay at home with him despite the sacrifices we will have to make in order to make it work but in the end, it will be all worth it!

>156 scaifea: Hi Amber! I know what you mean about the budget crunch. Definitely no more just walking out of the bookstore with an armload of books. Luckily I still a couple hundred TBR books on my shelves that should keep me busy for the next couple of years.

Hi Val, I'm delighted to hear about your positive decision! Well done! I like your attitude that it's time to read some stuff off the TBR shelves : ).

>158 lit_chick: Thanks Nancy! I figured it was about time since I've run out of excuses and they have been giving me the death stares for far too long. :)

Hmmmm, books give Valerie the death stare and eventually she picks them up off the shelf. Do you think that would work to get dates? ...no? ...

>160 Ape: Oh Stephen, I'm sure you have plenty in your arsenal to attract the ladies. Don't deny it. I've been to your thread and well, I leave it at that. :)

If I liked to have things in my arsenal then I wouldn't be attracted to ladies in the first place. :(

#52 Lullabies for Little Criminals by Heather O'Neill
TIOLI Challenge #22: Read a book with an uncommon main character name
Source: OTS
Genre: Contemporary Fiction (Finalist for the GGs)
Pages: 330
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Recommend: Of all songs, this Britney song kept ringing in my head like a broken record as I was reading the book: "I'm not a girl, not yet a woman. All I need is time. A moment that is mine, while I'm in between."

I don't know why I was upset about not being an adult. It was right around the corner. Becoming a child again is what is impossible. That's what you have legitimate reason to be upset over. Childhood is the most valuable thing that's taken away from you in life, if you think about it."

Baby is an unconventional name for an unconventional girl. Baby lost her mother when she was young, so young that she has no memories of the woman who gave birth to her. All she has is a drug addicted, emotionally unstable, and nomadic father who moves her from one insect infested, tattered walled apartment to the next. Baby's life puts the term poverty to shame as she oscillates between a little girl who craves the love and affection of her absent father, to the young and rebellious teen that one day finds herself with not only a pimp as a boyfriend, but the delusional glamour of being a prostitute.
I thought I would be shocked, outraged, or at least indignant at what life doled out for Baby and yet somehow the dysfunctionality that is her normal, somehow seemed normal. It's the idea that if you don't know better, you wouldn't expect or demand better. The world that Baby exists is the only world she knows and like an endangered species, she carves out a niche of her very own. It is by no mean a childhood transition into adulthood that one would desire, but in its own shattered emptiness, there was a faint gleam of redemption. Lullabies for Criminals was not what I expected, but it worked, and the chord it struck can still be heard echoing within me.

Nice review, Valerie. I have Lullabies on my TBR shelves...

Valerie

Thumbs up for your excellent review of Lullabies for Criminals. I read this book a few years ago and it still haunts me.

Great review, you've made me want to push it up the wishlist.

Great review of Lullabies, Val. It really struck a chord with me, too. I remember thinking that Baby was only still alive because I was reading a book - that we see too many girls like her on the evening news. You are absolutely right about her normal; how would she know to miss something which did not exist in her world?

I don't know about the Britney reference, since I don't listen to her music and don't like the idea of her much besides, but I thought your review was great. Thumbed it.

Lullabies has been on my shelves forever and I've been much hesitating to pick it up since I'm afraid it might hit too close to home. Lord knows I didn't have the kind of upbringing Babe has in the book, but my teenage years were out of control and took me to places no kid should ever go. That's all I'll say about that. Anyway, I've been reading lots of reviews about it lately and yours makes me want to read it most of all. I really liked what you said about her normal too. Life is like that for most people, no matter what the general judgment may be on fringe individuals, their normal is all too often all they'll ever know.

I don't know what I say anymore, so hope I didn't spill too much. I should be in sleep, abed by now. ;-)

Nice review of Little Criminals, Valerie. I will have to see if my local library has it yet.

Hi Valerie! Just stopping by to say hi!! If you can stay home with your little one - even part time - from my perspective , it is really worth it! I stayed home P/T after my first son -and after our second child- a son also - it simply did not make sense finacially - never mind emotionally - for me to go to work. So- I " retired" permanently to raise our now 21 and 26 year old. I had a lot of fun - truly I did - playing Hungry Hippo, Don't Break and Ice, reading to my kids etc etc and I really enjoyed those days. Of course a person has their moments and staying home is not for everyone, but I have no regrets.

