k8lovesbooks starts her third year

Current Reading:

My Reading:


Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

School Reading:



Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

Family Reads:



Little Town on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder


Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury


Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift

Audiobooks:

Finished Books:

January

1) City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau- 4*- 270 p.
2) Uglies by Scott Westerfeld- 4*- 406 p.
3) Drawing From Memory by Allen Say- 3*- 63 p.
4) Pretties by Scott Westerfeld- 3 1/2*- 348 p.
5) Once Upon a Flock by Lauren Scheuer- 4*- 241 p.
6) Specials by Scott Westerfeld- 3*- 372 p.
7) Extras by Scott Westerfeld- 3* -
8) The People of Sparks by Jeanne DuPrau- 3* -

February

9) The Upstairs Room by Johanna Reiss- 2* -
10) The Prophet of Yonwood by Jeanne DuPrau- 3* -
11) After Iris by Natasha Farrant- 5* -
12) The Diamond of Darkhold by Jeanne DuPrau- 2*
13) Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus- 3*
14) The Mother-Daughter Book Club by Heather Vogle Fredrick- 4*
15) Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper- 5*

March

16) Judy Moody Declares Independence by Megan McDonald
17) Judy Moody Predicts the Future by Megan McDonald

Audio Books:

January

1) The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner- 3 1/2*
2) The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich- 4*
3) Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko- 5*
4) Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell- 3 1/2*
5) Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh by Robert C. O'Brien- 3 1/2*
6) The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare- 4*
7) Al Capone Shines my Shoes by Gennifer Choldenko- 4*

"Stately" Reading: (Where the author was born)

California:
1) Jeanne DuPrau- City of Ember
2) Gennifer Choldenko- Al Capone Does My Shirts
3) Scott O'Dell- Island of the Blue Dolphins

Connecticut:
1) Gertrude Chandler Warner- The Boxcar Children

Minnesota
1) Louise Erdrich- The Birchbark House

Massachussets
1) Elizabeth George Speare- The Witch of Blackbird Pond

New York
1) Robert C. O'Brien- Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh

Texas:
1) Scott Westerfeld- Uglies, Pretties, Specials

Japan
1) Allen Say- Drawing from Memory

Hello, I'm k8lovesbooks. Welcome to my fourth year doing the 75 book challenge. The type of book that I'm reading right now is dystopian. Last month 5 out of the 10 books I read were dystopian! Some of my favorite books I read were The Giver, by Lois Lowry, and Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea. Hope you enjoy my reading this year!

Hi Kate. I'm looking forward to seeing what you read n 2014. My kids have got a thread on here too and I will send Fletcher over to visit soon! He's 9.

I'll enjoy that, Cushla! I just bookmarked their page!

Welcome back!

I look forward to following your reading in 2014. Do you have any goals or plans for your reading this year? I'm going to keep reading whatever takes my fancy, but I hope to keep reading lots of translated books. I like reading about different places and cultures. What is "stately" reading?

I'm wondering about "stately" reading too. Happy New Year!

"Stately" reading is reading books from authors in different states. I don't think I'm quite ready for Global Reading yet.

Happy New Year!

Happy new year Kate.
If I see some New Zealand books that I think you would like they could be your lead-in to Reading Globally!
I will get Fletcher to reply to you on his thread later. He is a boy of few words...

Happy new year, K8! I remember reading The Golden Fleece and Gulliver's Travels back when I was in school, so I'll be interested in what you think about them.

Just finished City of Ember!

Hi K8! My son read City of Ember in 6th grade, and he liked it so much that he bought the whole series for me. I liked all 4 of them, but City of Ember was my favorite!

Happy New Year Kate! I hope you enjoy Farenheit 451. It fits into your dystopian theme nicely.

That's some pretty heavy reading you're doing right now. Good luck! I try to balance more with easy books and hard books at the same time.

#13- That would be awesome if you would look around for some New Zealand books that I might like!

#14- So far, I like reading the short stories embedded in The Golden Fleece. I think Gulliver's Travels is a little hard for me to understand because Swift is writing about how England was treating the citizens, and I don't know much about England at the time.

#16- I think I might try the second book, because The City of Ember leaves you hanging.

#17- Happy New Year to you too. I hope I enjoy Fahrenhiet 451. My mom says that it is one of her favorite books.

