The_Hibernator's 12 by 5 Challenge

Hello everyone! I am new to this challenge. I really wanted to give myself the ridiculously overly-optimistic challenge of 12X12, but remembered that an overly-optimistic beginning leads to a ponderously-pessimistic end. So I have chosen 12X5 with the electrifying confidence that this goal is within reach. I will still attempt the 12X12, but with this small cheat—I will include each book I read in EVERY category it fits. Here are my categories:

1. Young Adult/Children’s
2. Speculative Fiction
3. Science and Medicine
4. Spirituality/Inspirational
5. Classics
6. Books people asked me to read
7. 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die
8. History or Historical Fiction
9. Memoir
10. Award Winners
11. International Fiction
12. Others

1. Young Adult/Children's

This includes any fiction or non-fiction work which was intended for children or teenagers.

i. I Capture the Castle, by Dodie Smith (1/2/2012)
ii. Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy, by Gary D. Schmidt (1/3/2012)
iii. The Golden Tree, by Kathryn Lasky (1/9/2012)
iv. The Ring of Solomon, by Jonathan Stroud (1/13/2012)
v. A Little Princess, by Frances Hodgson Burnett (1/18/2012)
vi. Winnie-the-Pooh, by A. A. Milne (1/28/2012)
vii. The House at Pooh Corner, by A. A. Milne (1/30/2012)
viii. Prince Caspian, by C. S. Lewis (1/30/2012)
ix. Maniac Magee, by Jerry Spinelli (1/30/2012)
X. The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgeson Burnett (2/6/2012)
XI. The Voyage of QV66, by Penelope Lively (2/13/2012)
XII. Missing May, by Cynthia Rylant (2/15/2012)
XIII. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, by C. S. Lewis (2/15/2012)
XIV. The Rock and the River, by Kekla Magoon (2/17/2012)
XV. The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins (2/21/2012)
XVI. The Silver Chair, by C. S. Lewis (2/26/2012)
XVII. By Darkness Hid, by Jill Williamson (2/27/2012)
XVIII. Before I Fall, by Lauren Oliver (2/28/2012)
xix. Dragon Rider, by Cornelia Funke (3/2/2012)
xx. The Surrender Tree, by Margarita Engle (3/6/2012)
xxi. The Kin, by Peter Dickenson (3/11/2012)
xxii. The Subtle Knife, by Philip Pullman (3/11/2012)
xxiii. Seeds of Rebellion, by Brandon Mull (3/22/2012)
xxiv. The River of Wind, by Kathryn Lasky (3/24/2012)
xxv. The Land of the Silver Apples, by Nancy Farmer (3/27/2012)
XXVI. Marcelo in the Real World, by Francisco X. Stork (4/5/2012)
XXVII. Al Capone Does My Shirts, by Gennifer Choldenko (4/6/2012)
XXVIII. Mockingbird, by Kathryn Erskine (4/11/2012)
XXIX. The London Eye Mystery, by Siobhan Dowd (4/16/2012)
XXX. To Darkness Fled, by Jill Williamson (4/28/2012)

2. Speculative Fiction

This includes fantasy, science fiction, magical realism, etc.

i. The Golden Tree, by Kathryn Lasky (1/9/2012). Anthropomorphic fantasy.
ii. The Ring of Solomon, by Jonathan Stroud (1/13/2012). Fantasy/Alternate History
iii. Calculating God, by Robert J. Sawyer (1/29/2012). Science Fiction (Aliens)
iv. Prince Caspian, C. S. Lewis (1/30/2012). Fable
V. One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel Garcia Marquez (2/5/2012). Magical Realism
VI. The Eyre Affair, by Jasper Fforde (2/12/2012). Alternative History/Parallel Universe.
VII. The Voyage of QV66, by Penelope Lively (2/13/2012). Anthropomorphic fantasy.
VIII. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, by C. S. Lewis (2/15/2012). Fable
IX. Lost in a Good Book, by Jasper Fforde (2/19/2012). Alternate history/parallel Universe
X. The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins (2/21/2012). Post-apocalyptic, futuristic, dystopia
XI. The Woman in Black, by Susan Hill (2/24/2012). Ghosts and Hauntings
XII. The Silver Chair, by C. S. Lewis (2/26/2012). Fable
XIII. By Darkness Hid, by Jill Williamson (2/27/2012). Medieval world with giants and a kind of magic.
XIV. Before I Fall, by Lauren Oliver (2/28/2012). Afterlife
xv. Dragon Rider, Cornelia Funke (3/2/2012). Fantasy (dragons)
xvi. Shadows: Book of Aleth, Part 1 (3/3/2012) Epic Fantasy
xvii. The Kin, by Peter Dickenson (3/11/2012) Prehistoric
xviii. The Subtle Knife, by Philip Pullman (3/11/2012) Parallel Worlds
xix. Prophet, by R. J. Larson (3/14/2012) made up ancient history world
xx. Seeds of Rebellion, by Brandon Mull (3/22/2012) Parallel Universe
xxi. The River of Wind, by Kathryn Lasky (3/24/2012) Anthropomorphism
xxii. The Land of the Silver Apples, Nancy Farmer (3/27/2012) Fantasy/Mythology
XXIII. Pawn of Prophecy, David Eddings (4/3/2012) Epic Fantasy
XXIV. The Speed of Dark, Elizabeth Moon (4/11/2012) Near Future Science Fiction
XXV. To Darkness Fled, by Jill Williamson (4/28/2012). Medieval world with giants and a kind of magic.

3. Science and Medicine

Non-fiction books that discuss science or medicine (I have a particular fondness for disease and neuroscience, perhaps I'm a little off?)

i. The Emperor of All Maladies, by Siddhartha Mukherjee (1/25/2012)--Biography of cancer.
ii. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot (1/27/2012)--history of HeLa cells and the woman who "donated" them.
III. Physics of the Impossible, by Michio Kaku (2/12/2012). Physics
IV. Genesis of Science, by John Hannam (2/21/2012). History of Science and Medicine
V. The Spiritual Brain, by Mario Beauregard (2/24/2012). Neuroscience
VI. Animals in Translation, by Temple Grandin (4/25/2012). Animal Behavior.

4. Spirituality/Inspirational

Any fiction or non-fiction book that contains a spiritual message, promotes positive social change, or promotes personal development. Keep in mind that I see a spiritual message in a lot of books that aren't meant to be outwardly religious. So this category shall be very easy for me. :)

i. Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy, by Gary D. Schmidt (1/3/2012)--This book was about a minister's son who fought for the good of the down-trodden despite the insurmountable resistance of racist and amoral people who kept lecturing him on "Christian" morals.
ii. The Last Lecture, by Randy Pausch (1/4/2012)--Motivationally inspiring rather than spiritual
iii. The Help, by Kathryn Stockett (1/14/2012)--anti-racism message (promotes social change)
iv. The Chair, by James L. Rubart (1/26/2012)--Christian Fiction (suspense)
v. Calculating God, by Robert J. Sawyer (1/29/2012). Provides "scientific evidence" for the existence of God. Not Christian...more of a...well, new religion.
vi. Prince Caspian, by C. S. Lewis (1/30/2012). Christian allegory
vii. Maniac Magee, by Jerry Spinelli (1/30/2012). Race relations.
VIII. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, by C. S. Lewis (2/15/2012). Christian Allegory
IX. The Rock and the River, by Kekla Magoon (2/17/2012). Race relations
X. The Spiritual Brain, by Mario Beauregard (2/24/2012). Spirituality and Mysticism
XI. The Silver Chair, by C. S. Lewis (2/26/2012). Christian Allegory
XII. By Darkness Hid, by Jill Williamson (2/27/2012). Christian Allegory
XIII. Before I Fall, by Laruen Oliver (2/28/2012). Redemption
xiv. Shadows: Book of Aleth, Part 1 (3/3/2012)Christian Fiction
xv. Prophet, by R. J. Larson (3/13/2012) Christian Fiction
xvi. The Book of Mormon, by Joseph Smith (3/22/2012). Religious text
XVII. Paradise Lost, by John Milton (4/4/2012). Christian epic poetry
XVIII. The Gnostic Gospels, by Elaine Pagels (4/24/2012). Study of Gnosticism
XIX. To Darkness Fled, by Jill Williamson (4/28/2012). Christian Allegory

5. Classics

I don't read as many of these as I should. I am a little confused at the difference between a "classic" and a "modern classic," so I suppose I will define a classic as something written more than 100 years ago? So, say, pre-1912. Arbitrary, but round. :)

Change as of 1/10/2012: I decided that I will include all books published before 1960 as classics.

i. I Capture the Castle, by Dodie Smith (1/2/2012) Originally published in 1948.
ii. A Little Princess, by Frances Hodgson Burnett (1/18/2012) Originally published in 1905.
iii. Winnie-the-Pooh, by A. A. Milne (1/28/2012) Originally published in 1926.
iv. The House at Pooh Corner, by A. A. Milne (1/30/2012) Originally published in 1928.
v. Prince Caspian, by C. S. Lewis (1/30/2012). Originally published in 1951.
VI. The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgeson Burnett (2/6/2012). Originally published in 1911.
VII. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens (2/7/2012). Originally published in 1861.
VIII. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, by C. S. Lewis (2/15/2012). Originally published in 1952.
IX. The Silver Chair, by C. S. Lewis (2/26/2012). Originally published in 1953.
X. A Preface to Paradise Lost, C. S. Lewis (2/29/2012). Originally published in 1942.
xi. Kim, by Rudyard Kipling (3/20/2012). Originally published in 1901.
xii. The Book of Mormon, by Joseph Smith (3/22/2012). Originally published in 1830.
XIII. Paradise Lost, by John Milton (4/3/2012). Originally published in 1667.
XIV. David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens (4/17/2012). Originally published in 1850.
XV. Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe (4/29/2012). Originally published in 1958.

6. Books people asked me to read

These pile up faster than you can imagine. My aunt is the biggest villian of all, but I forgive her because she has wonderful taste. :)

i. I Capture the Castle, by Dodie Smith (1/2/2012)--My aunt Anne gave me this book to read YEARS ago!
ii. A Little Princess, by Frances Hodgson Burnett (1/18/2012)--My dad bought this and told me to read it.
iii. The Professor and the Madman, by Simon Winchester (1/24/2012). My aunt Anne wanted me to read this book.
iv. The Emperor of All Maladies, by Siddhartha Mukherjee (1/25/2012). My former boss Phil told me to read this. Despite his being my former boss, I read it.
v. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot (1/27/2012). My friends Alicia and Rezan loved this book and talk about it all the time.
VI. One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel Garcia Marquez (2/5/2012). This is one of my boyfriend's favorite books. It was also recommended by my friend Denise.
VII. The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins (2/21/2012). My friend Shweta has been trying to get me to read this book. And now my friend Alicia insisted I read it so we can watch the movie.
viii. Dragon Rider, by Cornelia Funke (3/2/2012). My aunt Anne told me I should read this.
ix. The Book of Mormon, by Joseph Smith (3/22/2012). A couple of LDS missionaries and many of their eager Mormon friends asked me to read this. :)
X. Pawn of Prophecy, by David Eddings (4/3/2012). My friend Alicia wanted me to read The Belgariad.

7. 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die OR BBC The Big Read

I've only read 81 of these! I want to at least have read 101 before I die! Luckily, I still have my youth.

Alteration in plan as of 3/21/2012: I will now count the BBC The Big Read Top 200. Because reading only from the 1001 list doesn't provide enough variety.

i. I Capture the Castle, by Dodie Smith (1/2/2012) The Big Read
ii. Winnie-the-Pooh, by A. A. Milne (1/28/12) The Big Read
III. One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel Garcia Marquez (2/5/2012) 1001 and The Big Read
IV. The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett (2/6/2012) The Big Read
V. Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens (2/7/2012) 1001 and The Big Read
VI. The Reader, Bernhard Schlink (2/14/2012) 1001
vii. Kim, Rudyard Kipling (3/20/2012) 1001 and The Big Read
VIII. David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens (4/17/2012) 1001 and The Big Read
IX. Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe (4/28/2012) 1001

8. History or Historical Fiction

Any fiction or non-fiction book which has a historical setting.

i. Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy, by Gary D. Schmidt (1/3/2012)--Fiction set in Maine 1911
ii. The Ring of Solomon, by Jonathan Stroud (1/13/2012)--Fiction set in Israel during the rule of King Solomon
iii. The Help, by Kathryn Stockett (1/14/2012)--Fiction set in Mississippi in the early 1960's
iv. The Great Fortune, by Olivia Manning (1/19/2012)--Fiction set in Romania during WWII outbreak.
v. The Emperor of All Maladies, by Siddhartha Mukherjee (1/25/2012)--History of medicine
VI. The Reader, Bernhard Schlink (2/14/2012)--WWII/Holocaust
VII. The Rock and the River, by Kekla Magoon (2/17/2012)--1960's Chicago
VIII. The Woman in Black, by Susan Hill (2/24/2012)
ix. The Surrender Tree, by Margarita Engle (3/5/2012)
x. The Kin, by Peter Dickenson (3/11/2012) Prehistoric
xi. The Land of the Silver Apples, by Nancy Farmer (3/27/2012) 790AD England
XII. Al Capone Does My Shirts, by Gennifer Choldenko (4/6/2012) 1935 Alcatraz
XIII. The Gnostic Gospels, by Elaine Pagels (4/24/2012). Early Christian History

10. Other

Anything that doesn't fit in my other categories. I will not double up on this one. It's my "any other fiction" list. I should probably add in any other non-fiction as well. :)

i. Iron House, by John Hart (1/9/2012) Mystery
ii. A History of the End of the World, by Jonathan Kirsch (3/10/2012) Eschatology
iii. Vampires, Burial, and Death, by Paul Barber (3/16/2012) Anthropology/Folklore
IV. Left Neglected, by Lisa Genova (4/22/2012) Contemporary

11. Award Winners

Specifically, I am interested in the Pulitzer, Newbery, Printz, Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, Bram Stoker, or Edgar Awards. I suppose I shall not include "honor" books, even though I feel that the difference in an "honor" and an "award" is pure luck of the voting-pool draw. Oh! And let's not forget the Nobel Prize!