Lullabies for Little Criminals was one of my favourite books so far this year. I also put it off - I'm not sure why - perhaps I had read too much CanLit, as we call it- but I loved it as I read it. Currently I am reading Pigeon English which I am finding more heartbreaking on a level - but a similar sort ofa read. The narrator is a young Ghanian immigrant boy, age 11,trying to fit in with the gangs and poverty on the inner city of the London. ( or some other UK city- I forget ) There are gangs, - just such heartbreak.

I finally got all caught up on your thread. You have a really nice book discussion here! And Happy Birthday to your little one!

Hi Valerie! Just stopping by and trying to catch up! Life has been busy around here! I hope the end of your summer was good and that you are looking forward to autumn.

Hope the birthday celebration is going well!

>164 katiekrug: Thanks Katie!

>165 Whisper1: Thanks for the thumb Linda! Yes, I think this will be a book that I will reread in the future and I'm thinking it will still have the same effect on me then as it did today.

>166 DeltaQueen50: I hope you like it when you get a chance to read it Judy.

>167 lit_chick: Nancy, I was thinking exactly the same thing that as horrible as her life may seem, there are probably a lot of girls that are living the exact same story, if not worse. I didn't grow up with a lot of money since my mom was a single mother raising 2 kids and being an immigrant didn't help the situation but never have I come close to the experiences that Baby went through so that was definitely eye and heart opening.

>168 Smiler69: The Britney reference was so random and I don't particularly like her music or anything but that one song keep looping in my head while I was reading the book! Ilana, you truly make me so curious to know about your "wild" years that I think it would make for a fascinating read if you ever decide to write a memoir. I remember have my rebellious years but the worst thing I did was sneak into a nightclub underage using some other person's ID. What I realized after that one time was that the bouncers really didn't care and I'm really not cut out for partying. :)

>169 alcottacre: Thanks Stasia! I hope your library does have a copy of it.

>170 vancouverdeb: Hi Deb! Thanks for sharing about your experiences being a stay at home mom. I don't think looking back I will regret making this choice. To me, the impact that I hopefully can make on my son will be many times greater than what I could possibly do at work and for that I think I made the right choice. Pigeon English does sound like a really heartbreaking story. I will have to check that one out. Thanks!

>171 billiejean: Hi BJ! It's so nice to have you back. :)

>172 weejane: Hi Brit. I am looking forward to autumn since it is my favourite season of the year.

Okay, since we are having the party tomorrow, the hubby and I, more I than the hubby are engaging in full on Martha Stewart mode with the cleaning and organizing of the house. I don't know if it's woman thing, but I have such an incessant need to present an immaculate and "perfect" house even though it's not possible to maintain it everyday with a baby in the house and yet I just can't help it! I think it's a illness to want to present this "image" that actually doesn't exist each and every time, but alas, here I go again! Have a great weekend everyone and my thoughts with you guys on the East Coast. Stay safe! :)

My mom was the same way. She didn't see the need to keep a 'perfect' house all the time, but whenever company was over she'd go crazy cleaning the place up. I can't say if it's true for me since I never have company, thank goodness!

Eh, a little fluff'n'stuff before company comes over is a normal thing in my opinion. A thumb for me on your latest review, but I'm not sure I'll pick it up. Glad that is was meaningful reading experience for you though. Happy birthday to the monkey! :D

#174: Nope, my local library does not have it yet. Rats.

Glad to hear you'll be able to stay home with your little one Valerie.

Re the 'perfect' house syndrome I can relate only too well. I wonder if collectively we're our own worst enemies because if everyone has a perfect house when guests come round then you assume that that's what everyone's house is normally like so you feel you have to make a special effort to tidy yours when people come round and then they assume your house is normally like that and feel they should tidy theirs for visitors and so on.

Well put Heather! I try hard not to fuss but where I draw the line, however, is darting around the house to make sure all bathrooms are at an acceptable level.......

#178 Perfect house syndrome - love it! Well said.

#174 Valerie, the funny thing is, as wild as my teenage rebellion was, I guess compared to what some kids go through nowadays, it's not so unusual. I don't know. The short, family-friendly version is that I was into heavy metal (it was the mid-80s) and there was lots of sex, drugs and rock'n roll. Then I ran away from home for a few weeks. I guess it's all in the details. Believe me when I say I wasn't getting a whole lot of reading done in that period! I do intend to write about it someday. Started doing so a few times, but it's just hard to relive it all over again. I know if anything, I'll have to go ahead with that exercise if only to exorcise some inner demons.