#18- I just started Uglies by Scott Westerfeld, so hopefully that is an easier book.

Finished Uglies! I think I'll start Incarceron by Catherine Fisher.

Wow, k8. You are reading up a storm. Two books in three days.

Yes, we are going to have to go the library AGAIN!

I see you gave Al Capone Does My Shirts five stars. What did you like about it?

1) City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau

A few feet beyond their shoes was a sheer, dizzying drop. They looked out into a cave so enormous that it seemed almost as big as the world outside. Far down at the bottom shone a cluster of lights. "It's Ember," Lina whispered.

Lina Mayfleet lives happily in a city called Ember. But people are starting to wonder- is Ember going to run out of energy? While all this wondering is going on, Lina's class is pulling jobs. At the age of twelve all the kids pick a job. Lina pulls 'Pipeworks'. A boring job and nothing like she'd hoped to get, and Doon Harrow pulls messenger. Running? Horrified, Doon asks to trade with Lina, who accepts. But light bulbs are running low as Lina hears from her friend Lizzie, and the generator is under constant repair as Doon finds out. How long will Ember hold out? Is there time to save it?

I enjoyed reading this book, because the ideas that DuPrau has are amazing. A city in a huge cave? A generator running a whole city? I liked reading about the regular life in the city, with all the jobs and the little adventures that Lina and Doon go through together. I liked reading the part about Doon collecting bugs, because I collect bugs too. I don't like the part where Lizzie steals from the storerooms through Looper, but that fits into the story well, so in the end, I would not change this book if I were to rewrite it.

24: Hmm, I'd be interested in the bug collecting too. Thanks for adding that bit to your review.

What an interesting review. I love that you like amazing ideas and collect bugs -- my father and sister used to do that.

I found this dragonfly in Maine last summer.

27: Cool! Have you identified it?

No, but I have some others that I have pinned and identified. I'm hoping to start another thread for animals if my mom lets me.

29: There was a thread about dragonflies in the Gardens & Books group. I almost never see them.

I mostly see butterflies myself. We also have chickens and a dog. Lots of wild birds come to our feeders. We have lots of band-tailed pigeons, and flickers. We also have downy, hairy and piliated woodpeckers.

I liked your thoughtful review, k8. Pulling jobs at a certain age sounds similar to The Giver, where twelve year olds are assigned their life work in a ceremony. At least in The Giver though, there is thought behind the assignment, rather than random chance. I wonder if that is a common theme in Young Adult dystopias?

Hi, Kate! I've seen the Ember book on the sale shelf at my local library and wondered about it - you've convinced me to buy it if it's still there today when I go!

What are you reading these days, k8?

2. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

The next morning she awoke to chaos, the sounds of running, shouting, and the scream of machines invading her dreams. Out the bunkhouse window, the sky was full of hovercars.
Special Circumstances had arrived.

Tally Youngblood can't wait to turn sixteen. When you turn sixteen, you have an operation to make you "pretty". In the operation, no bone goes unnoticed. They shape your eyes and change their color, they change your hair color and make your skin smooth. Tally's mind starts to change when she meets a girl named Shay. Shay does not want to be made a Pretty and would give her left arm to stay "ugly". When Shay decides to run away before her operation and look for some of her friends that left also, she wants Tally to come with her. But Tally's mind is made up. She is going to become pretty. So Shay leaves, telling Tally to keep the place she is going to a secret. But on the day of Tally's operation, Special Circumstances come. They tell Tally to tell where Shay is, or not become pretty. What can Tally say to that?

I enjoyed reading about Tally and her misadventures. I loved reading about the time she lived in because it is so different from our own. I liked hearing about their idea of pretty, because is is also different than my ideas: I wouldn't want to be re-formed! I don't like it when Shay gets turned pretty, because she caused so much trouble, but as I said in my review of The City of Ember, I would not change anything.

Great review, k8! Nice hook at the beginning and good use of the spoiler tag. Your reviews are getting much more sophisticated. :-) It makes me want to reread the book.

#34- The City of Ember is a good book.

#35- Right now I'm reading People of Sparks. What are you reading? You should also reread Uglies.

Which would you recommend I read if I only have time for one: City of Embers or Uglies? Why?

That sounds like an interesting idea for a book, and you described it really well!

