Wisechild 75

Hi all,
I'm joining the challenge, mostly just to see how many books I do normally read in a year. I can't imagine it's more than 50 usually, but I'm willing to give this a go.
I'm currently finishing The Volcano Lover and am deciding on what my first pick for 2010 will be. I'm hoping to coordinate a little bit with the 1001 books list, but I'm sure I'll get distracted along the way.
I'm also hoping to include some YA material. I've just starting teaching grade 7 English this year (after a few years teaching ESL in high school) so I need to ramp up my YA knowledge.
Cheers!

I'm looking forward to seeing what YA you choose! There are a lot of YA readers in this group, so I'm sure you'll get lots of good suggestions.

Welcome to the group!

Welcome!

Welcome. Good luck with your teaching position.

Starred! I'm one of those YA readers in the group, so I'll look forward to exchanging recommendations with you! :)

Thanks everyone for the words of welcome! I started 2010 off with:

1) Franny and Zooey: A very quick but enjoyable read. I enjoyed the vividness of the characters. I especially liked the name of the radio show "It's a Wise Child," as you could probably tell from my handle (though I actually got this from one of my all time fav books, Angela Carter's Wise Children).

Nice start to the reading year for you!

2) The Last of Mr. Norris: I read Goodbye to Berlin in university, but never had the chance to finish the other Berlin story until now. I think I might have enjoyed this novel more. Of course Goodbye to Berlin has the incomparable Sally Bowles, but it deals with many other subplots. This one seemed for focussed and complete. An interesting portrait of one character in the time that the Nazis were taking power.

I've just been to the library and picked up some children's and teen fiction, so my reviews for those should be coming soon.

I have had The Berlin Stories in the BlackHole for a while now. Maybe this year I will finally get to them!

After a couple of classic literature reads, I moved on to some YA:

3) The Red Necklace: Fun and lively YA historical fiction. A little bit of magic, a little bit of theatre, a little bit of murder and mayhem during the time of the French Revolution. The blood bath of the terror is kept in the background for the most part, so as not to turn off the young ones, but it gives a nice suspenseful backdrop. The plot was a little uneven at times, with some slower pacing that could have been sped up. Also the ending was a little disappointing in that it set up the sequel instead of ramping up the suspense. However, I'd recommend it as a nice quick read if you're into historical fiction.

4) Wetlands: Certainly not for the faint of heart! I read this for my feminist book club, and I can't say that I would recommend it per se, though it certainly generated lively discussion. Anyone who is squeamish should not read this book. Not really an enjoyable read because I was so revolted at many parts, but I can say that it was thought-provoking.

#12: OK, skipping that one. Does not sound like my cup of tea at all.

5) The Book of Three: I'm participating in the group read of the Chronicles of Prydain, so I've posted my thoughts on the book there.

#13 - Definitely skip that book if it's not something that grabs you! I'm glad I read it for the discussion it produced at my book club, but without that kind of interest I would have probably hated it.

I purchased the Red Necklace over the holidays on recommendations from members of the group last year... good to hear you liked it as well!

6) The Tale of Despereaux: I actually read this last week, but didn't get a chance to post about it. This book was a fun little surprise. I loved the narration and the fairy tale quality. I also liked that the characters had surprising depth for such a short little story. I wasn't crazy about how quickly the conclusion wrapped everything together; I thought the set up had deserved better. Mostly I was bewildered about how this could be made into anything approaching a charming movie, considering that the narrative voice was really my favourite part. Has anyone seen the film?

I have not seen the film yet, but I really liked the book. If you enjoy DiCamillo's work, you might want to check out The miraculous journey of Edward Tulane, another juvenile book of hers that is excellent.

#17: Thanks for the suggestion! I'll add that to my pile.

7) The Black Cauldron: for the group read of the Chronicles of Prydain. A more mature book than the first. I'm looking forward to Book 3.

Still working on Alice Munro! Darn report cards.

Give them all A's! Doing report cards cuts into your reading time.

8) Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage: Finally finished! A few very lovely stories in this collection, as well as a few slower ones. Many of the stories focussed on marriages and relationships later on in life (including the story that Sarah Polley's movie Away From Her was based on). I think this might be a collection that I could come back to in about 20 years and it might mean more to me. Very similar to Julian Barnes' The Lemon Table, or even The Stone Angel; I'm not quite in the right age bracket to appreciate these stories to their fullest.

Report cards will be completed tonight, and then I can get back to reading in my free time! I'm running out of room on my larger bookshelf, and need to steal some room from my to-be-read shelves.

Congratulations on finishing up those blasted report cards!

I've been reading, but I've gotten behind in my posting!

9) Coraline
10) The Lightning Thief
11) Lighthousekeeping

I've posted my thoughts on Coraline and The Lightning Thief in the Young Adults thread; I liked Coraline a lot better.

Lighthousekeeping was gorgeous. I love Winterson's writing at her best, and this one just seemed to have words floating through the air. The reoccurring images of seas, darkness, light, fossils, etc. were all interwoven with the themes of stories. Her meditations on what stories can do for our lives may not be groundbreakingly original, but are so beautifully expressed that it doesn't matter.

I'm staying on with my young adult fiction theme and trying to read a bunch of novels that my students are currently working on. I've started rereading A Wrinkle in Time one of my favourite childhood treasures.

#22: I do not do horror, so I think I will skip Coraline, I have already read The Lightning Thief (the weakest book in the series IMO), so that leaves only Lighthousekeeping to add to the BlackHole.

I still love A Wrinkle in Time, even after all these years!

#23, I agree that it still holds up!

12) A Wrinkle in Time: I was surprised actually at how little I had remembered of the basic plot. I remember Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who and Mrs. Which of course, and the tesseract and a little bit about the ending, but other than that it was almost like reading afresh. I was taken in by the whole world all over again. I think I may have to go back and revisit others in the series as well.

I made a trip to the library today to get the rest of the Chronicles of Prydain series and the next in the Percy Jackson series as well. I'd better get busy reading!

Stasia, I don't do horror either, and I was able to handle Coraline without any trouble.

#25: Ah! Good to know. In that case, I will throw it into the BlackHole. Thanks, Roni.

13) Goodbye, Vietnam
14) The Castle of Llyr
15) Tuck Everlasting

I finished the Castle of Llyr as part of the group read.

Goodbye, Vietnam and Tuck Everlasting are books that my Grade 7 students are currently reading in literature circles. Many of my students were eager to read Tuck Everlasting, and I really enjoyed it as well. Vastly superior to the movie, which I saw a few years ago because I love Gilmore Girls and Alexis Bledel. The choice to make Winnie much older in the movie seemed to ruin much of what was interesting about her character. Goodbye,Vietnam was a deceptively simple book about a young girl and her family escaping to Hong Kong by boat. I fell in love with the simple yet rich writing style. Very similar to Parvana's Journey, one of my favourite YA books.

I promised my class that I would be reading the rest of the books they are reading over March Break; I've got 9 more to go!

#27: I am adding Goodbye, Vietnam to the BlackHole. It looks pretty good.

I have had Tuck Everlasting in the BlackHole for a while now. I guess it is about time to take it out and read it.

#28: If you had to choose between the two, I'd put Tuck Everlasting on a higher priority, though I liked Goodbye, Vietnam.

16) Toning the Sweep

Another lit circle book that I finished quickly yesterday. I'm not sure exactly why my school had this in its Grade 7 pile (though I gave it to kids I thought could handle it). It does have a 14 year-old protagonist and it's quite short, but the writing style I think would be too difficult for most youngsters. It deals with a young girl helping move her grandmother out of her house because she is dying of cancer. The memories of the grandfather being killed in 1960s Alabama haunt the mother and the grandmother to this day. It reads more like a short adult novel, except for the fact that it glosses over much of the racial violence. I think a sensitive teenager would enjoy this book, but it didn't go in-depth enough for me, and the changing perspectives and memories would make it confusing for younger readers.

