BBleil's 3rd Annual Challenge to 75 in 2013

It's my third year in the challenge! This year, I'm giving myself an interesting little spin. I am only going to read books that I can borrow from my small town library. I'm writing a blog, too. Check it out!

http://smalltownlibraryreading.tumblr.com/

Here is a list of my favorite reads of 2012. . .

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
Excellent Women by Barbara Pym
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson
Hunger Games by Suzanne Colllins
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
Faithful Place by Tana French
Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley
Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
The Passage by Justin Cronin
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber
The Hostage by Susan Wiggs
Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers
Fifty Shades of Grey Trilogy by E.L. James
The Likeness by Tana French
Homer’s Odyssey by Gwen Cooper
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters
The Lock Artist by Steve Hamilton

January Books

1. The Twelve by Justin Cronin (5 stars)
2. Matilda by Roald Dahl (3 stars)
3. Driven to Distraction by Edward M. Hallowell and John J. Ratey (3.5 stars)
4. Tigers in Red Weather by Liza Klaussmann (2.5 stars)
5. My Bookstore by Ronald Rice (3 stars)
6. The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton (4 stars)
7. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (3.5 stars)

February Books

8. The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova (4.5 stars)
9. Reached by Ally Condie (2.5 stars)
10. Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok (3 stars)
11. Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal (3 stars)
12. Above All Things by Tanis Rideout (4 stars)

March Books

13. A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan (3.5 stars)
14. Young Romantics: The Shelleys, Byron, and Other Tangled Lives by Daisy Hay (3.5 stars)
15. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (3 stars)
16. Graceling by Kristin Cashore (5 stars)
17. Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore (3.5 stars)

April Books

18. The Host by Stephenie Meyer (3.5 stars)
19. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte (3.5 stars)
20. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (4 stars)
21. Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan (4.5 stars)
22. Love You More by Lisa Gardner (3.5 stars)

May Books

23. The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova (4 stars)
24. The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling (3 stars)
25. Life After Life by Kate Atkinson (5 stars)
26. The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker (3.5 stars)

June Books

27. Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson (3 stars)
28. The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen by Syrie James (3 stars)
29. Diagnosing Learning Disorders by Bruce F. Pennington (3 stars)
30. Labyrinth by Kate Mosse (3.5 stars)
31. Nothing Daunted by Dorothy Wickenden (3 stars)
32. State of Wonder by Ann Patchett (4 stars)
33. The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman (3 stars)

July Books

34. The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe (3 stars)
35. The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton (3 stars)
36. The Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard C. Morais (2 stars)

August Books

37. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (3.5 stars)
38. The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien (3.5 stars)
39. The Widow's War by Sally Gunning (4 stars)
40. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare (3 stars)

September Books

41. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (4 stars)
42. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer (4 stars)

October Books

43. The Widower's Tale by Julia Glass (3 stars)
44. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs (3 stars)
45. The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon (3.5 stars)
46. Speaking From Among the Bones by Alan Bradley (4 stars)
47. One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson (4 stars)
48. Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrell (2.5 stars)

November Books

49. Divergent by Veronica Roth (4 stars)
50. Insurgent by Veronica Roth (3.5 stars)
51. Allegiant by Veronica Roth (3.5 stars)
52. Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick (3.5 stars)
53. The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht (3 stars)
54. Bellman & Black by Diane Setterfield (3.5 stars)

December Books

55. The Reader by Bernhard Schlink (4.5 stars)
56. The Distant Hours by Kate Morton (3.5 stars)
57. The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson (4 stars)
58. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (5 stars)
59. The Flight of Gemma Hardy by Margot Livesey (3 stars)

Welcome back!

Love your support of the library!

Hello to you. I missed your thread in 2012, but hope to follow you in 2013.

I have three all-time favorite books and To Kill A Mockingbird is at the top. It remains there since the day I read the book!

A wonderful high school English teacher was enthralled with this book and he impacted on me in many ways. I always equate studying Harper Lee with this wonderful man who re enforced my love of reading.

Hi Beth - Welcome back! Many of your 2012 favorites are favorites of mine, just read in a different year. I'm reading The Paris Wife now although I'm also reading Under the Dome and it's a bit more of a page-turner!

Glad to see you back with us again, Beth!

Book #1: Not All Vampire Stories Are Romantic

The Twelve is the second book of The Passage trilogy by Justin Cronin. When a military experiment involving the creation of vampire-like creatures goes horribly wrong, the world as we know it disintegrates into a catastrophe of epic proportions. Cronin blends excellent character development with a plot that has plenty of twists and turns to keep you wondering whether the trilogy is about the role of government and its military, religion or the courage of humans who find themselves in crazy situations. I really have no idea except that I’m fascinated with the characters and I just can’t stop reading.