#178 Heather, you said it well. I've often thought of it like that too. I rarely have what you'd call 'guests' over because I tend to keep to myself, but I do have a very few close friends and my father come here sometimes. I used to worry a lot about getting my place in tip top shape before inviting anyone over, but then a few times my place was in what I considered a complete mess and friends said if that was a mess, then I must be a very neat person. Now my very best friend and I have each other over no matter what our places are like, and I must say it's very freeing. I was kind of mortified the first few times, when she came over and my sink was overflowing with dirty dishes, for example, but then it made me feel like we indeed must be very close if we can share that kind of intimacy of showing each other how imperfect we can be.

I, uhhhh, never really went through a rebellious phase. I'm just borign that way. Maybe I'll start RIGHT NOW. *knocks over a lamp* Wait, shit, that was my lamp. :(

Just catching up, lots of fun here.

Hooray for staying home with your little guy! Here's an old book that I checked out from the library when I decided to stay home with my first: http://www.amazon.com/Afford-Stay-Home-Step-Step/dp/1564144089. There were lots of helpful suggestions in it.

#145 - I have a 12 year old who is 5'7" and 150 lbs (he's grown nearly 3 inches since December) and it's fortunate that I grew up with 4 brothers, otherwise I'd be terrified by the amount of food he consumes in a day. I remember one of my brothers eating half a lasagna after school with half a gallon of milk and still being ready for dinner 2 hours later. Something to look forward to Valerie.

#174 - If you ever learn the cure for perfect house syndrome, I'll buy it.

Perfect house syndrome. It drove me crazy when I was a teenager -- I used to snark that we certainly wouldn't want people to know anyone lived here... Somehow I was infected, though, because as an adult, I certainly have it.

hi Valerie.
Just getting caught up after a weekend away - glad you mostly liked Lullabies for Little Criminals - I thought it was a worthwhile read, as well.
Cheers!

Thanks everyone for your kind birthday wishes! Birthday has come and gone and the stress of cleaning and organizing is done, to my husband's relief. :) Let's just hope this neat and tidiness lasts at least another week? Yeah, sorry ladies, I really don't think there is a cure out there for us, since I think we all perpetuate the vicious cycle of maintaining the fake "perfect" house. :)

>175 Ape: I really feel sorry for the husbands and children who get dragged into the whole sickness. They can only watch from the side as mom breaks into a frenzy need to clean and anyone who gets the way will only get a thorough tongue lashing.

>176 MickyFine: Thanks Micky! Yes a little fluff is okay but I think I take it beyond the fluff. Oh well, it happens every once in a blue moon so my family will just have to bear with me during those times.

>177 alcottacre: Sorry to hear that Stasia! How about I return the favour to you since I don't think I will be reading it again. :)

>178 souloftherose: Heather, you are so so right! I always am hardest on myself when after visiting a friend's house and realizing how put together everything is and my house is a war zone. If only we can all just see each other's "messiness" and then that will break the cycle. :)

>179 sibylline: Yes! If you have no time to get to any parts of the house, the BATHROOM is an absolute must.

>180 lit_chick: Yup, so sad that we all suffer so much from it. ;)

>181 Smiler69: Ilana, you make a very good point. I do have a handful of girlfriends who when they say they are going to pop over, I don't go into panic mode and try to throw everything into closets since they know me better than that. I guess those are the people that you know are your real friends because you are secure enough to know that they won't make a judgement on you when your husband leaves his underwear on the couch, or there are cheerios littered all over the kitchen floor, and the recycling is piling up so high it threatens to bury you and your food stained child. :)

>182 Ape: Stephen, that is not rebellious. It's called being clumsy, my friend. :)

>183 nittnut: Thanks Jenn! I will have to check that book out and snag myself some ideas. I don't even want to think about food costs right now since if he is anything like his father, food will be like air, just inhaled right before my eyes...
I really should come up with the cure for perfect house syndrome and just get rich off that!

>184 AMQS: Anne, it's a right of passage for every women I believe. It's how you know you have officially graduated to adulthood, the fact that you can't stand a messy house for other people to see.