Change as of 1/10/2012: I will include the honor books because I decided they should be honored. :)

i. Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy, by Gary D. Schmidt (1/3/2012) This book was both a Newbery and a Printz honor book in 2005.
ii. The Emperor of All Maladies, by Siddhartha Mukherjee (1/25/2012). Won the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction in 2011.
iii. Maniac Magee, Jerry Spinelli (1/30/2012). Won the Newbery Medal in 1991.
IV. One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel Garcia Marquez (2/5/2012). Marquez won the Nobel prize for literature in 1982.
V. Missing May, Cynthia Rylant (2/15/2012). Newbery Medal 1993.
VI. By Darkness Hid, by Jill Williamson (2/27/2012). Christy Award 2010.
vii. The Surrender Tree, by Margarita Engle (3/5/2012). Newbery Honor 2009.
viii. Kim, by Rudyard Kipling (3/20/2012). Kipling one the Nobel prize for literature in 1907.
ix. Columbine, by Dave Cullen (3/31/2012). This book won the Edgar Award for Fact Crime in 2010.
X. Al Capone Does My Shirts, by Gennifer Choldenko (4/6/2012). Newbery Honor book in 2005.
XI. The Speed of Dark, by Elizabeth Moon (4/11/2012). Nebula Award 2003.
XII. To Darkness Fled, by Jill Williamson (4/28/2012). Christy Award 2011.

12. International Fiction

Books originally written in a language other than English or books by AND about people from countries other than America, England, and Canada. Fiction or non-fiction accepted.

I. One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel Garcia Marquez (2/5/2012). Translated from the Spanish. Columbian author. Took place in Columbia.
II. The Complete Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi (2/7/2012). Translated from the French. Iranian author. Took place in Iran and Austria.
III. The Reader, by Bernhard Schlink (2/13/2012). Translated from the German. German writer. Took place in Germany.
iv. Dragon Rider, by Cornelia Funke (3/2/2012). Translated from the German.
v. The Surrender Tree, by Margarita Engle (3/5/2012). Written in English. Cuban American writer. Took place in Cuba.
VI. Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe (4/28/2012). Written in English. Nigerian Author. Took place in Nigeria.

I really feel like I'm cheating by listing books more than once. :( But it's the only way that I'll achieve a full 12X12. I must forgive myself!

9. Memoir and Biography

Woops! I forgot this one! :)

i. The Last Lecture, by Randy Pausch (1/4/2012). Memoir
ii. The Professor and the Madman, by Simon Winchester (1/24/2012). Biography of the makers of the OED.
iii. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot (1/27/2012). Biography of Henrietta Lacks as well as some history of medicine
IV. Catch Me if You Can, by Stan Redding (2/1/2012). Biography of Abagnale.
V. The Complete Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi (2/7/2012). Memoir
VI. Born on a Blue Day, by Daniel Tammet (4/22/2012). Memoir

Welcome to the challenge! Ridiculously overly-optimistic challenge are totally fine and so is the ability to change you mind and edit your challenge over the year. Your challenge, your rules!

You have some categories I will be interested in following such as your Speculative Fiction, Science, Award Winners and International Fiction categories. Have fun, good luck and happy reading!

Thanks for the encouragement lkernagh!

2012 Book 1: I Capture the Castle, by Dodie Smith (1/2/2012)

I Capture the Castle has been sitting on my to-read pile for years…ever since my aunt gave me a copy and told me I’d love it. She was right! It is a sweet (and a little silly) coming-of-age story about a girl, Cassandra, who lives in poverty in a dilapidated castle with her eccentric family. She wants to live in a 50/50 mix of a Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte novel, so you can guess how the story progresses when a rich family moves in nearby! I’m happy that I took time to read this gem. I gave it 4/5 stars.

I read I Capture the Castle last year and absolutely loved it!

I found you! Welcome to the group! You have some interesting categories. And you are not cheating. I should do that too with my books because there is no way I will read 12 books for each category. I just like to challenge myself.

Thanks Monica! I love to challenge myself, but I wanted to be realistic too. :) I shouldn't have any trouble reading 144 books, I'm just concerned that I won't read 144 books in 12 different categories. This way, I'll certainly have many more than 12 books in some of my categories.

I seriously doubt that I will reach 144 books. I set my categories as maximums instead of goals so that I read a greater variety of books. I Capture the Castle sound positively charming.

I somehow mix up I Capture the Castle and We Have Always Lived in the Castle. I really need to read both so that I stop that - they seem very different indeed. :)

I might just have to read I Capture the Castle. My name is Cassandra!

Eva, they are indeed very different books! Though I haven't had the chance to read We Have Always Lived in the Castle. I like Shirley Jackson!

2012 Book 2:Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy, by Gary D. Schmidt (1/3/2012)

Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy is a children’s historical novel about a minister’s son who must confront narrow-mindedness in the townspeople and even his own father when his family moves to a small town in Maine. This book gives a “realistic” look at how blinded people can be by their own prejudices. I listened to it as an audiobook, and found myself in the awkward position of tearing up in public while I was listening to it on a walk. Luckily I pretended it was the sharp winter air that was giving me the sniffles. This book’s reading level is appropriate for perhaps 5th graders, but the content is a bit mature. I hated depressing books when I was that age! I gave this book 3.5/5 stars (it lost half a star for making me cry!)

Cassandra--I love reading books with my name in them, too. Although Rachel might be more easily found.

2012 Book 3: The Last Lecture, by Randy Pausch (1/4/2012)

When Randy Pausch found out that he had terminal cancer and only a few months to live, he decided to give a “last lecture” providing insightful life advice about achieving goals and remaining optimistic. Everyone I have spoken to about this book absolutely loved it. Indeed, I found it very inspirational. He seems to have achieved all of his childhood dreams and managed to remain optimistic when he only had a few months left to live. However, it fell a bit short for me because his goals were so very different than my own. He was a self-proclaimed workaholic—ALL of his achieved goals were career driven. Apparently despite the wishes of his wife, he decided to spend a lot of time during his final months preparing this final high-impact lecture. The lecture was indeed a success. Good for him—clearly it was something he needed to do. But I hope I am never so focused on my career that I would spend the final months of my life working instead of spending time with my family and loved ones. Perhaps I am just pessimistic, but I seem to be the only one who found his story outwardly inspiring, but for the wrong reasons. I gave this book 3.5/5 stars.

2012 Book 4: A Swiftly Tilting Planet, by Madeleine L'Engle (1/4/2012)

This is the only book in the original Time Quartet that I hadn’t yet read. I read all of the others when I was a child, but when I picked up A Swiftly Tilting Planet I couldn’t get in to it. So I set it aside and there it sat on my bookshelf for 20 years. This time around I didn’t give up so easily, but I still found it a little disappointing. It was cute, certainly, but there was more preach than plot. Also, I admit that I was a little irked about the glorious Importantness of the Murray family. They all had multiple doctoral degrees, won the Nobel Prize, and/or had chatsies with the President on a regular basis. The same story could have been told without making them all academically Important. But then, maybe I’m just jealous that I only have one PhD, no Nobel Prize, and I’ve never spoken with the President. :) 3/5 stars.

Hi Rachel,

I saw you joined the Xenophon challenge so am checking in here.

Re: classics - I think you do have to define it for yourself or you'll make yourself crazy. I have a category in my challenge for really, really old classics, which I define as BC or close to it (Xenophon is #1.....). And then there's classic SF (like, mid-20th c).

Re: 1001 Books - we've read about the same number, so not to despair. I've been going through the book and already can see some I have no intention of reading (I'd say de Sade, but already done that, unfortunately). I'd like to think I'd read them all, but - nah.

Ah, go ahead and count the honor books too. The decision that makes one book the winner and another the honor book must often be a coin flip. As for classics, I've been tempted to define them as "older than me" since that would make the books 40 years older or more, but I didn't want to get into a debate about whose "older" is more classic or less classic than my "older." ;) & I see you've hit the Printz awards. !!! I love most of those books!

Getting caught up here and see you are making great progress with your challenge - 4 books read! I Capture the Castle and The Last lecture are two books on my radar screen for reading. Thanks for the reminder with your reviews!

@ 26 -- I'm not really sure why, but when I was younger, I hated my name. Absolutely despised it. I would always complain to my mom that it sounded like the name of some snippy, pompous twat. I have grown to love it though.

There are plenty of Cassandra's in books, given the classical connection. I've wanted to read Kassandra by Christa Wolf for a while, but I don't have an English copy, and my German is not up to the original. (yet - one day, hopefully, I'll be able to read it)

Can't think of many David's in fiction, the fact that it is a common name seems to mitigate against its use. (the main character in The Angel's Game is a David)

I have a friend named Errol who complains he's only ever found his name once: as a rather clumsy owl in a young adult fantasy series. ;) I've been looking for his name for years now.

@31 It's easy to read 4 books when they're so short! I'm working on One Hundred Years of Solitude now, and I'm pretty sure that will take a while! I also have a bad habit of reading many books at once. :)

@30 Yeah, maybe I should count the honor books. I often find that I like the honor books better than the award book for certain years...it's very arbitrary once they've narrowed it down so far! I considered "older than me" for my definition as well, but it doesn't seem right to include books written in the 1970's as classics. :) I'm thinking of changing my definition to pre-1950.

>34 The_Hibernator: Errol is the surname of the boy in Little Lord Fauntleroy.

haha, thanks casvelyn. I'll have to tell my friend that!

Not a problem. I just read it last week, so it's fresh in my mind.

@ 34 -- Plus there's always Errol Flynn!

A Swashbuckler with a capital "S"!

If that doesn't give credit to the name Errol, I don't know what would!

2012 Book 5: Iron House, by John Hart (1/9/2012)

Iron House is a beautifully written mystery/suspense novel that delves into the psychological effects of a childhood of violence and abuse. Michael is an orphan who, after running away from a violent scene at an orphanage, grows up to be an enforcer for a powerful mobster. When he falls in love with a beautiful waitress and retires from organized crime, he is suddenly thrown into a violent mystery leading him to explore things he had left behind. Despite my need to suspend disbelief a few times (and to frown upon a few clichés), I feel that Hart kept up the action (and mystery) throughout the book, making for an engaging read. This is an excellent book for people who enjoy mystery/thrillers (assuming they don’t mind violence). I gave the book 3.5/5 stars…it lost points for violence and small clichés.

2012 Book 6: The Golden Tree, by Kathryn Lasky (1/9/2012)

The Golden Tree is the 12th book of the Guardians of Ga’hoole series, which I have been reading for years (long before the movie covering the first three books came out). In this book, the new king Coryn explores his identity as the possible son of a hagsfiend (an evil owl-witch). He leaves with Soren and the Band for a short adventure to distract himself from his woes, but finds more than he’d bargained for. In addition, he’s left the ember back in the Tree under the care of owls with weaker personalities than himself—leading to self-absorbed ember worship (almost akin to a criticism of organized religion?). I can’t say that this book is as good as the first 6 (which could have been a complete series in themselves), but it was cute enough. This series has a 3 book detour in the middle, and this is the first book that picks up where the story left off. Much of the book was spent reminding the reader of things that occurred before the detour, and I think that subtracted from the normal action of these books. Therefore, I only gave it 3/5 stars. However, I am curious how the story will proceed, as the series seems to have started out with themes of Cute Kids against Naughty Bad Guys (book 1), progressed to Valiant Knights against Evil Racists (books 2-8), detoured to Good vs. Evil (books 9-11), and now seems to be entering Inward-Strength vs. Inward Weakness. What next?