It’s certainly a vampire story and some readers may be disappointed when there isn’t a character like Edward Cullen from the Twilight Saga to swoon over. I recommended the first book, “The Passage,” to my brother because I thought he would like it. But when he heard that it was partly about vampires, he said, “No, I don’t read vampire stories.” True, I don’t see him debating whether he’s on Team Edward or Team Jacob, but the point he’s missing is that not all vampire stories are romance novels.

This entry is also part of my reading blog, which you can find here: http://smalltownlibraryreading.tumblr.com/.

Thanks, Drneutron, Thornton37814, Whisper1, Coppers and Alcottacre! It's always nice to see that there are people out there!

Book #2: Here Come the Suggestions

Now that many of my friends and family are aware of my reading challenge, what I’m reading has become a more interesting topic of conversation. My friend Amanda immediately pushed her childhood copy of “Matilda” by Roald Dahl into my hands when she learned that I had never read it. I have my own youthful favorites, but childhood isn’t all that long and I had never ventured into Matilda’s world as a young reader. Before starting it, of course, I had to make sure that the Huntingdon County Library had a copy. They do and I borrowed it on the spot. Reading “Matilda” for the first time in my 30s probably didn’t bring about the same magic an early first reader would experience. It was good, but I think my 7-year-old niece Sarah would like it more.

This entry is also part of my reading blog, which you can find here: http://smalltownlibraryreading.tumblr.com/.

Book #3: It Seems So Obvious, but the Library Is a Great Resource

As a fairly new academic advisor who works with students that have learning differences, I wanted more information about the most common learning disorders that students face in college. My friend Rob, a wonderful psychiatrist who works with soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, suggested that I read Driven to Distraction by Drs. Edward M. Hallowell and John J. Ratey. They describe Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) in an easy to understand manner and present very useful coaching tips to help children and adults who live with ADD.

When Rob couldn’t find his copy (he loans this title out a lot), I acquired my own copy through a book swapping website. I started reading Driven to Distraction before this challenge, but I was curious to know if the Huntingdon County Library had any books on ADD and other learning disorders. They have several titles, in fact, including this very book. It seems pretty obvious to use the library when you need information. But with the prevalence of smart phones, tablets and computers to gain information through the Internet, I’m not sure that people think of the library first anymore when they have a question. I know that I didn’t before this challenge.

My Rating: 3.5 stars

This entry is also part of my reading blog, which you can find here: http://smalltownlibraryreading.tumblr.com/.

Book #4: Can You Like a Book When You Hate the Characters?

Tigers in Red Weather by Liza Klaussmann is a story told from the perspective of five different characters. Unfortunately, I didn’t like a single character. Nick (a woman) hates her life and makes everyone miserable. Daisy is too innocent and clueless to contribute much to the plot. Helena lets everything happen to her. Hughes is maybe the most aware character but is intent on loving the wrong person. And finally, Ed is just creepy.

In all fairness, my dislike of the characters wasn’t the only reason for rating the book a low 2.5 stars. I had the impression that the story would be about Nick and Helena, who are cousins, and their relationship as they marry and have children. Instead, they didn’t like each other either and the plot went in an unexpected and dark direction.

My Rating: 2.5 stars

This entry is part of my reading blog, which you can find here: http://smalltownlibraryreading.tumblr.com/.

I think I'm safe avoiding that one.

Book #5: Skimming is Okay

My Bookstore by Ronald Rice is a compilation of essays by authors writing about their favorite bookstores. I skimmed the book because I wasn’t interested in everyone who contributed essays. I read the ones from authors I knew and the essays that featured bookstores that I have visited or would want to visit. This is the perfect book to skim without feeling guilty. You don’t have to read every single page to enjoy some books, and this is one of them.

My Rating: 3 stars

This entry is part of my reading blog, which you can find here: http://smalltownlibraryreading.tumblr.com/.

Book #6: For All the Single Ladies Out There

Edith Wharton belongs in my cohort of favorite authors who write about courting and marriage but not for the same reasons. In The House of Mirth, Miss Lily Barton is unmarried and dependent on the society of which she strives to belong. When her plans to marry go awry, she makes one failed maneuver after another and finds herself quite alone and increasingly without the means to support herself. Her life is anything but merriment. Wharton uses satire and humor like Jane Austen and Barbara Pym, but there is a darker undercurrent to her plot which makes me glad that I was born in a much different time.