>185 EBT1002: Hi Ellen! Glad to have you back. Hope you had a wine tasting trip. :)

Oh, clumsy, right. Hmmm, I guess I'm not cut out for being rebellious. Maybe I'll rebel against rebelliousness! From this day forth I refuse to be rebellious, and that's final! Now someone find an elderly lady I can help cross the street, dammit.

:P

You're too cute Stephen :-)

Stephen, that is almost the worse kind of rebellion, ever. The elderly appreciates the gesture nonetheless but she would be happy if you returned her handbag. :)

Ilana: ...AM NOT... *Blushes*

Valerie: What? I stole her purse? Aw man, does this mean I failed at being non-rebellious too? *Grumbles*

I don't know if it's woman thing, but I have such an incessant need to present an immaculate and "perfect" house even though it's not possible to maintain it everyday with a baby in the house and yet I just can't help it!

he, he, he, trust me Valerie, that will change!

I didn't think I wanted to read Lullabies for Little Criminals but your review has me second guessing myself, so on to the wishlist.

>190 Ape: Stephen, you just have to be careful where you put your hands. :)

>191 Carmenere: Thanks Linda! What a relief to hear that there is hope. I hope it happens sooner or later for the sake of my family's sanity. :)
Well I do hope you enjoy it whenever you get a chance to read it!

#53 The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
TIOLI Challenge #15: Read a book with a food item in the title
Source: OTS
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Pages: 370
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Recommend: An endearing cross between detective sleuth and the mischievous adventures of a girl with no fear!

Flavia de Luce is as close to a child mad scientist as you can get. Her passion and love for chemistry is only equaled by her tendency to show up at exactly at the wrong time. Upon hearing an argument between her father and a stranger she's never met before, Flavia sets upon a mysterious adventure that begins with encountering a murdered man in her garden, to discovering secrets that her father has kept from the family, and finally to a charming correspondence with the King of England himself.

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie was an interesting read that combined aspects of the traditional genres like detective, crime, and mystery stories but with the creative twist in that the entire escapade is told from the perspective of an eleven year old girl. Flavia is a likeable little heroine who despite her affinity for getting into trouble, exudes a quality that is both endearing and dramatic. Perhaps because the narrator is a little girl, the mystery aspect of the book was somewhat predictable, but that did not take away from my enjoyment of it. I will definitely be on the look out for Flavia's next adventure.

Valerie- Good review of Sweetness. I listened to this one on audio and really enjoyed it. I also listened to the 2nd one, The Weed That Strings and that's also a lot of fun. See, I don't always do dark & grim! Just mostly.

Sweetness sounds like a fun book, Val. I'm not familiar with Alan Bradley. Great review : ).

>194 msf59: Thanks Mark! I think it would have been a good one to listen to audio. Any recommendations of really good audios that you've listened to in the past as I'm quite new to that medium. :)

>195 lit_chick: Thanks Nancy! This is my first Alan Bradley as well and I really enjoyed it so I think I will look up his other books in the future.

Brrrr...I am freezing my toes off today since we've gone from having 30+ weather all last week and today suddenly dropping to barely 10 with grey skies and drizzling rain. I guess that's about right with September right around the corner. Off to take a HOT shower to warm up my frozen feet!

Just stoppping by to say hi!!! I've got to say that I never had really anything in the way of teenager rebellion. Just one of those dull sorts, I guess. ;)Wow , that is quite a drop in temp - I'm assuming that you are using Celcius as I do. Brrr!!!!! We are at around 19 or 20 C -but you can really feel the nip of fall in the air.

Boo, the end of summer. Personally, I am a July baby - I think we need several more Julys on the calendar. I never have to shower to warm up my toes in July. And I suffer from freezing feet syndrome in a bad way!

>197 vancouverdeb: Hey Deb! My husband is also one of those people who has NEVER rebelled in his life, but I constitute that due to the fact that he had a VERY VERY rebellious elder brother who gave his parents premature greying. But that once ruling breaking teenager is now a principal at a missionary school in Taiwan, go figure.

>198 lit_chick: Nancy, I KNOW what you mean about freezing feet syndrome! My husband bought me an electric blanket for Christmas as a way to show he cared, but the truth was he was just sick and tired of me sticking my two freezing blocks of ice over on his side of the bed...haha!

#199 that's funny Valerie, my fiance bought me an electric blanket last Christmas for the same reason! But he made sure to buy a twin size so that only my side of the bed got warm!