2012 Book 7: The Ring of Solomon, by Jonathan Stroud (1/13/2012)

This is the prequel to the Bartimaeus trilogy (which I loved). It could function as a stand-alone book, though I highly recommend the original trilogy too. Bartimaeus is a begrudgingly good-hearted, wise-cracking djinni who is always saving the world from careless humans and their naughty demons. In The Ring of Solomon, Bartimaeus is summoned to serve for an evil wizard under the rule of the powerful King Solomon of Israel. While serving, he encounters a young assassin who is hell-bent on killing Solomon and stealing his powerful ring (in service of her country Sheba). Delightful confusion ensues. These books are funny, witty, cute, and adventurous. I love Bartimaeus’ silly footnotes where he inserts amusing “historical” points. 5/5 stars

2012 Book 8: The Help, by Kathryn Stockett (1/14/2012)

The Help was a well-written novel with an engaging (and endearing) story. Skeeter, a young Southern belle just returned home from college decides to cross racial boundaries and write a controversial book about how difficult it is being an African American maid in a white household in Mississippi. She doesn’t realize when she starts just how dangerous such a book could be. I think this book has an excellent theme (anti-racism and the pettiness of Southern White women in the 1960’s). However, it is very difficult to write a book about racism without making the defining feature of every character his or her race. This problem leads to excessive racial stereotyping—which is a pretty serious issue in this book. (The racial stereotyping applies to both whites and African Americans in this situation). Despite this problem, however, I think the book is worth reading for the sake of the story. 4/5 stars

Good review of The Help. I read it last year and felt the book was bound to generate like/dislike for various readers based on how the issues and the characters were portrayed. I was not impressed with half of the characters but came away feeling it was still worth reading.

Yeah, well, with an emotionally charged issue like race it is near impossible to write about it without insulting SOMEBODY. I'm waiting for that ahead-of-the-times writer who is able to write a novel about such an issue without including stereotypes--but I'm not sure it's even possible.

I'm glad you like the Bartimaeus books. I loved the series, too (once I started ignoring the obnoxious wizard)

>49 mamzel: :) I thought the wizard in the first three books was a bit obnoxious too. But the story's clever and enjoyable regardless!

2012 Book 9: A Little Princess, by Frances Hodgson Burnett (1/18/2012)

A Little Princess is a classic story of a rich little girl who is put under the care of a bitter, selfish schoolhouse matron. At first, the girl is treated as a star pupil; but when her father dies a ruined man, she is cruelly forced to become a servant of the schoolhouse—but her sweet, vibrant nature keeps her alive during these hard times. I have seen quite a few movie adaptations, but the book is much better than the movies. This is a good book for people of all ages to read. 4/5 stars.

2012 Book 10: The Great Fortune, by Olivia Manning (1/19/2012)

The Great Fortune is the story of Harriet, a young British woman who must learn to know her new husband while thrown into the strange setting of WWII Romania. The characterization on this novel was fantastic—I really felt like I knew all of the characters intimately. However, I can’t really say what the plot was about. It was a very character/setting-centric novel. The writing is superb, but I tend to prefer a little more plot development; therefore, this book gets only 3/5 stars.

I was surprised in how different the little princess was from the movie adaptation, but I remember really enjoying it.

>53 bookwormjules: I think I've seen three movie adaptations. Two of them were completely different, but the 1995 version kept fairly accurate till the end. I guess Hollywood doesn't like the way the book ends. :)

2012 Book 11: The Professor and the Madman, by Simon Winchester (1/24/2012).

The Professor and the Madman is about the making of the Oxford English Dictionary, and the “dangerous lunatic” that was a major contributor of entries to the dictionary. It was a fascinating narrative—well told with an interesting and educational topic. I think there were parts where Winchester waxed a bit dramatic or put in theories based upon conjecture rather than fact…but that is what journalists do, after all. :) Quite worth the read. 4.5/5 stars.

2012 Book 12: The Emperor of All Maladies, by Siddhartha Mukherjee (1/25/2012).

The Emperor of All Maladies is a sweeping “biography” of cancer covering archeological/ancient history to present-day. It is very well-informed, well written, and thorough. Definitely worth a read for anyone who is interested in the history of cancer or medicine. Well-deserving of the Pulitzer Prize it won in 2011. I think it was written with the popular reader in mind (he DOES tell us what DNA is at the beginning of the book), but the book quickly delves into terminology and topics that I suspect would be very heavy to someone who doesn’t already know a little about biology/medicine. This is especially true in the second half of the book. Mukherjee also is SO thorough that the book becomes extremely long, which is difficult for those of us with a short attention span. Also, I got great amusement out of his formulaically inserted personal patient pieces. It was good that he had them (they broke up the difficult scientific passages) but I could tell that they were written by a scientist and not a journalist (i.e. they were comprised of literal rather than emotive descriptions). Being a scientist myself, this made me chuckle (alas! an emotion). However, I think the personal patient pieces were interesting and elicited enough emotion to engage the readers. They worked for me, anyway. 4/5 stars.

Ah! The month is almost to an end and I have not read anything that fits in the "1001 books" or "International Fiction" categories. I'll have to play catch-up in February, I guess!

I've been eying that biography of cancer in the bookshop last couple of times I've been there, when eventually I feel I can go back in ill eye it up again, good review

Two interesting non-fiction reviews! They were both on my radar and I appreciate knowing a little more about them.

>59 japaul22: And they are both worth reading! Professor and the Madman is a much lighter read, and I got through it quite quickly!

I was told that I should read Emperor of All Maladies but I'm wondering after your review if it will be too chewy for me. I like my nonfiction breezy.

>61 Morphidae: Emperor of All Maladies is an excellent book, but you might want to pick it up in a book store/library and page through it a bit to see if it's too heavy. It is very information-dense. (But the information is interesting!)

2012 Book 13: The Chair, by James L. Rubart (1/26/2012)

Corin Roscoe, depressed thrill-seeker and owner of an economically-challenged antique shop, is confused and mildly annoyed when an old lady unexpectedly dumps an antique chair on him—a chair made by the “best carpenter to ever live.” His life dissolves into turmoil as he explores the meaning of the chair. Meanwhile, naughty people seek the power of the chair. This is a suspense novel in the Christian Fiction genre; however, I was never in very much suspense. Critiqued as a suspense novel, there’s not much to it. Critiqued as contemporary Christian Fiction, however, I think it was pretty good. It had an excellent message without much preaching, and it had realistic characters. I would recommend "The Chair" to people who enjoy Christian fiction, but don’t mind a small amount of violence or imperfect characters (i.e. those who drink alcohol and swear (as in “Corin swore,” not actual swear words)). My star rating is based on a Christian Fiction critique, but it loses points for a few typos in the digital version—I think it’s disrespectful to readers to not carefully proof-read before publication. 3.5/5 stars

2012 Book 14: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot (1/27/2012)

Wow, this was an awesome book! It discusses the life of Henrietta Lacks, the donor of the tumor that was used to develop the immortalized cell line HeLa. The narrative alternates between the story of Henrietta’s family and a scientific discussion of the HeLa’s huge contribution to modern medicine. This is by far the most human story of science/medicine I’ve ever read. Everyone should read it! Additionally, the audiobook won the Audie Award because of its excellent performance. 5/5 stars.

I've read about HeLa but didn't know about this book, instantly adding to my WL!

I have seen nothing but rave reviews for The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, and I can't resist anymore, I am adding this to my wishlist as well.

2012 Book 15: Deeper, by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams (1/28/2012)

Disclaimer: I only got 200 pages into this book before I gave up. After reading Tunnels, the first book in the series, I decided not to continue; however, I often forget why I make these decisions, so I went ahead and tried Deeper. From the reviews posted on this book, I gather that quite a few people liked Deeper. I found all of the main characters unlikable except the protagonist, Will, who I found rather blah. I couldn’t get myself to care what happened to Will…and the plot wasn’t exciting enough for me to put up with all the annoying characters. But maybe that’s just me. :) 2/5 stars

I've also only heard rave reviews about Henrietta Lacks, so it's going on my wishlist as well.

Glad to see good reviews for both Emperor of Maladies and Henrietta Lacks -both are on my candidates list for my biology category..... looks like they will continue as candidates to fill the category! ;-)

Just catching up with all your great reviews. I will have to pick up The Emperor of All Maladies. Sounds like a very interesting read, and I need more candidates for my non-fiction category.

2012 Book 16: Winne-the-Pooh, by A. A. Milne (1/28/2012)

2012 Book 17: The House at Pooh Corner, by A. A. Milne (1/30/2012)

I admit that this is the first time I’ve read either of these books. The combined Winnie-the-Pooh stories were very cute and enjoyable. I’m guessing they are meant to be read aloud to young children. From the cartoons when I was a kid, I remember really loving Eeyore, but found him to be much grumpier than I expected in the books. But children often see things in books that adults don’t, so what can I say. 4/5 stars

I’m on a quest to read all the books that I should have read when I was a kid, and didn’t because I was too busy being “grown up,” hehe. I’ve still got to finish the Narnia series and read any of the Oz books, to name a few. This will probably take me a while! If anyone has suggestions about books I ought to have read as a child, let me know so that I remember to read them all. :)

2012 Book 18: Calculating God, by Robert J. Sawyer (1/29/2012)

An alien lands in Toronto with hopes of studying the ROM’s fossil collection; meanwhile she provides “scientific evidence” for the existence of God. This book had a good idea with poor execution. Sawyer completely ignored the “show-don’t-tell” rule of novel-writing. The book is a clod of sci-religious dialog decorated with a thin veneer of plot. The scientific evidence consisted of debates about: 1)What are the odds? and 2) Where did altruistic behavior come from? Neither argument is fresh, but it’s interesting to have it all thrown into the mouth of an alien (who is also using facts that only the fictional aliens know to support her pro-God arguments). The second argument falls flat since cooperative behavior (i.e. “altruism” as Sawyer was defining it) has evolved in more than just humans. Also, Sawyer adds a short punt about abortion. Although I completely agree with his point of view, I don’t read novels to get a lecture on these views. SHOW-don’t-tell!!!! On the other hand, this book won the Audie award, which means it had a fantastic performance—which I enjoyed on a long car trip I just took. That made the book worth it for me. 3/5 stars

2012 Book 19: Prince Caspian, by C. S. Lewis (1/30/2012)

Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy return to Narnia centuries after their departure to help Prince Caspian wrest the kingdom out of the hands of his tyrant uncle. A very cute story with a wonderful moral. I look forward to reading the rest of the series. I’m reading them in publication order, so this is the second book. 5/5 stars

Another attempt at reading some of the books I should have read as a child.

Ok, now that I've finished all that I will finish in January, and I know what categories I'm behind in (1001 and International Fiction), I have made an ambitious plan for February. I have been unemployed since January 13th, so I had a lot of free time last month—hopefully I won’t have as much free time in February! (fingers crossed)

1. Catch me if you Can, by Stan Redding. This is the biography/autobiography of Frank W. Abagnale, a con-artist-turned-fed. I liked the movie. I'll count this as memoir (although it probably isn't really). COMPLETE (2/1/2012)
2. Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens. Group read! Categories: 1001 and Classics COMPLETE (2/7/2012)
3. Physics of the Impossible, by Michio Kaku. Categories: Science COMPLETE (2/7/2012)
4. The Reader, by Bernhard Schlink. Holocaust literature. Categories: 1001, International Fiction, and Historical Fiction. COMPLETE (2/13/2012)
5. The Rock and the River, by Kekla Magoon. A young adult book about the Black Panthers Categories: YA, Historical Fiction COMPLETE (2/17/2012)
6. Missing May, by Cynthia Rylant. A Newbery Medal winner about grief. (Newbery judges are big fans of grief.) Categories: YA, Award Winners COMPLETE (2/15/2012)
7. One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Magical realism taking place in Columbia. Categories: 1001, Speculative Fiction, International Fiction, Suggested Books, Award winners. COMPLETE (2/5/2012)
8. The Complete Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi. A graphic memoir about a teenaged girl growing up in Iran. Categories: YA, Memoir, International Fiction COMPLETE (2/72012)
9. The Secret Garden , by Frances Hodgeson Burnett. Should have read this as a child. Categories: YA, Classics COMPLETE (2/6/2012)

Additions as of February 12, 2012

10. The Genesis of Science, by James Hannam. Group read with 75ers. Categories: Science, History COMPLETE (2/21/2012)
11. The Eyre Affair, by Jasper Fforde. 12 in 12 Fforde February. COMPLETE 2/12/2012
12. The Voyage of QV66, by Penelope Lively. Categories: Children's, Speculative Fiction COMPLETE (2/13/2012)
13. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, by C.S. Lewis. Categories: Children's, Speculative Fiction, Inspirational, Classics COMPLETE (2/15/2012)
14. The Spiritual Brain, Mario Beuregard. Categories: Science/Medicine, Inspirational COMPLETE (2/24/2012)
15. Lost in a Good Book, by Jasper Fforde. Categories: Speculative Fiction COMPLETE (2/19/2012)
16. The Silver Chair, C. S. Lewis. Categories: Young Adult, Speculative Fiction, Inspirational, Classics COMPLETE (2/26/2012)
17. The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins. Categories: Young Adult, Speculative Fiction, Books People Asked Me to Read COMPLETE (2/21/2012)
18. The Woman in Black, by Susan Hill COMPLETE (2/24/2012)
19. Preface to Paradise Lost, by C. S. Lewis. I'm interested in studying Milton right now, so I thought I'd read some of the important literary criticisms. Category: ClassicsCOMPLETE (2/29/2012)
20. Dragon Rider, by Cornelia Funke. Categories: Young Adult, Speculative Fiction, International Fiction IN PROGRESS
21. By Darkness Hid, by Jill Williamson. Categories: Young Adult, Speculative Fiction, Spirituality COMPLETE (2/27/2012)
22. Before I Fall, by Lauren Oliver. Categories: Young Adult, Speculative Fiction, Spirituality COMPLETE (2/28/2012)
23. Shadows: Book of Aleth, by Michael Duncan. Categories: Inspriational, Speculative Fiction IN PROGRESS

Also in progress but not to finish in February:

*The Landmark Xenophon's Hellenika, by Xenophon. 12 in 12 year-long group read. Categories: History, Classics IN PROGRESS
*Don Quixote, by Miguel de Cervantes. 12 in 12 year-long group-read. Categories: Classics, 1001, International IN PROGRESS
*The Book of Mormon, by Joseph Smith. Categories: Inspirational, Classics, Books people asked me to read, History or Historical Fiction IN PROGRESS

Great month of reading in January, with a very impressive reading list of February. Here is hoping for good news on the employment front!