My Rating: 4 stars

This entry is part of my reading blog, which you can find here: http://smalltownlibraryreading.tumblr.com/.

Book #7: Before The Hunger Games, There Was Ender’s Game

I decided to finally read Ender’s Game. The book was published in 1985, and I particularly enjoyed the use of electronic “desks” which are pretty much the iPads of today. The Hunger Games, apparently, isn’t the first novel to feature children as main characters in a story about a society that uses children in brutal ways. Ender is asked to play war-like games in something called the Battleroom in preparation for a true war. He’s a pawn in a much bigger game, all the while he is trying to maintain a sense of who he is with talents that no one else has. If you could combine Katniss with Peeta, you would have Ender.

My Rating: 3.5 stars

This entry is part of my reading blog, which you can find here: http://smalltownlibraryreading.tumblr.com/.

Book #8: What?! Another Vampire Story!

For a self-proclaimed vampire-hater, I seem to be reading a lot of vampire stories lately. I picked up The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova because I wanted to read it before getting to her more recent “The Swan Thieves.” When I began to read, I couldn’t believe that I had another vampire story in my hands. If it hadn’t been for the captivating “Note to Reader,” I probably would have placed the book back on the shelf.

Kostova writes at such a high quality that I probably wouldn’t mind reading her depiction of cement drying. Her writing is that good. She blends true historical facts and events with an homage to Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” while developing characters I grew to love. It’s a story of good versus evil and I really wanted my favorite characters to win.

The multi-layered story drew me in so deeply that I couldn’t wait to get home at night to resume reading. Although it’s too bad I couldn’t read during the day because I’m not a big fan of horror stories and there were several nights that the wind hitting the house made me double check the locks.

My Rating: 4.5 stars

This entry is part of my reading blog, which you can find here: http://smalltownlibraryreading.tumblr.com/.

Book #9: A Trilogy That Could Have Stopped at the Second Book

Reached by Ally Condie is the third book of her Matched Trilogy. Last year after reading “The Hunger Games,” I ventured further into young adult dystopian novels. “Matched” and “Crossed” were available from the library’s e-book collection, and I enjoyed them both (3.5 stars each). I was even sad that I had to wait nine months for the third book to be published. Well, apparently, nine months was too long to wait because I found that I wasn’t invested anymore and could barely finish it. When the third book of a trilogy is the weakest, I’m wondering if the author should have stopped at two.

My Rating: 2.5 stars

This entry is part of my reading blog, which you can find here: http://smalltownlibraryreading.tumblr.com/.

Book #11: My First Literary Mashup

Mary Robinette Kowal’s Shades of Milk and Honey combines the thematic elements and time period of Jane Austen with the world of fantasy. The novel is filled with the requisite dinners, balls and proper social norms of Jane Austen’s era, but their culture includes the ability to use magic as an art form called glamour. A glamourist is someone who is trained in the art, and other than one male professional who is commissioned in the novel, glamourists are typically women who perform for their guests in the same way as they would play the pianoforte.

The plot revolves around two sisters who are unmarried and looking for husbands, one of which is beautiful with no entertaining skills and the other homely but talented in glamour. While their mother is selfish and constantly swooning from the drama, their father is sweet, kind and sensible. The various suitors are pretty formulaic, too, who in the end turn out to be either a scoundrel, an ill-matched partner, or Mr. Darcy’s twin.

This is the first of what looks to be a running series of novels, and I did enjoy it. However, the world of glamour really can’t meet the caliber of Jane Austen’s, and I may wait awhile before I read Glamour in Glass. I’ll have to wait for when I’m in the mood to enjoy something I love in the form of something that’s only pretty good.

My Rating: 3 stars

This entry is part of my reading blog, which you can find here: http://smalltownlibraryreading.tumblr.com/.

Book #12: Finding Truth in the Fiction of Famous Marriages

Tanis Rideout’s debut novel, Above All Things, is not the first novel to venture into the marriages of famous men. There is already Nancy Horan’s Loving Frank and Paula McLain’s The Paris Wife, which are about the tumultuous marriages of Frank Lloyd Wright and Ernest Hemingway, respectively. All of these works are fictional interpretations of real people and events, and yet the reader can gain an awareness of who these men were and how their wives came to love them with flaws and all.

Above All Things is about George Mallory, a mountain climber who is in the midst of his third attempt to climb Mount Everest, and his wife, Ruth. She must stay home, raise the children and convey solidarity to her nation reeling from the First World War. In truth, Ruth doesn’t care about the hopes of Great Britain because she suffers and longs for George. Each chapter alternates between the perspectives of George and a fellow climber through the entirety of their expedition and a single day of Ruth’s, which signifies how much goes on in George’s life while Ruth must endure the slow passage of time without her husband. The cover of the book is exquisite, and the overall tone of the novel will linger long after finishing it. I highly recommend the novel.