Valerie, glad you enjoyed Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. I read it this month and enjoyed it (I think I also gave it 3.5 stars). Not great literature (I agree that the mystery was a bit predictable), but a good read with a charming narrator & protagonist. I want to call it a parody but I'm not sure of what.....

Lovely review as always, Valerie, but despite all of the wonderful reviews I read for this book, I just don't feel compelled to pick it up. Personal taste, I guess.

Sorry your toes were frozen. Might be time to trade in flip flops for closed toe shoes. We weren't rainy at all here (although it was in the forecast) but it's been crazy windy. And the overnight lows are getting cooler (6C for tonight) so frost can't be too far away. I'm a big fan of winter though, so I'm pretty happy. :)

>200 ChelleBearss: Yeah Chelle, I got a twin size as well since he is his own heat factory! No extra help needed whatsoever. :)

>201 EBT1002: Ellen, we did read a lot of the same books this month and it was fun to see what our thoughts were but I think we agreed on most if not all of them! Yeah the predictability almost made it seem like it was YA read, but nonetheless, I enjoyed the book.

>202 MickyFine: Thanks Micky! Maybe one day on a full moon of some sort, you will be compelled to pick it up. :)
Hahaha, yeah I'm hoping this is just a short cold spell and that we still have a few weeks of warm weather left but I may be in denial. I am excited to whip out my scarves though if this cold weather keeps up!

Hurray! Since I am ER virgin, I was ecstatic when I found out that the publisher gods that be shined their favour upon me and I WON an ER Book! The book I won was The Elephant Mountains and it has something to do with a post-apocalyptic world so a genre that I typically enjoy so double hurray. :)

Hey Valerie! I'm just catching up! That's great that you'll be able to stay home part-time with your kidd-o! I had a great year last year with my little man. As far as the cleaning thing goes, I have no idea where it comes from, but I am probably the only woman on earth who has no urge to have everything be perfect and neat and picked up. I think it drive my wife nuts!

Congrats on the ER book!

Congrats on your ER win Valerie. I was sort of relieved not to get anything this month because I've managed as usual to completely overbook myself and am already quite behind on reading and reviewing the last ER book I got, which is Pearl of China. I just wanted to be sure I read at least one Pearl S. Buck book before getting to that one.

I've had The Sweetness, which I purchased brand new since November apparently (I love that LT keeps track of dates for book entries automatically!) and the more reviews I read about it, the less inclined I am to pick it up. I guess I'll approach it as YA and be fine with it. In fact, I don't know why it isn't officially categorized as such based on everyone's comments about it.

Nice review of The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie! I've had that one in my pile for awhile. Need to get to it one of these days. I'd like something in between your weather and ours -- it is still very hot here, and I'm ready for a little cooler weather!

I'm glad you ER viginity has been vanquished, Valerie. Although I must say I'd be quite initimidated to have it taken away by 'the elephant mountains.'

>203 jolerie: So I was adding a book to my TBR list and discovered The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie is on there because it's a YRC book for 2012, and I'm trying to read them for the intermediate and senior categories. So there ya go. :)

And congrats on winning an ER book. Hope it's a good 'un.

>204 weejane: Hey Brit! Glad to see you around. Hopefully Hurricane Irene didn't wreak too much damage over where you are. You really need to teach me how you let it all go then because your wife can probably relate to my hubby who inwardly cringes whenever we are expecting guests over because he knows it will be an afternoon of cleaning that he would rather not do. :)

>205 Smiler69: Ilana, you lists are always intimidating but I like your philosophy - the more books only means more options. :) Yeah, maybe if you approach from a YA perspective then you may enjoy it a bit more but if you are expecting like hardcore mystery then it would be a bit of a letdown.

>206 AMQS: Thanks Anne! I'd be more than happy to share with you some of our coolness. I've already turned the heat up twice since this morning and right now I'm tempted to whip out my electric blanket and curl up with a book!

>207 Ape: Is that a bad thing Stephen? Did you hear that the book's not good??

>208 MickyFine: I don't know if it will make your read more enjoyable or not, but Sweetness does read like a YA novel but I will be curious to see what you think of it when you are finished. Okay just because I'm not sure, but what does YRC book stand for?

Valerie: Oh, no, I was just being immature with the virgin analogy and the elephant title. Errr, sorry, I'll try to grow up now. *Starts concentrating*

*Ignoring Stephen*

I liked Sweetness but haven't got around to reading the next one. Great review.