Thanks Lori! I think February will be a good month. :)

Great list for February! I've read a few and a few are on my wishlist, so looking forward to hearing what you think. Also keeping my fingers Xed for you jobwise!

Great list for February, and good luck with the job search!

Thanks for the luck Eva and Paulina. :)

Woops! Forgot this book. I finished it in January, too.



2012 Book 20: Maniac Magee, by Jerry Spinelli (1/30/2012)

When homeless runaway Jeffrey “Maniac” Magee arrives in the highly segregated town of Two Mills he meets Amanda Bealle, an African American girl who shares his love of reading. Soon, Maniac Magee moves in with the Bealles, enraging racial tensions among their African American neighbors. He ends up sleeping on the streets, or sometimes with other down-and-outs, all the while amazing everyone with his friendly nature, athletic feats, and complete color-blindness. Maniac Magee’s story is engaging not only because of the positive social theme, but also because of the delightful prose and wonderful characters. A wonderful book for kids around the age of 9-12, I’d say. 5/5 stars

Because everyone else is doing this, I will too. It's like the bridge. Don't think, just jump. ;)

January Summary:

20 Books read

Favorite Fiction: The Ring of Solomon, by Jonathan Stroud
Favorite Nonfiction: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot

Categories (remember that I include each book in every category that it fits in!)
1. Young Adult/Childrens: 9
2. Speculative Fiction: 4
3. Science and Medicine: 2
4. Spirituality/Inspirational: 7
5. Classics: 5 (but all of them are YA/children's books! haha)
6. Books People Asked Me to Read: 5
7. 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die: 0
8. History or Historical Fiction: 7
9. Memoir: 1
10. Other: 1
11. Award Winners: 3 (Consisting of a Newbery Medal, a Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction, a Newbery Honor, and a Printz Honor.
12. International Fiction: 0

2012 Book 21: Catch Me if you Can, by Stan Redding (2/1/2012)

This is the autobiography of Frank Abagnale, Jr. a con-man and counterfeiter who made millions passing fraudulent checks all around the world and, meanwhile, posed successfully as a Pan Am pilot, a pediatrician, and a lawyer. I enjoyed the movie based on this book so I hoped the book would be better. Although the book certainly provided more information about the scams and how he got away with it, Abagnale himself was much less charming in the book. He was too much of a womanizer and a…well…con-man. Emotions weren’t expressed (other than relief at escaping one or another of his women), making it difficult to empathize with him. Also, the adult Abagnale (who took part in writing the book) didn’t seem to feel much remorse about his activities. He rationalized: “I never conned a square John out of money,” but ignores the emotional strain that he must have put on many of his victims. Also, I am a little skeptical of the “true” part of this “true crime” story. I believe that the basic idea is true, but there were just too many convenient coincidences for his story to be entirely accurate. He must have taken bits and pieces of different escapades and pasted them together into a unified story, and over-emphasized his own cleverness. Clearly, he’s a genius, but I still would have liked a little more “oops, that was stupid” in his story. It would have humanized him. Not even a genius can be clever all the time! 3/5 stars

I really liked the movie too. It was such fun! I didn't know there was a book about it though it seems like it's one I'll avoid.

>83 Morphidae: Well, plenty of people seem to like Catch Me if you Can. I don't tend to like people who are manipulative and deceptive. I guess I expected him to be charming like in the movie!

Looks like you had a great January! I'm thinking that I really should read some Jerry Spinelli, especially after seeing your review. Both my kids like his books and we have several on our shelves, but for some reason, I've never gotten around to picking one up.

Hi, Rachel! Thanks for stopping by my thread this evening. You've done some great reading so far, and your plan for February looks impressive.

I, too, was very impressed with The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.

BTW, I like your profile picture -- looks like I feel waking up in the morning after staying up till 3 a.m. with a book I can't put down. ;-)

*Thanks Paulina! That's the first Jerry Spinelli book that I've read, but it was really good and it looks like he's written quite a few more that look interesting. I'll certainly keep an eye out for him!

*Terri: Yeah, I feel that way in the morning sometimes too. :) But I put it up there because I used to study bears (while working on my PhD) and I'm rather fond of them. I like my grumpy-bear picture, too.

2012 Book 22: One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (2/5/2012)

Categories: Speculative Fiction, Books People Asked Me to Read, 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die, Award Winners, International

Reason for Reading: Mainly because it's one of my boyfriend's favorite books, but it's a good book to have on my "read" pile!

My Review: 4/5 stars
One Hundred Years of Solitude chronicles 100 years of a family (of Buendia) and a village (city) that the “first of the family line” founded. The prose is lyrical and flows as smoothly as a river. That is, sometimes there are rapids and other times calm. The genre is magical realism, and it is fascinating watching the magic evolve with the family and village. After finishing this book, I’m not 100% certain what Marquez meant by it, though. It has anti-war and anti-oppressive-regime themes, but there’s something more that I haven’t quite put my finger on yet. I may need to re-read it after letting it settle for a while.

I read One Hundred Years of Solitude a few years ago. I enjoyed it, but not as much as you. The author was a talented author, and I agree with you, almost lyrical prose. Good review.

Julie: I struggled with the last half of One Hundred Years of Solitude, to tell you the truth. All the characters had the same name and it got a bit confusing. The deeper meaning was a little esoteric, and it wasn't really a plot-based book so much as a deeper-meaning based book. But I expected that when I started, so I wasn't disappointed! That makes a difference, I think.

2012 Book 23: The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgeson Burnett (2/5/2012)

Categories: Young Adult, Classics

Reason for reading: Working on reading some of the classics that I should have read when I was a child but never got to (despite my parent's encouragement).

My Review: 4/5 stars
10-year-old Mary was being raised as an emotionally neglected, but very spoiled, brat in colonial India when she is suddenly orphaned by a cholera epidemic. She is sent to the house of a rich uncle in England, where she is ignored. Despite these tragic events, Mary somehow manages to make friends, and discover the magic of nature, for the first time in her life. This was an adorable book, though greatly contrasted from A Little Princess, in which the main character was sweet and lovable all the way through. I hadn’t thought I’d seen the movie when I read this book, but clearly I have since I knew the story too well. I will have to re-watch the movie now.

2012 Book 24: The Complete Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi (2/7/2012)

Categories: Memoir, International

Reason for reading: I wanted to read a YA book with Muslims in it, though this turned out to be neither YA nor to have very much about the Muslim faith. But it was still enjoyable.

Personal note: I am currently reading The Landmark Xenophon's Hellenika and I keep coming across the word "satrap," which is the title of a governor of a provence in ancient Persia. So it was very amusing to me to come across the modern Persian name Satrapi. I feel like I've made a connection. :)

My Review: 4/5 stars
Persepolis is a graphic memoir about Marjane Satrapi, a young “modernized” girl growing up in Iran during the Islamic revolution. Due to the trials of being an outspoken modern girl in this oppressive regime, she must leave her family and live alone in Austria to finish her education. There, she loses herself before finally coming to terms with her own identity. It was a heartbreaking memoir. The story and art were very dark, but humorous as well. I thought this book would be for young adults, but feel it would appropriate only for a VERY mature teenager. It has topics such as torture, rape, violence, and drugs. It was very educational about the revolutionary regime, though I don’t know how biased it is.

2012 Book 25: Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens (2/7/2012)

Categories: Classics, 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die

Reason for Reading: 12 in 12 Group Read

My Review: 4/5 stars
A blacksmith’s apprentice, Pip, is chosen by an unknown benefactor to become a gentleman because he has “great expectations.” Pip’s outlook on life changes as he develops into a gentleman, falls in love, and realizes how important family and friends are. The characterization in this book is fantastic (as is usual for Dickens), and the story has some deeply moving parts. However, it’s not my favorite Dickens novel. I’m not sure why this seems to be one of his most popular. But it was certainly enjoyable!

#92 - I'm glad you enjoyed The Complete Persepolis. I plan to read Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood this year. (Is that different? I'm confused.)

The Complete Persepolis is all four books in one collection. I think that Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood is the first two books--just her childhood in Iran, but not including her time in Austria.

2012 Book 26:The Eyre Affair, by Jasper Fforde (2/12/2012)

Categories: Speculative Fiction

Reason for Reading: 12 in 12 Fforde February

My Review: 5/5 stars
SpecOps officer Thursday Next is swept away into a dangerous mystery when Jane Eyre is kidnapped. She has to literally jump into the story in order to rescue Miss Eyre. This book has hilarious British humor and word play. Its alternative universe setting is creative and fun. And I love books with so many references to literature. This book is awesome, and I can’t wait to start the second in the series. I hear they only get better.

2012 Book 27: Physics of the Impossible, by Michio Kaku (2/12/2012)

Categories: Science and Medicine

Reason for Reading: Because it was there

My Review: 3.5/5 stars
Physics of the impossible explores common themes in science fiction, and explains in simplified physics whether such things are possible soon, or far in the future. Kaku has an engaging writing style, and his physics is basic enough that most popular readers would be able to follow. However, I don’t think people who follow physics regularly would enjoy the simplified science. I enjoyed this book, though I have one major complaint: Kaku would give examples of science fiction phenomena from popular novels. Apparently assuming that everyone has read all of these books, he almost always tells the ending of the book. I hadn’t read several of these books and was quite annoyed since telling the end of the book did not add any merit to his own arguments. The book lost star-points because of this problem.

>97 The_Hibernator: Wow, that's a major drawback to Physics of the Impossible! It sounded kind of tempting till that point.

>98 auntmarge64: Yeah, I have no idea why he would have done that...it didn't help his argument at all! And he tended to do it for the books that had shock-value endings, too. Otherwise the book was pretty interesting.

2012 Book 28: The Voyage of QV66, by Penelope Lively (2/13/2012)

Categories: Young Adult, Speculative Fiction

Reason for Reading: I bought this book at a library booksale years ago and it's been sitting on my shelves ever since. I'm really glad I dusted it off and tried it out.

My Review 4/5 stars
In a post-apocalyptic world devoid of humans, 7 talking animals unite for a quest to London where they wish to discover the identity of one of their friends. On the way, they meet quite a few interesting animals and exciting adventures. This is an adorable book appropriate for pre-pubescent children, with a reading level of perhaps a 10 year old. It is also quite enjoyable for adults who like children’s lit. I wish it were still in print!

2012 Book 29: The Reader, by Bernhard Schlink (2/14/2012)

Categories: 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die, Historical Fiction, International Fiction

Reason for Reading: Filled in a 1001 Books and an International Fiction slot in my 12 in 12 challenge (and it was nice and short)

My Review 3.5/5 stars
15-year old Michael has a love affair with an older woman, who then disappears leaving him with uneasy feelings of guilt and abandonment. Years later, he discovers that she was a guard at Nazi concentration camps. While he attends her trial, and in the years following, Michael explores what it means to love someone who has done terrible things. For me, this was a new way to view the Holocaust, and so the story was very interesting. However, it’s not the type of book I generally enjoy, so this is the only reason I gave it a lower rating. I think it’s a very well written and thought-provoking book.