My Rating: 4 stars

This entry is part of my reading blog, which you can find here: http://smalltownlibraryreading.tumblr.com/.

Book #13: If a Book of Short Stories and a Novel Had a Baby

I wasn’t sure if I was going to read A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan because I learned that the book was structured in a way that I typically detest. Critics said that it was a cross between a book of short stories and a novel. They explained that the book had many characters and stories that were woven in amongst each other with time periods that jump back and forth. My type-A personality and craving for organization doesn’t adjust well to chaos. There’s a reason that I haven’t read David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas yet and felt that “Crash,” although a good movie, wasn’t worth three Academy Awards. Both rely on the reader and viewer to keep a lot of characters in mind while the plot meanders and conveys a nebulous concept. But all I’m thinking is what does it all mean?!

It doesn’t help that one of the central themes of the book is the music industry. I make discernible choices in reading material, but I listen to music almost by accident. I used to follow whatever was on the radio, which meant a lot of country and pop music. Unfortunately for the music industry, I don’t listen to the radio anymore. I buy whatever I come across in general pop culture or on ITunes. I can see why the music industry is worried.

So, why did I read the book? I saw it everywhere I looked. The messy cover kept jarring with my sense of order and made me uncomfortable. I began to notice the other cover because it wasn’t the messy one. Are you starting to get a feel for my personality? The book also won the Pulitzer. And, I felt this innate pressure to try it even though my gut told me to stay away. I’m not even sure why I decided to read it this week, but it was available from the library’s digital collection and I had just been writing about e-book borrowing. Unknowingly, I may have embraced the premise that random small occurrences create bigger ripples in a person’s life. Whoa.

Did I like it? Yes, I did. I still wasn’t a fan of the book’s structure with multiple characters weaving in and out, but somehow I cared about what was happening. Bennie and Sasha were the two main characters that came and went with the various chapters, and it was like finding old friends on the street in a random city. I wanted to know how they got there, what they had been up to, and who they were hanging out with now.

What did it all mean? I might guess that the book is a social commentary about the intersections of music, the digital age and people, how a person’s life goes through several iterations, and that each generation thinks they are unique and beautiful while the older generation thinks it’s all going downhill. In truth, I’m not really sure what the book is about, but I enjoyed it.

My Rating: 3.5 stars (above average)

This entry is part of my reading blog, which you can find here: http://smalltownlibraryreading.tumblr.com/.

Book #15: Better Left Unsaid

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn is a popular book that many people have loved, and yet, they won’t say anything about it. Now that I’ve read the book, I understand why. It’s a psychological thriller that is enjoyed better without knowing anything beforehand. The main characters are a husband and wife, and the story begins on their 5th wedding anniversary. The wife mysteriously disappears. The husband is soon suspected. But, I’ll be kind to other new readers and not give anything away. I can tell you that I liked the book, and I see why others rave about it.

My Rating: 3 stars (average)

This entry is part of my reading blog, which you can find here: http://smalltownlibraryreading.tumblr.com/.

Book #19: A Novel of Emotional Immaturity

Slowly, I’m working my way through a list of classics that I have always wanted to read. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte was next on the list. I knew that it was a story of unrequited love, and I was curious to see how her work would compare to her sister’s. Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre is one of my favorites. I didn’t know, however, that the main characters would have the emotional maturity of two-year-olds.

Maybe I have been reading far too many young adult novels because I thought Wuthering Heights would contain characters that I would, maybe not relate to, but at least latch onto and then want to follow their plight to a satisfying conclusion. Heathcliff, however, is purely a villain with no redeeming qualities and Catherine a spoiled brat. This was disappointing because I wanted to immerse myself in the novel and get lost in their relationship. Instead, I followed the train wreck that they created and the ripple effects impacting the people around them, including their children.

It’s not often that a novel features the “bad guys” as protagonists and the secondary characters as the normal people. This interesting twist, the excellent quality of writing, and the fact that I can’t stop thinking about the story made the novel worth reading. I can check one more classic off my list.

My Rating: 3.5 stars (above average)

This entry is part of my reading blog, which you can find here: http://smalltownlibraryreading.tumblr.com/.

Book #21: I Almost Fell Down the Stairs

** CAUTION: Tiny spoiler alert included here! It's not related to the plot, though.

Laughing out loud is typically a good indicator that the book you are reading is funny. I laughed a lot while reading Robin Sloan’s Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore.” In fact, I didn’t even get Sloan’s final joke until I was rereading the first sentence in order to reference it at the end of this blog. The main character gets lost in the shadows and nearly falls. Ha ha, so funny, right? This might be a little involved but I have to explain it.