Congratulations on your first ER book! I hope it's a good one.

Valerie- I could list a couple dozen recommended audios, easy. I recently liked Soulless and Shanghai Girls was also very good. And The Graveyard Book is one of my favorites and...

>210 Ape: No worries Stephen! I'm just relieved that the book wasn't horrible or like 1000 pages or something along those lines. Your references totally just went right over my head. :)

>211 nittnut: Hi Jenn! I hope so too and now I can look forward to getting a nice package in my mail. :)

>212 msf59: Thanks Mark for the recommendations. Those are all books I hope to read one day so maybe I'll read the book version and then listen to the audio ones to compare.

*Ignoring Stephen*

I try to encourage everyone to do this, but no one pays attention. :(

*ignoring stephens advice but not him*
Hi Stephen!

#214 - It is truly difficult to truly ignore your charming banter. Except sometimes.

Stephen, you must know by now that you are well loved here. :)

Okay since my little guy officially turned 1 years old, I found this rather amusing poem that I believe will sum up his life for the next little while..


Toddler Property Laws
If I like it, it's mine.
If it's in my hand, it's mine.
If I can take it away from you, it's mine.
If I had it a little while ago, it's mine.
If it's mine, it must never appear to be yours in any way.
If we are building something together, all of the pieces are mine.
If it looks just like mine, it's mine.
If I think it's mine, it's mine.
If I give it to you, and change my mind later, it's mine.
If it's broken, it's yours!
-Author Unknown

Uh, Valerie, I think that poem still applies to my 12 year old. Sigh.

hehe, love the toddler's mantra, Val!

>218 nittnut: Jenn, I guess it's only really cute when they are babies/children. I'm sure your little guy will not become one of thse adults who still live with that world view... :/

>219 lit_chick: Thanks Nancy! I always said I will NEVER spoil my kids, but sometimes it's pretty hard to say NO when I see a face like that looking up at me!

YRC stands for Young Readers Choice. It's an award/competition run by the Pacific Northwest Library Association that the library where I used to work at participates in. I have a link to the info page in case you're really interested.

And the monkey is even more adorable than the last picture. :D

OMG!! Your little monkey is adorable!!!!!!! Thanks for the pic and the poem.
:-)

Haha!! Your ER " virginity was vanquished on the same day as mine, Valerie!LOL!!! :) I scored Remembering the Music, Forgetting the Words: Travels with Mom in the Land of Dementia by Kate Whouley which sounds just up my alley.

Your little fellow is just a darling!Thanks for sharing the picture with us, and the poem too! So cute!

Haha! Monkey is adorable and I love the poem. :)

Hey, Happy Birthday to the little monkey!! Hooray!

Congrats on making it through the first year!!! Hooray! What a cute little guy you have!

That poem so aptly applies to my very 2 WillWill! I cannot wait to share it with my wife!

I loved the poem! And the photo! One year old, yay!

Stephen you made me laugh a lot with your micro-rebellion!

I was medium-rebellious. Never ran away but somehow managed to outrage and annoy pretty steadily for about three or four years..... my parents were so inconsistent that half the time they were restrictive, half the time oblivious. Very late-sixties/early seventies atmo.

Adding my happy birthday wishes for the little monkey - loved the poem and the photo.

I've had Sweetness on my wishlist for ages - one day!

Happy birthday to the little one - cute photo:)

Monkey is so adorable. And I love the little poem, so apt!

Adorable picture, Valerie. He looks like a very happy little boy. Your poem made me smile and remember when my grandchildren were just toddlers, that does seem to be the way of things when they are that young, I guess sharing is a concept they learn a little later on in life.

Very cute kid! Happy 1 year!!

Love the picture of your little guy, Valerie!

Oh, Happy Birthday to the little one! I eagerly await new pictures of your monkey - he's so so so so adorable!!

Charlie turns 3 in a couple of weeks, and I just can't believe he's been in my life that long already/only 3 years!

Thanks for visiting Jenn, Nancy, Micky, Ellen, Deb, Stephen, Mark, Brit, Lucy, Heather, Calm, Ilana, Judy, Chelle, Stasia, Amber.

Micky, I checked out the list and there are some good books on the 2012 list. Seeing Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie really makes me wonder why it's not under the YA section at the bookstore. I saw a number of books that you've already featured on your thread. So how does it work? Do you read and then vote for books?