2012 Book 30: Missing May, by Cynthia Rylant (2/15/2012)

Categories: Young Adult, Award Winners

Reason for Reading: I enjoy reading Newbery Medal winners sometimes (and it was nice and short)

My Review 3.5/5 stars
After the death of her aunt May, Summer must deal with her own grief as well as the ensuing depression of her bereaved uncle. Short, cute book about dealing with death. Nothing amazing. I think Newbery judges just really like books about grief.

Just catching up with your reviews. Looks like you had a good reading week. Thanks for the warning about Physics of the Impossible.

2012 Book 31: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, by C. S. Lewis (2/15/2012)

Categories: Young Adult, Speculative Fiction, Spirituality, Classics

Reason for Reading: Trying to read some of the classic children's books that I ought to have read when I was a child.

My Review 5/5 stars
Edmund, Lucy, and their insipid cousin Eustace go on a Narnian adventure with King Caspian to find the end of the world (and the border of Aslan’s land). Many adventures ensue. Most enjoyable. :)

Thanks for stopping by Paulina! If you don't like spoilers you should definitely avoid Physics of the Impossible!

Rachel, I recently read a children's book dealing with death that surprised me with its story. It's called Defiance by Valerie Hobbs. If you can stand one more, you might give this one a try. Have a box of tissues handy. It didn't win any awards (that I'm aware of) but maybe should have.

Good review for The Reader. I watched the movie last year and while I found it to be a rather powerful cinematic presentation, I wasn't motivated to read the book after.

I agree. The Newberry judges love books about grief. Sometimes I wonder if a dead relie isn't a requirement for notable Middle Grade fiction. After my own mother died, I quit reading MG fiction for awhile because I just didn't want another sweet story about grief. Missing May was sweet though, and for me, not so much about grief as about forming new relationships.

Mamzel: Thanks for the recommendation. I'll have to check that one out.

Lori: I've never seen the movie. I enjoyed the book but I'm not particularly motivated to see the movie. :)

Katie: When I was younger I would avoid books where I thought a character (or pet) was going to die at the end. I never understood at that age why all these books had to be so depressing! I was forced to read a few in school, regardless. ;)

2012 Book 32: The Rock and the River, by Kekla Magoon (2/17/2012)

Categories: Young Adult, Inspirational, Historical Fiction

Reason for Reading: It was there

My Review: 4.5/5 stars
Sam is an African American boy who comes of age in 1960’s Chicago. He is torn between the peaceful civil rights protests of his father and the Black Panther action of his older brother. This book is heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time. Well written books about racism generally piss me off, and this book had my emotions thoroughly engaged. The performance on the audiobook was also fantastic—the reader emotionally charged his voice at just the right levels at just the right times. I would recommend this book for older teens, but it should be screened before given to younger people. There is some realistic violence.

2012 Book 33: Lost in a Good Book, by Jasper Fforde (2/19/2012)

Categories: Speculative Fiction

Reason for Reading: 12 in 12 Fforde February

My Review: 4/5 stars
This is the second book in the Thursday Next series, and is every bit as good as the first. In Lost in a Good Book, Thursday Next must save the world while trying to rescue her eradicated husband Landen. Fforde’s writing is humorous, making for a quick, light read. Several reviewers said this book is darker than the first, which I suppose it is, though it never would have occurred to me. It has very little violence and given the nature of Fforde’s universe everything is reversible, so what does it matter if the attacks on Thursday are a little more personal in this book? I plan on reading the rest of the series, but I think I’ll take a break and clean the puns out of my brain before I start another one. Fforde’s humor is great, but I just can’t read punny humor continuously. :)

I tried to read a bunch of Thursday Next books in a row, but ended up giving up altogether for the reason you mention - I got "punned out" as well. I do want to finish the series eventually, though.

#111 - Hi Rachel - Nice review. I've never read him, but I'm not sure I like humor with my speculative fiction or sci fi. I have yet to read A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy for that reason.

2012 Book 34: The Genesis of Science, by James Hannam. (2/21/2012)

Categories: Science and Medicine, History

Reason for Reading: 75ers group read

My Review 3.5/5 stars
Hannam makes the argument that the development in philosophical thinking and study of the natural world in the middle ages is the cornerstone on which science was built during the later “scientific revolution” and that the role of the Catholic Church and medieval philosophy in the development of science is undervalued today. Hannam is a fantastic writer, in that he provides an engrossing history of the middle ages—especially providing interesting biosketches of the important philosophers of the time. Therefore, I recommend this book to popular readers of medieval history, history of science, or church history. However, Hannam’s book is not thorough enough to be considered a good academic history. He tends to provide the most interesting stories, ignoring the fact that some of his stories are controversial. Hannam also has a slightly defensive tone about the role of the Catholic Church during the middle ages. To most popular readers, I think the shortcomings of this book can be ignored, since it is a smooth and interesting read.

2012 Book 35: The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins (2/22/2012)

Categories: Young Adult, Speculative Fiction, Books People Asked Me to Read

Reason for Reading: My friend Shweta has been telling me to read this book for quite a while. Now, my friend Alicia insisted I read it so that we can go watch the movie together.

My Review 3/5 stars
In a post-apocalyptic country called Panem, The Capital takes two children as tributes from each of its 12 Districts for an annual reality-TV survival competition. The children must fight until there is only one survivor. I understand why this book is so popular. Collins is a fantastic writer—the plot was fast-moving, suspenseful, and creative; the characters were well-developed and likable. However, I did not like this book. The idea of kids being forced to murder kids for entertainment is disturbing and tasteless as far as I’m concerned. It didn’t work for me in Lord of the Flies and it didn’t work for me in The Hunger Games. I thought about continuing with the rest of the series, but it would appear from the reviews that the next two books are just as violent, so I guess I don’t see the point. I do really appreciate that it was very exciting and well-written though. I practically read it in one sitting despite my disgust at the premise. It deserves 1-2 stars for the premise and 4-5 stars for the writing, so I gave it 3.

Wow, you're on a reading streak! The Rock and the River sounds interesting.

Yeah, it helps that I listen to a lot of audiobooks while I'm driving, cleaning, exercising, whatever. I pump through a lot of books that I would probably never get to otherwise.

#115 & 117 - I also have a friend who really wants me to read the Hunger Games series, and I've been planning to read them this year. I'm completely dystopia-ed/post-apocalypic-ed out, so it may be a while. I should probably do it before all the movie hype gets really annoying though.

Kerri: I'm surprised that dystopias are so popular in YA lit right now. I get dystopia-ed out pretty easily because they always seem to have a "resistance is futile" message that gets predictable and depressing after a while. Granted, resistance can be shown to be futile in many a different way, but it still gets old! I'd like to read a dystopia where the nasty government is annihilated and everyone lives happily ever after. THAT would be a shock ending. ;)

Not that I know exactly how this trilogy ends--I've only read the first.

117: I'm with you there! Ever since I figured out how to download e-audiobooks from my local library onto my iPod, I've been getting through a lot more books than I used to. They're really great for long car trips.

#119 - That's a great point - they do all seem to be rather hopeless. I haven't read a lot of the YA ones, but the adult books typically follow the same pattern. However, I did like In the Country of Last Things a lot. It was actually one of my favorites last year.

Thanks Kerri, I'll check out In the Country of Last Things. I've never heard of it before, but I do like Paul Auster.

2012 Book 36: The Woman in Black, by Susan Hill (2/24/2012)

Categories: Speculative Fiction, Historical Fiction

Reason for Reading: Thought it would be interesting to read and see if I wanted to watch the movie afterwards (Which I probably won't for a while because none of my friends really seem excited to see it, and I am anti-drag-the-boyfriend-along.)

My Review: 3.5/5 stars
Arthur Kipps, a London solicitor, goes to a mysterious town for the funeral of a client. As he sorts through the deceased’s papers in her house, he realizes there is something spooky afoot. I was a big fan of ghost stories when I was a child, but this is the first I’ve read in a while. I was impressed by Hill’s ability to set a delightfully spooky mood—she’s very talented at descriptions and mood-settings. However, I guess I’m too rational to get spooked anymore. What a shame! I think it was a good book over all, even if the actual ghost’s story wasn’t particularly shocking at the end. Because it’s so short, it’s definitely worth a read just for the spooky mood setting.

2012 Book 37: The Spiritual Brain, by Mario Beauregard (2/24/2012)

Categories: Science and Medicine, Spirituality

Reason for Reading: I'm interested in science vs. medicine debates

My Review: 3/5 stars
Beauregard’s thesis is that mystical/spiritual experiences have effects on the brain that are too complex to be generalized down to a “God Gene,” a “God Switch,” or a section of the brain dedicated to religiosity. His evidence for this thesis is pretty strong—specifically, he summarizes his own neuroscience research with Carmelite nuns. This thesis does not take an entire book to prove, however, so he spends the rest of the book discussing other aspects of spirituality and neuroscience. Problem is, he’s not an exciting writer, so I really can’t remember any of his other points. I don’t recall any objectionable arguments he made…it’s just that the book is rather forgettable. Maybe worth a read if you have a specific interest in the area—but there are better books out there for casual popular reading.

2012 Book 38: The Silver Chair, by C. S. Lewis (2/26/2012)

Categories: Children's, Speculative Fiction, Spirituality, Classics

Reason for Reading: Currently working through the Narnia series in publication order.

My Review: 5/5 stars
Eustace Scrubb ventures back to Narnia with his schoolmate Jill Pole. There they are sent on a mission to rescue Prince Rilian, who has been kidnapped by an evil witch. This is another lovely installment of the Chronicles of Narnia. Very cute.

2012 Book 39: By Darkness Hid, by Jill Williamson (2/27/2012)

Categories: Young Adult, Speculative Fiction, Spirituality

Reason for Reading: Was wondering what a Christy Award winner was like. I'm pleased.

My Review: 4/5 stars
Achan has grown up in a medieval-esque village as a lowly stray and his future seems bleak when a head-strong knight illegally begins to train Achan as his squire. The lord of the village is angered, and Achan is punished by having to guard the nasty, abusive prince on a trip to the capital city. While traveling, Achan runs into many difficulties—including Vrell, a rather effeminate “boy” who is actually the prince’s chosen bride-to-be in hiding. Vrell and Achan must learn to trust one another, while at the same time taming their sharpening their blood-voices. This book is Christian young adult fiction, so it has a reasonably subtle religious theme. It is the first book in a trilogy, and it had a cliff-hanger ending, but luckily for me the whole series has been published. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the story—even though the characters aren’t perfect and sometimes I wanted to pound them over their heads for their obtuseness, they ARE teenagers after all and are really quite endearing. The book started out slow, but I was really into it after the first 50 or so pages. It was getting really interesting at the end, right when it ended. Ah! Cliffhangers!

2012 Book 40: Before I Fall, by Lauren Oliver (2/28/2012)

Categories: Young Adult, Speculative Fiction, Spirituality

Reason for Reading: Was looking for a redemption theme

My Review: 3/5 stars
Sam Kingston is a mean-girl with everything she needs: popularity, the hunky boyfriend, and popular mean-girl friends. When she dies in a car accident, she is given the chance to live her final day 6 more times. She learns that nobody is exactly what they seem and that everyone is redeemable. I was eager to read this book because I thought it would be an interesting twist on the Groundhog Day theme. However, I didn’t realize that it would be a regurgitation of 80’s and 90’s movies to the point where there were very few truly original scenes. It’s basically Groundhog Day in a mish-mash of high school flicks with other movies worked in. I was actually to the point of looking for the “token black kid” it was so regurgitated (no appearance). So, I was a little disappointed in the author’s skill. On the other hand, many teens (for whom this book is intended) will not have grown up on 80’s and 90’s movies and might find the book quite interesting and original, though very sad. The theme of redemption and everyone’s-the-same-on-the-inside was applaudable. The writing was smooth and engaging, though the beginning was a little irritating because you had to choke through her mean-girl attitude. It’s good for a light read, but it’s not literature.

2012 Book 41: A Preface to Paradise Lost, by C. S. Lewis (2/29/2012)

Categories: Classics

Reason for Reading: Wanted to better understand Paradise Lost. I'm not very good at poetry.

My Review: 4/5 stars
In this preface, Lewis first outlines what an epic poem is and what Milton was trying to do with Paradise Lost. Then he discusses his views on how Milton's theology played a role in this epic. Lewis debunks the view that Milton had compassion for Satan. It was a good introduction, which I read before the poem because I thought it might help me comprehend the poem while I'm reading it. It was helpful, though it managed to make me more skeptical that I'll comprehend Paradise Lost.