In most houses, the light that guides the staircase can be turned on and off from both light switches at the bottom and top of the stairs. I rent my house and so this fairly convenient feature doesn’t work. When I go up to bed at night, I shut off all of the lights and walk blindly up the stairs feeling my way before I can turn the hallway light on at the top. I had been reading Sloan’s novel most of the day, and I brought it with me to read in bed. So, I get halfway up the stairs and the book in my hand begins to glow; bright rays of light just flying off the book. This leads me to freak out a bit as this has never happened before. I miss a step and grab the railing so I don’t plummet to the bottom. The first line of the novel is this: “Lost in the shadows of the shelves, I almost fall off the ladder.” I had forgotten it until now, and so I burst out laughing.
By adding glow-in-the-dark features on the cover of his book, Robin Sloan (who is male by the way) creates an experience for the reader similar to that of the main character’s initial encounter with Mr. Penumbra and his 24-hour bookstore. Clay Jannon quickly learns that odd things happen with books at night. And, so do Sloan’s readers when they hold this book in the dark. My question is how did he know that I would be on the stairs?

I loved this novel. It features Clay, an unemployed young man, who finds work covering the night shift of a 24-hour bookstore. The place is mysterious and visited by weird people in the dead of night borrowing books that are written in code. The story contains a very interesting juxtaposition of new and old technologies. Kindles, IPhones and especially Google play a role in unraveling a mystery involving books, bookstores and libraries. The story goes all the way back to Gutenberg and the first printing presses, and somehow, Sloan weaves these new and old technologies together seamlessly. Just be wary of the mysteries that will bleed out from the book into your own life.

My Rating: 4.5 stars (very highly recommended)

This entry is part of my reading blog, which you can find here: http://smalltownlibraryreading.tumblr.com/.

*waving* at Beth

Glad to see you enjoyed Mr. Penumbra. I had good fun with that book too!

Thanks, alcottacre!

Book #23: If She Wrote the Phone Book, Her Writing Would Still Captivate

The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova is about painting, an artist’s obsession, and love. For those of you who know me, you’ll understand that I’m more interested in the third part. Although my mom sews, my dad builds model airplanes and my sister paints and crafts, I do not share their artistic talents. So if I had read the blurb of this book without knowing the author, I never would have picked it up. I just really don’t care enough about painting and artistic protagonists.

When I received "Swan Thieves" as a gift from my friend Lauri, I realized that I already had Kostova’s first book waiting on my “to be read” shelf. Thankfully both books are available at the library which meant that I could read them for my challenge. Because I live an orderly life, I picked up The Historian first so that I could read her books in the order that they were written. That’s not too weird, right? So, I read “The Historian” first, and despite the fact that it was a vampire story, I loved it. As you know from reading my blog, I’m not a huge fan of vampire stories. I seem to read a lot about subjects in which I’m not interested.

So if I don’t care for vampires or painters, why do I love reading Kostova’s novels? She is both an excellent storyteller and writer. When I read her books, I settle into them easily and lose time. I stay up later at night reading, and I neglect Saturday morning chores. There is something in the quality of her writing that quiets my mind in a way that allows me to become engrossed in her books. Not all writers can accomplish this. I couldn’t care less about painting, but I cared about the narrator of this story as he works to solve the mystery surrounding an obsessed artist.

The story begins when Robert Oliver, an accomplished artist, attacks a painting at the National Gallery in Washington, DC. Robert is found to be mentally ill, but he prevents treatment by not speaking. The main character, the psychiatrist (also a painter), must then help Robert by meeting and getting to know the women who love him including an elusive woman that he obsesses over in his painting. The plot may be slow for some readers but that’s where the quality of Kostova’s storytelling and writing take over. I think the novel is about finding love and whether you can love a person who is much older or younger than you.

I’m sure that Kostova’s third novel will be about hunting or car racing, but I’ll eagerly anticipate its arrival anyways.

My Rating: 4 stars (highly recommended)

This entry is part of my reading blog, which you can find here: http://smalltownlibraryreading.tumblr.com/.

Book #25: Maybe the Best Book of 2013

Yes, it’s only May, but I’m willing to say that “Life After Life” by Kate Atkinson might just be my favorite book of the year. If something better comes along, then I’m having a very good year. I highly recommend Life After Life. You won’t be disappointed.