>235 jolerie: Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie was marketed as an adult book, but it works well as a crossover (adult book that works well for teens). My library has a section in the teen area filled with adult crossover books that include ones like My Sister's Keeper, Soulless, and Life of Pi among others. As for YRC, kids have to read at least 3 books from the list in a category and then in around March, they can submit their vote for their favourite book at their local library branch. But because I'm not in the age range, I can't vote. I read them mostly to keep an eye on some of the major titles in YA.

Oh, what a sweet picture! Yeah, good luck not spoiling that adorable little one ;)

Hi Valerie, Your little monkey is quite a lady killer already! He makes me melt.

Seeing Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie really makes me wonder why it's not under the YA section at the bookstore.
That's a very good question, I wonder who determines where it's going to be displayed. Author, Editor, Publisher? *off to ponder*

Sweep Volume 1: Book of Shadows/The Coven/Blood Witch by Cate Tiernan
TIOLI Challenge #6: Read a book whose cover is primarily one of the 3 prime colors of RED, BLUE or YELLOW
Source: Public Library
Genre: YA
Pages: 563
Rating: 4 Stars
Recommend: If you like witch lore, teenage angst, then this will bewitch you.

Morgan Rowlands discovers that she is not only a witch, but a powerful one, descended from a long line and ancient clan of witches. While struggling to come to terms with her new found strength, she also believes she has found her soul mate, who so happens to be a witch as well. But Cal may not be entirely honest about who he is and his intentions. Being with the love of her life also does not come cheap and the cost may very well be her long time best friend, Bree. Step by step, Morgan begins to discover the secrets behind her parentage, the intensity of her powers, and the question of who is friend, who is foe, becomes a journey of unexpected surprises and twists that she may be unprepared to face.

Witches, witchery, and witchcraft has always been a topic that I've found fascinating. Despite being a YA novel filled with over dramatic teenage love and lust, the story of Morgan coming into her own and discovering her ancient heritage was riveting and intriguing. Instead of getting annoyed at the characters (which I tend to do in YA novels), I found Morgan and her supporting cast of friends and enemies to be relatable, multidimensional, and thoroughly engaging. Although I've only scratched the surface of the story and so many questions are yet unanswered, Tiernan has undoubtably whetted my appetite, and I eagerly anticipate the next books in the series.

>236 MickyFine: I think I'm going to keep that list in handy since there are a couple of books on that list that I haven't read yet that I'm curious about. Thanks for the info Micky!

>237 AMQS: Thanks Anne! Yeah not spoiling is difficult but I think we will manage. Now getting the grandparents not to indulge, that might be impossible. :)

>238 Carmenere: Hi Lynda! It's funny because all my friends who are having children around us are all having GIRLS, so the running joke is that my little guy will have a tough choice choosing between all his fine lady friends.
I was wondering the exact same question as you! Who does make the call about which category a book falls into?? My suspicion is that it is the publishers and how that relates to marketing and such but that is a complete guess.

#239: I brought Book of Shadows home from the library the other day. I hope I enjoy it as much as you did!

>241 alcottacre: I hope you enjoy it as well Stasia but be forewarned that the book does end in a cliffhanger. Actually all three books that I read in Volume 1 ended in a cliffhanger. Luckily I do have the second volume from the library on hand to continue the series. :)

Val, what a great review of Sweep, Vol I (can't find a touchstone). I don't read YA fiction often, and it's certainly something I could do more of. You make this one sound wonderfully appealing!

Glad you enjoyed your foray in YA fiction, Valerie, and a very nice review as ever. I find YA fiction, if done well, really is capable of appealing outside of its intended audience.

Valerie

Your son is amazingly beautiful!

ditto message 244!

Glad to see that you enjoyed The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. I really need to get around to reading the latest installment in this series. Book of Shadows sounds intriguing. I am going to add it to my wishlist.

Thanks for the heads up about the cliffhangers, Valerie. I really hate when authors do that!

Hi! *Waves*

August Summary

Total Books Read: 8
*Nonfiction: 0
*Fiction: 8

*OTS: 3
*Public Library: 5

*YA: 4
*Contemporary Fiction: 3
*Graphic Novel: 1

Total Pages Read: 3068

Favorite Reads:

Hope to see everyone at the new Thread. :)