February Summary

Nonfiction: 6 total. Favorite was Genesis of Science, by James Hannam

"Adult" fiction: 6 total. Favorite was One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Children's or YA fiction: 9 total. Favorite was By Darkness Hid, by Jill Williamson

March Plans
Dragon Rider, by Cornelia Funke COMPLETE (3/2/2012)
Paradise Lost, by John Milton AUDIOBOOK ATTEMPT TERMINATED ON (3/5/2012). WILL TRY AGAIN WITH THE WRITTEN WORD LATER THIS MONTH
Kim, by Rudyard Kipling COMLETE (3/20/2012)
Columbine, by Dave Cullen COMPLETE (3/30/2012)
A History of the End of the World, by Jonathan Kirsch COMPLETE (3/10/2012)
Vampires, Burial, and Death, by Paul Barber COMPLETE (3/16/2012)
The Book of Mormon, by Joseph Smith COMPLETE (3/22/2012)
Shadows: Book of Aleth, by Michael Duncan. COMPLETE (3/3/2012)
Land of the Silver Apples, by Nancy Farmer COMPLETE (3/27/2012)
The Kin, by Peter Dickinson COMPLETE (3/11/2012)
The Islands of the Blessed, by Nancy Farmer
The River of Wind, by Kathryn LaskyCOMPLETE (3/24/2012)

Additions to list
The Surrender Tree, by Margarita Engle COMPLETE (3/5/2012)
On the Origin of Species, by Charles Darwin IN PROGRESS
The Subtle Knife, by Philip Pullman COMPLETE (3/11/2012)
Prophet, by R. J. Larson COMPLETE (3/14/2012)
Seeds of Rebellion, by Brandon Mull COMPLETE (3/22/2012)

Currently in progress, but won't complete in March
The Landmark Xenophon's Hellenika, by Xenophon. 12 in 12 year-long group read. Categories: History, Classics IN PROGRESS

"it managed to make me more skeptical that I'll comprehend Paradise Lost"
Had to chuckle at that! :) I don't remember Paradise Lost being too complicated, but I did read it at Uni, so I'm sure we had most things explained to us in the seminars. I do remember loving it though, which is a biggie for me since I'm not a great reader of poetry.

Hmmm, well it's always possible I'll love Paradise Lost...it's just that my mind tends to turn off as soon as anything's written in verse. I don't know whether it's all the symbolic language, or what....But I've found I'm better listening to poetry than reading it, so I've got it both written and as an audiobook. :)

I'd definitely say Paradise Lost is worth a read -- although I agree with Samuel Johnson, who said something to the effect that "no one ever wished it longer than it is"!

Wow, you had a great February! Your March plans look good too. I look forward to seeing what you think of Columbine. It was definitely one of my top-10 reads last year.

@130 I had the same reaction as Eva. I never thought of Milton as having compassion for Satan - it's just that Satan was compelling. My hunch is C.S. Lewis is the more complicated read.

Katie-My understanding is that at the time C. S. Lewis wrote the Preface there was a large group of critics who claimed that Milton was expressing heretical views in Paradise Lost and that he made Satan TOO compelling. The problem is, Milton had some rather unorthodox views. He was Unitarian for one thing (didn't believe in the Trinity). Lewis claims that most of Milton's unorthodox beliefs weren't really expressed in PL and that you had to KNOW he felt that way to get any inkling of them at all.

(haha "inkling" I made a funny)

I don't think Lewis' preface was particularly complicated, but it was more dense than his other works of non-fiction that I've read.

2012 Book 42: Dragon Rider, by Cornelia Funke (3/2/2012)

Categories: Young Adult, Speculative Fiction, Books People Asked Me to Read, International Fiction (I know the IF category is pushing it, but Funke DOES write her books in German, after all!)

Reason for Reading: This book has been on my TBR pile since my aunt told me I should read it (years ago, of course).

My Review 5/5 stars
When a group of dragons finds out that humans are going to be flooding their valley, Firedrake decides to go on a journey to find the Rim of Heaven—a zone of safety from the invasive humans. He is enigmatically warned by an elderly dragon to “beware the Golden One.” Firedrake sets off with his Brownie friend Sorrel, picking up a human boy (Ben) and a homunculus (Twigleg) along the way. They must defeat “the Golden One” in order to be in safety forever. This was a magical little book for kids. It would be appropriate to read to young kids, and is the reading level of perhaps an 11-13 year old. It’s a fun read for an adult who likes YA lit, too.

Of her books I've read, I liked Dragon Rider best.

2012 Book 43: Shadows: Book of Aleth, Part 1, by Michael Duncan (3/3/2012)

Categories: Speculative Fiction, Inspirational

Reason for Reading: This was my book club choice for this month. I am in charge of the discussion for the month so I have no choice but to read it! ;)

My Reveiw 4/5 stars
When Aaron, Captain of the Royal Guard, is given a mission to retrieve a stolen book by any means necessary he doesn’t question his orders. He soon finds that not all is as it seems. He becomes embroiled in the politics of Dwarves, a race of men he believed were fairy tales. He must lead a mission to retrieve the Book of Aleth and to discover the truth. I was pleasantly surprised by this allegorical fantasy of the Christian Fiction genre. The epic fantasy story was original enough to capture my attention and the writing was smooth and enticing. The religious message is present but subtle, which to me is a sign of a good writer. (I hate being beat over the head with a Message.) The book DID end with a cliff-hanger, but I guess I was expecting that based on the term “Part 1” being in the title. So I was only a tiny bit irked. (I think books should have a natural ending…even in series.) Other than that quibble, I was very pleased.

>137 hailelib: Funny thing is, I haven't read any of her other books yet! I'm so behind. I plan to start Inkheart soon, though.

The first time I tried Inkheart my mood, or something, must have been off because I didn't much like it and didn't finish the book. However, after seeing the movie I tried again and that time I liked it much better. But I loved Dragon Rider immediately.

I read Inkheart, but unfortunately found the premise somewhat better than the result. I did like Funke's writing a lot, so I'll add Dragon Rider to the wishlist.

@135 Ah, that makes sense. I knew Milton's spiritual beliefs had raised a stir. I haven't read what CS Lewis said, but I have read Paradise Lost and have to agree with your summary of Lewis's argument. I feel that if people want to see heresy, they can find heresy but it says more about the beliefs of the heretic hunter than about Milton's beliefs. & as for PL itself, I don't remember anything that said there is no trinity. It didn't seem particularly Unitarian to me.

I have heard such good things about Funke! I have been trying to find her in German, but I may just have to give up and grab a translation, because everything I have seen on her has been very positive -- your nice review included.

Hailelib and Eva: Well I guess I'll see what I think of Inkheart at this rate it will take me a while to get to it anyway!

Katie: I agree completely!

pammab: It's strange that you can't find it in German. I think Dragonheart was written directly in German and was translated into English by a friend of Funke's. I noticed that the translator wasn't mentioned on my book, though. I read something by Funke that said that she knows English, but has no interest in writing in it! :) (paraphrase)

2012 Book 44: The Surrender Tree, by Margarita Engle (3/5/2012)

Categories: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Award Winners, Internatonal Fiction

Reason for Reading: It was there

My Review 4/5 stars
The Surrender Tree is a fictional set of narrative poems by actual historical figures in Cuba’s war for independence from Spain. The storyline was interesting and educational, and I was pleased that I’d taken the time to read this little book.

2012 Book 45: A History of the End of the World, by Jonathan Kirsh (3/10/2012)

Categories: Other (it COULD count as "history," but I'm low on "other." And, anyway, I learned very little history from it.)

Reason for Reading: Out of a vague interest in eschatology. And by that, I mean I'm interested from a sociological point of view why everyone is so fascinated with the end of the world.

My Revew 3.5/5 stars
This book surveys how the Book of Revelation has influenced culture throughout time. It provides a basic idea of how apocalyptic rhetoric has been used and developed with time. However, I didn’t learn much history from this book. In fact, Kirsh mostly assumes that the reader is either familiar with the history or willing to look up the interesting bits elsewhere. It is also very dense, since much of the text is direct quotes or paraphrases from other writers. Kirsch has a strong bias against apocalyptic rhetoric, and his book implies a direct influence of Revelation on pretty much everything bad that has ever happened. Personally, I think the case is over-stated. Apocalyptic rhetoric certainly impacts everyone’s lives in the same way as Shakespearian rhetoric does, but Kirsh implies a more active influence. I had the uneasy feeling that Kirsh was quoting people out of context; and I noticed one time he left important facts out of a historical example, thus misleading the reader. Kirsh also has a distinctly un-Christian leaning (I’m GUESSING he’s a secular Jew), and his views might offend conservative or fundamentalist Christians. Overall, I’m happy I read the book because it provided a broad survey. But I’d like to read others to get a more in-depth look at specifics.

2012 Book 46: The Kin, by Peter Dickinson (3/11/2012)

Categories: Young Adult, Speculative Fiction, Historical Fiction

Reason for Reading: Wanted to read something prehistorical

My Review 4/5 stars
The Kin was originally written as a series of four short books, but it has been compiled into one book in later editions. It is set in Africa 200,000 years ago. A group of men has recently been ousted from their home by violent strangers, and they are wandering through the desert looking for new Good Places. When they abandon the four very young orphans for their own survival, two older children separate from the group and go back to rescue the little ones. This group of children then has many adventures and meets many strange people in these strange lands. Dickinson knows a lot about Africa and anthropology, making this story creative and interesting. I certainly recommend it to anyone who enjoys survival and prehistoric adventures for tweenagers.

The Kin is going on my WL. I read his Ropemaker and was impressed by his ability to develop a rich, fictional world.

I read The Kin a few years ago and loved it. I thought the author did a great job with both world building and delivering a top-notch story.

@146 I have The End of Time: Faith and Fear in the Shadow of the Millennium on my 12/12 will get round to it in a month or two...

>148 cammykitty: and 149 Katie and Judy: I love Peter Dickinson. He's such a great writer.

>150 psutto: psutto: I'll be eager to find out what you think. I haven't decided what my next book in that genre will be.

2012 Book 47: The Subtle Knife, by Philip Pullman (3/11/2012)

Categories: Young Adult, Speculative Fiction

Reason for Reading: Interested in the Paradise Lost allegory

My Review: 3/5 stars
Lyra has traveled to a parallel universe, where she meets Will—another traveler of universes. They team up when they find that Lyra’s quest to find out more about dust and Will’s quest to find his missing father are intertwined. This is a difficult book for me to review. The first time I tried to read this book, I gave up about a quarter of the way through because I didn’t like being beat over the head with an anti-religion Message. It really lacked subtly in this book, and I hear it is even more brutal in the third book. However, I decided to give this book another try because I learned that it was a retelling of Paradise Lost, and I was interested in seeing what he did with that. My final conclusion: I still feel that I was being beat over the head with a Message; however, I think Pullman is a VERY creative author. SPOILER ALERT: I was a little off-put by the pointless waste of lives at the end of the book. But perhaps the third book will elucidate the reasons for these deaths.

2012 Book 48: Prophet, by R. J. Larson (3/14/2012)

Categories: Speculative Fiction, Inspirational

Reason for Reading: LibraryThing Early Reviewers

My Review: 4/5 stars
Ela Roeh's life is turned upside down when The Infinite asks her to become his prophet. She must leave her family, her country, and everything she knows in order to travel to pass on the Infinite’s message to a foreign king. She shows amazing strength of character when she is embroiled in politics and war. This book is Christian Fiction, and is probably meant for young adults; however, despite Ela’s youth, she has the maturity of an adult. The Message can be a bit heavy-handed (which is understandable given that it is published in the Christian Fiction market) but it’s not preachy and the message flows pretty smoothly into the plot. Furthermore, the plot is exciting and intriguing enough to keep me curious about what was going to happen. Overall, I think it was an excellent addition to the Christian Fantasy genre.

2012 Book 49: Vampires, Burial, and Death by Paul Barber (3/16/2012)

Categories: Other

Reason for Reading: Interest in folklore and popular culture about vampires

My Review 3.5/5 stars
In Vampires, Burial, and Death, Barber differentiates between vampires of folklore and those of popular fiction (with a very strong emphasis on those of folklore). He proposes that the folklore of vampires arose due to people’s fear of dead bodies. He rigorously notes the common traits of folklore vampires (blood at the mouth, bloating, groaning when staked, red face, etc.) and points out that all of these things could occur naturally in a decaying body. The content of this book is very interesting, and Barber’s thesis is quite logical. However, the narrative was a little drier than necessary. I enjoyed learning, but wished it could have been a little more engaging!

2012 Book 50: Kim, by Rudyard Kipling (3/20/2012)

Categories: Classics, Award Winners

Reason for Reading: 12 in 12 group read

My Review 4/5 stars
Kim is an orphaned boy living on the streets of Lahore. When he meets a Buddhist monk who is on a quest to find a healing river, Kim joins the lama as his student and friend. Together they travel, learn lessons, and have adventures. I enjoyed watching Kim grow up in this story, and enjoyed the colorful descriptions of the people Kim and the lama met. However, I’m still trying to figure out what the deeper meaning of this story is. Perhaps time will help.