I am just now reading your posts. I will star you to follow what you're reading. My daughter read The Red Necklace and passed it on to my library. I'm glad to see you are accessing your school's library. That's the palce to find out what your kids are reading. Make sure you pass on your comments to the librarian about books you have read.

#30: I’ve actually be taking the books mostly from my school’s bookroom, as I’m trying to work through the books that my students are reading in class. I’m almost done, 2 more to go. You’re right that the library is a great resource; the librarian is usually the one to give me suggestions! I'm glad your daughter enjoyed the Red Necklace. It's been one of my favourites from this year.

17) Iqbal: I wasn’t crazy about Iqbal. It definitely gave a picture of the hardship that the children sold into slavery go through, but I didn’t think that his leadership and impact was really given much of a voice. The last half of the book was pretty sparse. A bit of a disappointment for me.

18) Nightjohn: A very brief but intense read. The descriptions of slavery are quite brutal for such a short novel (and for a young adult novel at that). Powerful but not for the faint of heart.

19) The Waterbearer: I really enjoyed this story of a young African man taken by another tribe and forced to divine water. The narration was beautifully descriptive, and I especially liked the imagery of earth, fire, air, and water; these were incorporated quite delicately throughout the story.

20) Spud Sweetgrass: I really responded to this character. He’s an Irish-Aboriginal teen who’s been kicked out of school and tries to solve a mystery of who’s polluting the river. This didn’t sound like my cup of tea, but the character’s dry humour and original voice won me over. Plus the ending is a lot of fun.

21) The Secret of NIMH: Another re-read for me. I don’t remember when I read this, but I’m sure I was quite young. It all came flooding back to me as I read. But unlike A Wrinkle in Time, which brought back lots of good memories, I found myself a bit bored by the wordy explanations of the rats' story. I see all the original thinking that was put into the novel, and there are lots of interesting ideas about technology and civilzation, but the actual structure of the novel irritated me. I didn’t like that Mrs. Frisby sat listening to a story for nearly ¾ of the book, and that bits and pieces of the story had to be explained at different times. This may work for children, but I was bored by the repetitiveness.

22) Adam and Eve and Pinch-Me: I was completely surprised by this novel about a young girl in foster care who wants to run away as soon as she turns 16. This was a case of me judging a book by it’s cover, something I don’t normally do, except that the version that I have was exceptionally bad. Despite my prejudgement, I loved this book. The character and the ghosts that haunt her were subtly drawn and vividly imagined. Another case of a teenage character whose voice really struck a chord with me. Highly recommended.

#31: I am adding a ton of titles from that post to the BlackHole. I hope you are happy :)

#32: Sorry! It does sometimes seem like there are way too many books in this world, and just not enough time. I'm looking forward to finishing all the books my students are reading, and getting back to my black hole...or at least the books I currently have out from the library.

23) Under the Blood Red Sun: Really really interesting. I'm really digging the historical YA fiction I've read this year. This one centers on a Japanese-American boy living in Hawaii in 1941 when Pearl Harbor is attacked. The perspective of a civilian experiencing the attack was really interesting, made all the more heartbreaking by what happens to his family after the attack. The story was intermittently too sports focussed for me - Tomi and his friends love baseball, which I find incredibly yawn worthy - but once the attack on Pearl Harbor happened I had trouble putting the book down. A really good read for young boys, which is sometimes hard to find!

#33: Another one that looks good - and my local library has it, too. Thanks for the recommendation.

24) Among the Volcanoes: This one didn't thrill me. I sort of empathized with the character, a young girl in Guatemala caught between her desire to break from tradition to become a teacher, and helping care for her ailing mother. The were interesting moments where she witnesses guerilla activity and political strife, but they are too fleeting to be really gripping. It also ends cheesily. I don't think is one that will stick with me.