The story takes place in Britain and follows the life of Ursula Todd from as early as 1910 and up to 1967. Although time is a very fluid measure in Ursula’s life. You see, she dies and is reborn in the same life many times over. It’s like that horrible movie “Groundhog Day” but so much better.

This novel is funny (hilarious really), touching (so sad in places) and historically relevant (you won’t have to wonder about “what ifs” because you get to see it happen). She uses parentheticals liberally (much longer ones and more frequently than even me) which readers may find annoying in other books. Here, Atkinson uses them to portray Ursula’s commentary on her life as it happens invoking a sarcasm and wit that is quite endearing. The pace that Atkinson sets will make you want to read faster and faster, and despite its 529 pages, you’ll breeze through it.

Side Note: Within one week of each other, two authors published separate novels of this same title. Jill McCorkle is the other author.

My Rating: 5 stars (Excellent. Best of the year, I tell you.)

This entry is part of my reading blog, which you can find here: http://smalltownlibraryreading.tumblr.com/.

Book #26: Finally! A Realistic End-of-the-World Story

Most events that bring about the end of the world in books and movies are pretty outlandish. Even the cause in The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker is crazy, but she wrote the novel so well with enough realism that you can easily believe it could happen. The earth begins to spin slower which lengthens the day and night and starts a cataclysmic turn for the worse for Earth and all its occupants.

The story is told from the perspective of a 6th grader named Julia who ends up experiencing much of what I experienced in 6th grade and middle school. I was a soccer player, too, and my childhood friends found other more interesting girls in which to be friends. There was a 6th grade party even! I remember mine quite vividly. In the novel, it’s the adult Julia reflecting back on her 6th grade year when the world as she knows it ends.

I enjoyed the novel. Although the premise is hard to believe, the story was very believable. It prompted me to think about what the definition of a day is. If the earth spins slower, and it takes more than 24 hours to make a full rotation, should a day still be 24 hours long? The government termed this clock-time and made everyone run on a 24-hour day regardless of the sun’s position on Earth. Or, do you follow the sun and its light and darkness? The rebels called this real-time.

The book invokes a nervousness as if the Earth could possible begin to spin slower. What would I do? Karen Thompson Walker effectively draws in the reader and makes you think about this question, and I think that is proof of a believable end-of-the-world scenario.

My Rating: 3.5 stars (above average)

This entry is part of my reading blog, which you can find here: http://smalltownlibraryreading.tumblr.com/.

Book #28: Have you been to Austenland?

To me, one of the most intriguing aspects of Jane Austen, the person, is that she never married. And yet, the main theme of all her novels was courting and relationships. This fascinating contradiction led me to read The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen by Syrie James. She imagines Jane Austen’s life with her own romantic interest and grounded the novel with extensive research to layer truth with fiction. I enjoyed the book. It was interesting to read a novel set in the same time period but from the perspective of the enigmatic Jane Austen. What was she like? Who were her family members? Did she develop any of her characters from the people around her? How was her heart broken? This novel allows fans to wade into Jane Austen’s life for the sole purpose of observing Jane in love.

My Rating: 3 stars (good)

This entry is part of my reading blog, which you can find here: http://smalltownlibraryreading.tumblr.com/.

Book #30: If Indiana Jones Was a Woman

When I’m in a certain mood, I enjoy adventure stories that involve history, symbols and lost artifacts. I like thinking that there are mysterious messages behind everyday symbols or that there is an alternative story to the history we are taught in school. The Indiana Jones movies come to mind along with Dan Brown’s novels. If you’re interested in hearing a story that features women more prominently though, you should try Labyrinth by Kate Mosse.

Labyrinth follows two women, Alice living in the present and Alais living in the 1200s, who are connected by a society of guardians involved in protecting the secret of the Grail. The story takes place in southern France, and although their lives are separated by 800 years, they find themselves in similar dangerous situations. Both women are fiercely independent and respond to adversity with strength and determination.

I primarily listened to this novel in an audio book format, and I recommend it. I never learned French, and I enjoyed the reader’s pronunciations of the French towns and cities and other French phrases and words. I would have ruined them in my head and missed some of the aura of the book.

My Rating: 3.5 stars (above average)

This entry is part of my reading blog, which you can find here: http://smalltownlibraryreading.tumblr.com/.

Glad you liked it. Labyrinth has been on my wishlist - I'll bump it up the priority list.

Book #31: The Pictures Make All the Difference

One of my favorite things to do when reading nonfiction titles is to look at the pictures. Whether there is an insert of glossy pictures in the middle of the tome or they are interspersed throughout the book, I linger on those images because the people come to life for me. I enjoy looking at their clothes and surroundings, and I’m always surprised at how normal they look. With a current haircut and wardrobe, they would be the people that I know today. The pictures in Dorothy Wickenden’s Nothing Daunted: The Unexpected Education of Two Society Girls in the West are particularly fascinating.