2012 Book 51: Seeds of Rebellion, by Brandon Mull (3/22/2012)

Categories: Young Adult, Speculative Fiction

Reason for Reading: I am a fan of Brandon Mull and have read all his books. I probably wouldn't have finished this book within a week of its release, however, except for the fact that Mull was at my local Barnes and Noble for a signing last Sunday. I really enjoyed meeting him. He's very nice and friendly and we had a lovely conversation until an annoying superior child and his annoying superior mother made it quite clear with their annoying superior sighs and annoying superior noses in the air that I was taking up too much of their time. It was ultra-annoying because if they were in such a rush they should have gotten in line faster. I dawdled specifically so that anyone with a child could get ahead of me in line. They must have WANTED to be last. And, really, our conversation hadn't gone on THAT long. Regardless, I am now a bigger fan of Mull because he's so genuine and approachable.

My Review 5/5 stars
In this second book of the Beyonders series, Jason returns to Lyrian to rescue his friend Rachel and tell her the terrible secret he learned in the first book. They team up with a motley crew of revolutionaries and continue their quest to dethrone the evil emperor. Mull uses his ingenuity to create a truly unique parallel world with creative “fantastical” peoples and creatures. His characters are very human in that they all have weaknesses, but they show amazing strength as well. The story keeps up fascinating descriptions of the peoples and places while keeping the suspense levels high throughout the story. This book was even better than the first in the series, and I look forward to the third (and final) book next year.

2012 Book 52: The Book of Mormon, by Joseph Smith (3/22/2012)

Categories: Spirituality, Classics, Books people asked me to read

Reason for Reading: I like to read scripture books from a variety of religions because I am interested in how they compare and what sort of message they relay. This book was given to me by a couple of Mormon elders who knocked on my door last year. "Elder," by the way, means that they were 20 year old boys who weren't allowed to enter my home without having an older male as an escort because apparently I am a threat to their innocence. Ah! I feel so sophisticated now! The fact that the escorts were meant to protect THEM and not me. ;)

My Review 3/5 stars
Although I think it’s a good idea to educate oneself on other religions (especially those religions which have an undeserved bad reputation), I’m not sure reading the Book of Mormon is the best way to learn about LDS. It was dense, difficult reading. It starts out with some wanderings in foreign lands, then they have lots of wars, then Jesus comes and saves them all, then they have a bunch more wars. Half the sentences begin with “And it came to pass that…” There are some passages of uplifting spirituality, but these passages were few and bogged down by a lot of unexciting depictions of war. Personally, I think the best way to learn about LDS is to talk to some missionaries and THEN (once you’ve gotten a good idea of what the religion is about) read the Book of Mormon if you’re still interested. But that’s just my humble opinion.

Some great reviews here. Sorry a mud puddle didn't suddenly appear where the superior child and the superior mother were standing.

Thanks Katie. I'm sure a mud puddle would have made them feel a little awkward. ;) Actually, I have to admit that I was mildly amused by them. The boy physically looked like a mini-me of the mom. And when he gave a pregnant exasperated sigh that was impossible to ignore, Mull and I both looked at them startled--and the boy was staring off at the ceiling to his left with superior boredom on his face, and the mother was staring off at the ceiling to her right with exactly the same expression. haha. I actually had to suppress a laugh because Mull was obviously a little put out by the situation. I got the impression that he figured his evening was going to be a bit dull and was hoping one or more fans would stop and chat with him a while. Columbus probably isn't his idea of excitement. :) I guess I should have just waited until they left and talked to him a bit more--not sure why I didn't. But maybe he got lucky and they stayed around for a few hours!

I'm just catching up with your great reviews, and found your comments on the Book of Mormon interesting. My 17-year-old daughter is taking a World Religions course in school and has been reading excerpts from the Bible, the Quran and other religious books. I'm sure it's worthwhile doing so but, as you experienced, it's probably not the best or easiest way to learn about particular religions.

>160 mathgirl40: Well, as long as she has a good teacher who chooses inspiring passages, she should be fine reading the religious texts. But it can be a bit overwhelming! :)

2012 Book 53: The River of Wind, by Kathryn Lasky (3/24/2012)

Categories: Children's, Speculative Fiction

Reason for Reading This is book 13 of the Ga'Hoole series which I've been slogging through for years. Since well before the movie came out! I'm getting close to the final book!

My Review 3.5/5 stars
Coryn, Soren, and the Chaw of Chaws discover a sixth kingdom of owls across the ocean. While they are on a diplomatic envoy, evil war-like owls make trouble back home. This 13th installment of the Ga’Hoole series is cute (like all the others), but I’m afraid some of my enjoyment has ebbed after slogging through so many books. In the first several books the plot got thicker as each book progressed, but that development ended somewhere in the middle. Now, it just seems she throws in something new and something old and mixes it together for another installment. In this book, the “new” is a previously unknown kingdom of owls who live by some Buddhist-like values. The old is spoiler but not really because it’s achingly predictable the shocking return of the evil owl Nyra who just won’t die no matter how many times you kill her. The nice thing about these books is that they’re really short and I’m SO close to the end that I can’t give up now!

Aside Really, though, if you like anthropomorphic children's fantasy, then you would probably enjoy the first 6 of the series. It really should have stopped there, even though I did really appreciate a couple of the books after that.

2012 Book 54: The Land of the Silver Apples, by Nancy Farmer (3/27/2012)

Categories: Young Adult, Speculative Fiction, Historical Fiction

Reason for Reading: This is the second book in a trilogy.

My Review 4/5 stars
Jack, the Bard’s apprentice, sets off on a rescue quest when his sister Lucy is kidnapped by Elves. His companions are an unreliable slave/rightful-heir-to-the-throne and a recently freed girl-slave who worships the ground Jack walks on. They meet many magical creatures, re-discover some old friends, and have lots of exciting adventures along the way. I thought this was an excellent sequel to Sea of Trolls. It expanded the mythology of the land while developing the characters already introduced in the first book. I really appreciated the way Farmer handled the three religions that were represented by her characters in this 790AD Britain-based world. She showed the power and beauty of the Pagans as well as the Christians and subtly made the point that they all got their believers where they needed to go—but she did this without forcing the point or lecturing, which is the sign of excellent story-telling! My only quibble about this book is that most of the major plot threads were completed by page 400, leaving 100 pages for the final (and least pressing) plot thread. This is why the book got 4 instead of 5 stars.

I've got Sea of Trolls & love Nancy Farmer's writing. Looks like I should get 'round to reading it!

I really liked Sea of Trolls. Farmer did a LOT of research into the era and it shows. (She even has references in back!) Also, you'd never guess from reading it that it is part of a trilogy. I suspect from the gap between the first and the second book that she just decided to throw on another two.

March Summary

Nonfiction: 4 total. Favorite was Columbine, by Dave Cullen though technically I haven't finished this, but I intend to today!

Adult Fiction: 3 total. Favorite was Kim, by Rudyard Kipling

Children's and YA Fiction: 7 total. Favorite was Seeds of Rebellion, by Brandon Mull

Magazines: 1 Science News, 1 Science Illustrated, 3 New Scientist (I lost one somewhere!), 2 The Economist, and 1 Discover it makes me happy to list these because it makes me feel like I've accomplished something more

Year-to-Date Groups:
1. Children's or YA: 25 total. Favorite: Seeds of Rebellion, by Brandon Mull
2. Speculative Fiction: 22 total. Favorite: One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
3. Science and Medicine: 5 total. Favorite: The Emperor of All Maladies, by Siddhartha Mukherjee
4. Spirituality/Inspirational: 16 total. Favorite: The Rock and the River, by Kekla Magoon
5. Classics: 7 total. Favorite: I Capture the Castle, by Dodie Smith
6. Books People Asked me to Read: 9 total. Favorite: One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
7. 1001 Books or BBC The Big Read: 5 total. Favorite: One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez note that I have changed this category to include the list of 200 from BBC The Big Read because I wanted to introduce more variety into this category. 1001 Books are too intellectual to force myself to read one EVERY month. :)
8. History or Historical Fiction: 11 total. Favorite: Ring of Solomon, by Jonathan Stroud technically, this is alternative history, but I'm including them in this category
9. Memoir and Biography: 5 total. Favorite: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot
10. Award Winners: 9 total. Favorite: Columbine, by Dave Cullen
11. International Fiction: 5 total. Favorite: One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
12. Others: 3 total. Favorite: Iron House, by John Hart Apparently, I designed my categories well considering what I read often...I have to specifically look for books in the "other" category!


Tentative April plans With prayers that I will not accomplish them because certainly THIS month I'll find a job!
Pawn of Prophecy, by David Eddings COMPLETE 4/3/2012
Marcelo in the Real World, by Francisco X. Stork COMPLETE 4/5/2012
The London Eye Mystery, by Siobhan Dowd
The Speed of Dark, by Elizabeth Moon IN PROGRESS
Paradise Lost, by John Milton COMPLETE 4/3/2012
Gnostic Gospels, by Elaine Pagels IN PROGRESS
David Copperfield, by Charles DickensIN PROGRESS
Born on a Blue Day, by Daniel Tammet
Animals in Translation, by Temple Grandin
Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe
The Elegance of the Hedgehog, by Muriel Barbery
Left Neglected, by Lisa Genova
Al Capone Does My Shirts, by Gennifer Choldenko COMPLETE 4/6/2012

Long term reading that will not be completed in April
The Landmark Xenophon's Hellenika, by Xenophon IN PROGRESS
The Origin of Species, by Charles Darwin IN PROGRESS

2012 Book 55: Columbine, by Dave Cullen (3/31/2012)

Categories: Award Winners

Reason for Reading: It was there

My Review 4.5/5stars
Cullen provides an in-depth look at the events leading up to and following the tragic school shooting at Columbine. He fleshes out the personalities of the people involved, especially focusing on the two shooters. He debunks the myths that confounded the Columbine story for years. This is an amazing work of journalism, as well as a moving narrative. Tears came to my eyes several times while reading. My only qualm about this book is that at the very end Cullen provided some gory details that weren’t necessary. I’m not squeamish, but I think providing those details wasn’t necessary to emphasize how tragic the events were, and gore is much more disturbing when you’re thinking about the real people involved. However, this was only a very short section of the book…and I guess journalists will be journalists.

I read and loved Columbine last year, thought the author is an excellent job with such difficult material.

I started David Copperfield yesterday, I think I am going to like this Dickens better than Great Expectations, as I am finding David more likeable than I did Pip.

Yeah, I'm liking him a lot better than Pip, too. Great Expectations was NOT my favorite Dickens so far. I think, in fact, it's my least favorite. :)

As I recall, I really did not like Great Expectations when forced to read it in high school, but I like most of his other books a lot. Maybe Great Expectations is the dud?

That could be the case. A lot of people I've talked to didn't really love Great Expectations, but it and A Tale of Two Cities seem to be the ones that most people have read.

Looks like you had a very good March!

I agree with your assessment of Columbine. It was one of the best books I'd read last year.

I'll have to look for Columbine. I work in a school, sometimes with the EBD kids. I can't imagine even our oddest kids coming in with a gun and shooting other students randomly. I can imagine gang members trying to pick off a kid leaving the school, but I can't imagine it entering the school or being random. It would be interesting to see what the background for Columbine really was.

You should read Columbine if you're at all interested in the subject. It was really well written, though a little scary!

2012 Book 56: Pawn of Prophecy, by David Eddings (4/3/2012)

Categories: Speculative Fiction, Books People Asked me to Read

Reason for Reading: My friend Alicia wanted me to read the Belgariad

My Review 4/5 stars
Garion lives the life of a simple farm boy until the day a storyteller comes to his village and convinces Garion’s aunt that they must leave immediately. As their quest continues, Garion grows confused and must question everything he ever knew about himself. Why do his aunt and this storyteller seem to have powers that Garion doesn’t believe in? Why do they have such powerful friends? This story of sorcery and adventure begins the Belgariad, an epic fantasy in which Garion must fight against the powers of evil in order to save his world. This book was quite enjoyable. It had fantastic characterization (to the point that I was actually getting angry at characters along with Garion). It had an interesting mystery to it because although I could make an educated guess, I don’t know the plot of the Belgariad so I don’t know exactly where it’s going. Quite a good introduction to the characters, land, and problem-to-be-solved.