#39- I recommended City of Ember to you a while ago, and you already finished it!

#40- Thanks Rebecca.

Wow, I haven't been on in a while. I've finished Pretties, and have got to write the review.

You've listened to a lot of audiobooks so far this month. The same number as books read. Which do you prefer: reading or listening to audio books? Are there some books that make better audio books?

#43- I enjoy listening to books, that way I can draw, but sometimes I prefer to read, because I can give my characters different voices than what the audiobook gives them.

Drawing from Memory by Allen Say

One of the most interesting things that I learned about Allen Say was that he burnt all of his drawing notebooks when he left Japan.

Allen Say grew up in a family that didn't enjoy Allen's artwork. His mother supported him a bit, but his father disapproved of it. When Allen grew older, his father left his mother. Allen and his sister went to live with his grandmother who didn't like Allen. After a while of living together, Allen's mother paid for Allen to go to school. They shipped him off to school. He had an apartment in Tokyo, and lived alone when he was only thirteen. Still loving art, he wanted to become an apprentice of Noro Shinpei, who was a great cartoonist. There Allen practiced art with Noro Shinpei's other apprentice, and eventually he became a well-known artist in America.

I liked reading about Allen Say, because he is an artist, and I'm one too. I don't understand why he burnt all of his notebooks when he left Japan. Maybe it was done to create more space, or done to please his father when he arrived in America.

or done to please his father when he arrived in America.

That's an interesting point. I thought it was strange that his father invited him to come, since they hadn't lived together since his parent's divorce. And stranger still that Allen agreed to go with him. Maybe he didn't want to show up with so much art stuff, since his father didn't approve. Although he could have left them with his sensei. I don't know. It's a mystery.

That's all very interesting about Allen Say, and I'm off to take a look at some of his art.

45: I read this book a couple years ago, and I didn't remember the notebook burning, but I could imagine starting a new life and not wanting to hang on to the old life. I was struck by the fact, and do remember, that he lived alone at such a young age.

#46 Yeah, it is a mystery.

#47 Allen Say's art is cool.

#48 It was interesting to hear that he was living alone at such a young age.

I love Say's picture books, and I've got this one on my wishlist - thanks for the review!

50- Thank you!

What have you been reading lately, k8?

I got some books at Powell's- I just started reading Out of my Mind by Sharon M. Draper.

Chelsey hatching


Chelsey the next morning


Sasha, Chelsey's new friend.


Soprano, Chelsey's new friend.

Cute chicks! Do you have a place for them once they get bigger?

Oh yes, very cute! Thanks for posting the photos.

55- We have eight other chickens at our house. They have a big run and three houses. They expect meal worms every day. They are kind of spoiled.

Adult full sized:
*Kathrine the Great
*Lulu
*Brownie
*Daffodil

Juvenile full sized:
*Buckbeak
*Goldilocks

Bantams:
*Misty
*Rosie

Chicks:
*Chelsey
*Sasha
*Sprano

We also have a black lab- Strider

It must be fun having all those animals running around. I grew up in the city and we always had pets, but they were the kinds that had to be kept in cages, like hamsters and gerbils and chameleons. (My mother wouldn't let us have a dog, because she thought she would end up being the one had to walk it.)

I love the names of your chickens. Was Buckbeak named by a Harry Potter fan?

58- I really enjoyed reading the Gerald Durrell books about him growing up- I even recreated the stories with my playmobil.

59- My family all like Harry Potter, so we named her Buckbeak.

Here are some pictures of the other chickens:


Brownie on the left with Kathrine on the Right


Lulu in the front with Daffodil in the back


Buckbeak


Goldilocks


Misty


Rosie

60: I really enjoyed reading the Gerald Durrell books about him growing up
Love the chickens! I’ve had My Family and Other Animals around for awhile; planning to read it next month. I also grew up in the city. We had a dog, but everything else was caged: guinea pigs, gerbils, mice... lots of mice.

62- We used to have guinea pigs, but they all died. My mom and I want a pig.
We have also have had 10 other chickens, but they ether died horrible deaths, or they were roosters.

I loved all the Gerald Durrell books when I was growing up. We started with My Family and Other Animals and then read the ones about his expeditions to collect animals for his zoo. Whenever I think of a pig as a pet I think about Wilbur in Charlotte's Web.