As the title suggests, Dorothy Woodruff and her best friend Rosamond Underwood go west in 1916 and just before First World War. They had lived a privileged upbringing that included college at Smith and a year in Europe. But when they were disinterested in the young men hovering around them and felt the need for adventure instead of marriage, they applied to be teachers in a very rural school in Colorado. They move west and endure the hardships of living on a Homesteader’s ranch and traveling by horseback to work every day in the long and cold winter months. Both women said that year was the most formative of their lifetime.

The story seems improbable except when you look at the pictures. It is the images of Dorothy and Ros on horseback and with their students that confirm what you really can’t believe. And my favorite picture is one of Dorothy’s granddaughter, the writer, who visits Ferry, a central figure of the story in 1978. That image connects the lives of two young women from 1916 to their later generations in a more current time period. History is that cool.

My Rating: 3 stars (good)

This entry is part of my reading blog, which you can find here: http://smalltownlibraryreading.tumblr.com/.

Book #32: I Am Never Going to the Jungle

Ann Patchett’s State of Wonder came up on my reading list at just the right time. For most of June, I had been reading nonfiction ranging from a zany memoir in Jenny Lawson’s Let’s Pretend This Never Happened to a dry, yet informative tome on learning disorders with some historical fiction interspersed. I hadn’t read any contemporary fiction since The Swan Thieves, and I was ready to become lost in a new novel. I didn’t anticipate wanting to leave the setting of the book so quickly though. You see, State of Wonder primarily takes place in a jungle. I love rolling hills, forests, lakes and the beach. I do not love jungles.

The very first sentence brings news of death. Dr. Marina Singh’s pharmacological lab partner has died in the jungle while checking up on research being done by an enigmatic researcher. The widow wants more information and implores Marina to follow her deceased partner into the depths of the Amazon. Their boss also wants to find out what’s taking so long in the development of a new drug.

This isn’t my first Ann Patchett novel. I’ve read Bel Canto and Run. Looking back, I see that I gave them average ratings whereas many other readers and friends rate her work much higher. I did not understand Patchett’s skill as a writer until reading State of Wonder. I enjoyed this novel because of the characters, the pacing and the twists and turns. The final turn and ending will truly make you “wonder” what the heck happened. The enigmatic researcher, Dr. Swenson, is the heart of the novel and yet she doesn’t actually make an appearance until nearly halfway through the book. The mystery surrounding her and her motivations are slowly revealed. She is a manipulative woman, and I flipped back and forth a couple of times between loving and hating her.

I don’t like bugs or snakes, which is why jungles will never be on my list of places to visit. Patchett uses the jungle and its dangers as a way to create tension in the story. It’s that tension that compels you to read.

My Rating: 4 stars (highly recommended)

This entry is part of my reading blog, which you can find here: http://smalltownlibraryreading.tumblr.com/.

Book #33: Not Sure What the Fuss is All About

The Light between Oceans by M. L. Stedman is a good book. Not the best I ever read, but certainly a good read.

It’s a historical novel set in a small coastal town in Australia soon after the First World War. A young married couple lives on a tiny island off the coast and they operate the light house to protect passing boats from the rocky shore. The novel follows a decision they make that dramatically changes the course of their lives and others back on the mainland. It’s that decision and its ramifications which drive the story. I couldn’t identify with the couple very much, which I think led to my “good” instead of “excellent” rating. Other readers must have really felt the two main characters’ dilemma and got swept in. Those readers enjoyed the book far more than I did, and that’s okay. On to the next great book!

Book #36: These Guys are Really Full of Themselves

As the title suggests, I didn’t care for The Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard C. Morais very much. Both the main character and author think very highly of themselves which I couldn’t appreciate. The main character is an Indian immigrant who trains as an elite French chef, and the story is told from his point of view. He contradicts himself throughout the telling of his story and doesn’t present the women in his life, except for his mother and the chef who teaches him, in a very good light.

The author is not Indian, French, or a chef. I thought one of the suggested rules of writing is to write what you know? Maybe I’m being too harsh. My big complaint is that he confesses to developing the idea for this book in the hopes of making it a movie. If you want to make a movie, then please don’t bother with a novel.

Of course, there is more to this novel than I’m presenting. There are some funny moments, and I was curious to see how Hassan rises above an early family tragedy. Unfortunately, I just couldn’t get past his arrogance and inconsistencies or the attempts of the author to write something in which he knows little in the hopes of making a movie. Sadly, IMDb.com tells me that the movie is in production with Helen Mirren in a starring role and Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey as executive producers. I guess it worked for Morais!