2012 Book 57: Paradise Lost, by John Milton (4/4/2012)

Categories: Classics, Spirituality

Reason for Reading: Studying Paradise Lost right now

My Review 3/5 stars
I had difficulty with Paradise Lost because I am not an adept at poetry-reading. It seems that either my mind doesn’t accept verse, or it doesn’t accept highly symbolic words because it is always a huge struggle for me to get through literature like this. I guess it’s probably that I haven’t been properly trained in interpreting the symbolism of poetry, since I can read the modern novel-in-verse just fine. But I did the best I could, with both the audiobook and the text renditions of Paradise Lost—and that’s all I can ask for! I think I got the basic idea, anyway. :)

2012 Book 58: Marcelo in the Real World, by Francisco X. Stork (4/5/2012)

Categories: Young Adult

Reason for Reading: Autism Awareness Month

My Review 5/5 stars
17-year-old Marcelo has an Asperser’s-like condition. He has lived a sheltered life until the summer before his senior year of high school, when he is pressured into working at his father’s law firm for a summer. Marcelo learns many “real world” lessons—some sad, some uplifting. This was a wonderful little book. Although I really felt bad for Marcelo when he had to learn some of his life lessons, I also felt that it was good for him to learn these lessons. These mixed feelings of compassion for Marcelo’s situation made this a memorable book. There was one fleeting moment in this book where I felt that Stork had packed perhaps a few too many lessons into too small a space…but other than that the book was perfect.

2012 Book 59: Al Capone Does My Shirts, by Gennifer Choldenko (4/6/2012)

Categories: Young adult, Historical Fiction, Award Winner

Reason for Reading: Autism Awareness Month

My Review 5/5 stars
12-year-old Moose Flanagan is angry when his family uproots and moves to Alcatraz island so his father can work as a prison guard. Additionally, he must accept the responsibility of an adult sooner than he wishes because he needs to help his parents take care of his mentally-disabled older sister. I got a few chuckles as Moose tried to adjust to his new responsibilities, new home, and new friends and enemies. The book was both frustrating (because of Moose’s situation) and humorous at the same time. Overall, a light, funny, and meaningful read.

Really nice reviews, Rachel. The Belgariad is one of my husband's favorites. Maybe I'll try to work it in some time this year. Both Marcelo in the Real World and Al Capone Does my Shirts sound like good possibilities for me for the Autism read. I currently have Rules, which is supposed to be very good. You are on a roll!! How goes the job search?

>179 Crazymamie: Ah! If only I had time to read them all! Rules looks good. :) The job search might be getting a little better. I now know someone at the community college who might be able to help me get an instructor job. We'll see. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Have you read We Need to Talk About Kevin? It was one of the most disturbing books I've ever read, and judging by reactions here on LT, others have also felt that way.

I'm wondering if non-fiction Columbine is as emotionally searing. If so, I'm not sure I can handle it. I've also got Doris Lessing's book The Fifth Child on my radar as another one I should pick up.

Hmmm. I haven't read We Need to Talk About Kevin though it's been on my radar. Columbine was emotionally searing to me simply because I imagined these real kids going through those horrible events. I had to stop reading a couple times because I was afraid I was going to cry. I can read books like this--but I need to limit my exposure to one every few months.

I know nothing about The Fifth Child, but I do enjoy Doris Lessing. :)

I've heard really good things about Al Capone Does My Shirts. I've been meaning to read it, and to get my daughter to read it too as I think she'll enjoy it as well.

>183 mathgirl40: It's pretty cute. I'll read the sequel Al Capone Shines My Shoes soon. :)

Great string of reviews! Good luck with the job hunt!

I loved Al Capone Does My Shirts, and it's really popular with the kids at the school I work at. I was surprised to find it to be more than just a fun read. It describes life with someone with Autism pretty well.

Thanks Lori!

Katie: Yeah, Gennifer Choldenko has a sister with low-functioning autism, so she knows what it feels like. I was surprised how she was able to keep the book so light-hearted when it was about such a serious topic. Somehow she managed to balance the seriousness with the humor without compromising either.

My thoughts exactly! I saw the 15 year old brother of a kid with an odd blend of high & low functioning autism and asked him if he'd read it. He said a lot of kids he knew were reading it and liked it, and I told him he had to without telling him why. I think it will make him laugh, and it will also be comforting to know others have gone through the same thing and survived.

Well done on Paradise Lost!!! I read it when I was at Uni and discussing it in the seminars made understanding it quite easy - I'm not sure how much I would have gotten if I had read it by myself. :)

:) Thanks Eva!

2012 Book 60: The Speed of Dark, by Elizabeth Moon (4/9/2012)

Categories: Speculative Fiction, Award Winners

Reason for Reading: Autism Awareness Month

My Review 4/5 stars
Lou Arrendale is a high-functioning autistic man in a near-future world. When his employer starts to put pressure on him to be one of the first human subjects in a dangerous brain-altering experimental “cure” for autism, he questions what it is to be Lou. Is his autism part of his personality? What does it mean to be “normal?” Are the normals even normal? This book is full of deep questions of identity and categorizing of humans. It is also about mistreatment of disabled people by bigots. In fact, I thought the bigotry was a little over-done to the point of not being realistic…but maybe this is Moon’s idea of what the near future will be like. Or maybe I’m naïve. :) This book was very thought-provoking and interesting, though I thought it lacked verisimilitude. And there were three (apparently) independent secondary characters named Bart within a 25 paged interval. Not sure what Moon was trying to say there—maybe she really likes the name Bart. :) Anyway, despite my nit-pickiness, I thought it was quite a good book.

2012 Book 61: Mockingbird, by Kathryn Erskine (4/11/2012)

Categories: Young Adult/Children's

Reason for Reading: Autism Awareness Month

My Review 5/5 stars
Caitlin Ann Smith is a 5th grade girl with Asperger’s Syndrome. When her brother dies in a school shooting, she must find closure. Her brother had been her one friend who could explain to her how she should say and do things without insulting them. Without her brother, she has difficulty comforting her grieving father. This is a heart-rending story but, though it starts out very sad, it comes to a warming conclusion. I know children’s books about grief abound, but this book is special because it also shows readers how children with Asperger’s might seem rude when they are really trying to be helpful. Definitely recommended.

Interesting reviews on both The Speed of Dark and Mockingbird. I've read The Speed of Dark and definitely saw the questions on personality that you saw. The bigotry towards people with disabilities didn't seem out of line to me. Perhaps I'm cynical, but the way people who are physically disabled are often treated like they have no brain by the corporate world has irked me for a long time so for me, it's hard to overdo that. But that's just me. :)

Katie--I agree about the corporate world...they're all about profit and not about people. However, he kept running into bigotry outside of his work environment too. Like once in a grocery store some mean woman confronted him and started asking personal questions and saying rude things. It just seemed like in a period of two weeks he kept running into confrontationally bigoted people EVERYWHERE. That's what seemed a bit much to me. But then, I am not mentally disabled and don't have any close friends or family who are, so I can't say whether this was realistic or not.

I'm running a little behind in my group read plans! I was going to listen to Elegance of the Hedgehog and Things Fall Apart on a car trip earlier this month, but then the trip was cancled. *sigh* maybe I can still get to one or both of them...or maybe I'll just have to finish them a little late. :(

2012 Book 62 The London Eye Mystery, by Siobhan Dowd (4/16/2012)

Categories: Young Adult

Reason for Reading: Autism Awareness Month

My Review 3/5 stars
When Ted and Kat's cousin Salim mysteriously disappears while riding the London Eye they team up to find him. Ted and Kat never got along in the past because Ted has Asperger's Syndrome and is difficult to relate to; however, they discover that a combination of his rational thinking skills and her intuitive action makes them an ideal team. It may be because I've OD'd myself on Autism books this April, but I wasn't overly impressed by this story. I don't regret reading it--it was a cute story, and handled the issue of Ted's Asperger's symptoms well enough. But I didn't feel a strong attachment to the characters. I also felt that the mystery (and the way it was solved at the very, very end) lacked verisimilitude. I understand why the frantic parents didn't listen to what the kids had to say...but I felt that the cops should have given the kids a much more rigorous questioning, considering that the kids were the key witnesses to a rather suspicious event. I felt that the kids endangered themselves unnecessarily when trying to solve the mystery. I prefer it when books develop a plot such that the kids MUST do what they do, rather than it just being reckless behavior. But maybe that's because I didn't have that sort of fearless independence when I was a kid. I would have MADE the adults listen to me, instead. :) But like I said, I think I'm just OD'd on fantastic Autism books right now and so this one just wasn't what I needed at the moment. Final recommendation: read it if it's convenient, but don't rush out to get it.

2012 Book 63: David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens (4/17/2012)

Categories: Classics, 1001 Books/BBC Big Read

Reason for Reading: 75ers Group Read (which thread I don't think I ever commented on....)

My Review 4/5 stars
When young David Copperfield's mother dies, his awful stepfather sends him to a workhouse. David runs away to live with an estranged (and very strange) aunt. Much naughty and nice activity continues for a long time. :) I really liked David Copperfield. It was an engaging story, and (as always for Dickens) the characters were all so fascinating and well-developed. I'd say this is one of my favorite Dickens books so far.

2012 Book 64: Left Neglected, by Lisa Genova (4/22/2012)

Categories: Other

Reason for Reading: I think brains are pretty fascinating

My Review 4/5 stars
Sarah Nickerson is a type-A mother-of-three who is living the expensive, busy life of Big Business in Boston. Although Sarah always talks on the phone while driving, THIS time she has a terrible accident and ends up with a brain injury. With Left Neglect, Sarah is unaware of the left sides of everything (including herself). With this new disability, she must pick up the pieces of her shattered life-in the process she reconnects with her family. This book was fantastic in a variety of ways. It describes a fascinating neurological condition (Left Neglect) while enveloping the reader in a bittersweet story about family, identity, and disability. Definitely worth reading!

I probably would have enjoyed this book even more had I not OD'd on bittersweet stories this month. I can only stand so much bittersweet. I need to bite into some zombie-slaying action soon!

2012 Book 65: Born on a Blue Day, by Daniel Tammet (4/22/2012)

Categories: Memoir

Reason for Reading: Autism Awareness Month

My Review 4/5 stars
This is a coming-of-age memoir about a high-functioning autistic savant who also has synesthesia. It is rare for a savant to be as high-functioning as Tammet, therefore this memoir provides a unique and fascinating look into Asperger's, savantism, and synesthesia. It was endearing to watch Tammet metamorphose from an awkward child into a much more secure adult. The story is insightful and inspiring...I imagine it would be especially so for teens with Asperger's who are concerned that they will never be able to function in the "real world."

As a head's up...I just started a thread for a group read of Religion Explained (for May) here . Everyone is welcome to join!

@ 200 -- Shall I put a link to the Religion Explained thread in the 12 in 12 info? Happy to do so; just let me know!

Thanks Christina, that would be great. Good to get the news out. :)

Nice selection of books for Autism Awareness Month!

Left Neglected sounds fascinating! I am a sucker for neurological conditions....

>204 pammab: Yeah, I am too. :) The author has a PhD in neuroscience from Harvard, I believe. She also wrote the bestselling book about early-onset Alzheimer's Still Alice.

Glad to see you enjoyed Left Neglected.... I found it a fascinating examination of a condition I had never heard of before reading the book!

2012 Book 66: The Gnostic Gospels, by Elaine Pagels (4/24/2012)

Categories: Spirituality, History

Reason for Reading Am interested in reading a few of Pagels' books, and I thought this was the best place to start

My Review 4/5 stars
Pagels objectively introduces the subject of the Gnostic Gospels—she describes the history of the texts, some basic differences between Gnostic beliefs and Orthodox beliefs, and then summarizes by saying that Christianity would have developed quite differently (or perhaps even fizzled out like other mystic fad religions) if Gnosticism had survived. She supports neither Orthodoxy or Gnosticism in this book, but provides an objective historian’s view on the two faiths. This is a fantastic introduction to Gnosticism, and it lacks the sensationalism of many Gnostic scholars today. Highly recommended.

2012 Book 67: Animals in Translation, by Temple Grandin (4/25/2012)

Categories: Science

Reason for Reading: Autism Awareness Month

My Review 4/5 stars
In Animals in Translation, Temple Grandin describes how her autism helps her discover how animals perceive the world. She compares an autistic person’s perceptions with animals’ perceptions, and contrasts them with how non-autistic people think. She also gives her own ideas about how domesticated animals can be treated/trained in order to provide them with the best environment possible. Overall, a very interesting book...It changed my perception of how autistic people and animals think.

Interesting books! I was very intrigued by gnosticism for a while but I was unable to find good books on it - seems like you found one.

>209 pammab: Yeah, I think Pagels' book is one of the classic texts on Gnosticism. She was lucky enough to have the opportunity to study the (then unpublished) Nag Hammadi texts for her dissertation.

I liked Animals in Translation too. I like her writing because she just comes out and says what she thinks. Many researchers are much more cautious than she is and are not willing to discuss an idea they have unless they have tons of data to back it. She'll just say, I think this but I don't have enough information to prove it.

Yeah Katie, I think it's a relief sometimes for scientists to say what they think rather than always protecting their backs. As long as they make sure to say "this is what I think" rather than making it sound like they're stating hard-proven facts, of course. :)

NEW THREAD LINKED BELOW!!!