My Rating: 2 stars (not recommended)

This entry is part of my reading blog, which you can find here: http://smalltownlibraryreading.tumblr.com/.

#37: Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

This is a 532 page soap opera about King Henry VIII and his desire to annul his marriage and marry Anne Boleyn. I almost gave up about 100 pages into the novel because there were so many characters and I was getting lost in the dialogue. But I decided to forget about keeping track of everything and just read. What becomes apparent is that Thomas Cromwell is crafty, and he’s always thinking one step ahead of everyone else. The pleasure in the book is being inside his head while he deals with his household, manages King Henry and maneuvers everyone else in his path to achieve the king’s desires. Essentially, the reader gets a front row seat in watching the drama unfold. Cromwell’s motivation is to gain power and riches, and yet there is something else percolating in Cromwell’s life that is just as intriguing, and that is why I kept reading.

My Rating: 3.5 stars (above average)

This entry is part of my reading blog, which you can find here: http://smalltownlibraryreading.tumblr.com/.

#39: The Widow's War

In my mind, there are two types of historical fiction. The first type features fictional characters placed within major historical events. The second type depicts a certain time period with characters placed in normal, everyday settings. Sally Gunning’s The Widow’s War falls under the second category. As she draws the reader into her story, she is showing us how people lived in small coastal whaling villages in the late 1700s. Would I ever pick up a book about small whaling villages? Heck no. But will I read a story about a woman fighting against village customs and law as she finds her way in the world? Yes.

The novel is set in the Cape Cod village of Satucket, Massachusetts in 1761. Lyddie Berry’s husband, a whaler, dies within the first chapter, and she becomes a widow. The law dictates that all of Lyddie’s property and rights are given to the nearest male relative, which is her annoying son-in-law. At a time when everyone expects her to follow the wishes of her son-in-law, she feels compelled to take her own direction. Drama and conflict ensue.

I liked this story a lot. Lyddie is a strong, independent woman making her own decisions despite the influence of her blasted son-in-law and a lawyer-friend who helps but also hinders. The novel is funny in spots, poignant in others, and all the while you read, you get a sense of the everyday living in 1761 on the coast of Massachusetts. I’ll take that kind of history lesson any day.

My Rating: 4 stars (highly recommended)

This entry is part of my reading blog, which you can find here: http://smalltownlibraryreading.tumblr.com/.

#42: Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

On September 11, 2001, I worked for a small environmental organization in one of the closest non-governmental buildings to the U.S. Capitol. That morning, when I walked through the U.S. Department of Labor building because it was the shortest walk from the metro subway station to my office, I witnessed a gathering of people around the televisions in the main lobby. I didn’t think much of it until I got to work and learned about the planes crashing into the World Trade Center. When the pentagon was attacked, my coworkers and I realized that we needed to leave our building and move away from the U.S. Capitol. I walked home and like most everyone else watched the events unfold on television.

Movies and books that feature 9/11 typically do not interest me because I find them to be unsettling. Our book club selection this month, however, is Jonathan Safran Foer’s “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.” The story occurs two years after 9/11 and features young Oskar. His father perished in one of the towers, and Oskar misses him desperately. When he finds an envelope with a mysterious key, he journeys to solve the mystery and to be closer to his father.

Oskar’s narrative voice is what makes this novel work. He is a young and emotional kid with an excellent vocabulary. When he’s terribly sad, he says that he wears heavy boots. When he’s happier, the boots feel lighter. He likes adverbs and finishes many of his sentences with “obviously.” He’s smart and precocious, but in a good way. The novel also works because the author uses pictures throughout to depict Oskar’s journey. Some of the images are chilling and could evoke strong emotions from the reader. They did for me, but I kept reading because I was rooting for Oskar.

My Rating: 4 stars (highly recommended)

This entry is part of my reading blog, which you can find here: http://smalltownlibraryreading.tumblr.com/.

Book #56: It Was All Worth It In the End

Kate Morton’s The Distant Hours honors the gothic genre with a dark tale featuring a set of twins, an ominous castle and family mystery. The story takes place in England and goes back and forth between 1942 and 1992. I enjoyed the story, but felt that it was pretty slow moving. There are several layers and twists to the mystery that are not revealed until nearly the end, which is when the novel picks up the pace. Once you get there, the novel is a great read.

My Rating: 3.5 stars (above average)

This entry is part of my reading blog, which you can find here: http://smalltownlibraryreading.tumblr.com/.