25) A Stone in my Hand: There are only a handful of books that have made me cry, and this was one of them. A young Palestinian girl tries to keep her brother from joining militant extremist groups, but is haunted by the memory of her missing father. The descriptions of Malaak's struggle to keep from shutting down into silence were incredibly touching.

And I'm done the last of the literature circle books! Hurrah! I can finally get back to reading things of my own choice, although I think this was a really worthwhile exercise. It will also make marking the mound of assignments slightly easier!

#35: I am adding A Stone in My Hand to the BlackHole. That one looks too good to pass up. Thanks for the recommendation.

Congratulations on finishing the literature circle books!

I have an autographed copy of Adam and Eve and Pinch Me from... good grief, I think I was in grade 5 or 6 and my teachers sent me to a writing conference for kids. I adored Julie Johnson's books at the time, and listening to her speak I remember being simply mesmerized. Thinking about it is making me want to find the copy on my shelves and re-read it. So glad you enjoyed it!

#37: What were some of your other favourite Julie Johnson's books? I'd be interested in checking her out further.

26) Taran Wanderer: Keeping up with the Lloyd Alexander group read.

27) The Sea of Monsters: Just finished the second in the Percy Jackson series. And as many people recommended, I did like this one better than the first. The Harry Potter similarities are still grating on me a bit, but I found this one to be more action-packed and the ending left me intrigued enough to want to finish the series. I like a good cliffhanger.

#38: I think the Percy Jackson series improves from book to book, so I hope you do hang with it.

28) The Little Stranger

I actually finished this book last week, but I've been swamped and haven't logged on in awhile. I loved this book. I love Sarah Waters in general, and though I don't think this is my favourite of hers, that is only because Fingersmith is one of my all time favourites. Her historical fiction is delicious. This book is a ghost story, and it's a slow burn, but well worth the pace. I'd liken it to Henry James (Spoils of Poyton) mixed with Shirley Jackson. Highly recommended if you like an old fashioned ghostly tale.

#40: I am glad you liked that one better than I did. I will agree with you about Fingersmith though - I really enjoyed it - the very first of Waters' books that I have read.

29) Something Rotten: 4th in the Thursday Next series. I think the 3rd one, The Well of Lost Plots, is my favourite, but all of them are good fun reads. Fforde's formula is consistent, if at times repetitive, but there are always surprises and the literary puns and satire are too good to resist. It's best not to think too hard about them, as the plots then tend to get a bit convoluted. For anyone who thought the first one was fun, but just okay, I'd recommended continuing with the series. As for me, I might wait to pick up the fifth one for awhile.

30) The High King: The last of the Chronicles of Prydain. I finished this a bit earlier than the group read deadline as I had to hightail it back to the library this evening! Overall I'm glad I read this series, but I think it would have spoke to me more as a kid. The characters were too flat and the plot too predictable for me to be really enthralled.

31) Inkheart

Finished this last night and found it thoroughly enjoyable. The only criticism I have is that it was not one of those books where you feel upset that it's over. Sometimes books stay with me for days afterwards, and I find myself wishing I was still reading it. This was not one of those books, and I think I would attribute that to the length. I think this could have been about 100 pages shorter (at least). Still, I enjoyed Meggie and Dustfinger, and would be interested to read the rest of the trilogy.

32) Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha

I wasn't sure that I was going to like this book at first. It has been on my TBR shelf for a number of years and I think I tried picking it up before and putting it down again. I'm so glad I didn't put it down this time. The kid version of stream of consciousness took a little getting used to (and the somewhat irritating absence of chapters) but once I got into the voice of the character I thoroughly enjoyed it. Doyle captures the duality of childhood very well, the mean spiritedness and joy of destruction mixed with incredible vulnerability and innocence. The fear and confusion he displays when his parents fight is palpable. The ending is heartbreaking and touching, especially when you realize the significance of the title. Highly recommended.

#44: Hopefully I will get my hands on that one soon! I am looking forward to reading it. Glad you enjoyed it.

I purchased Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha at a library sale. I hope to read it soon. I like your review!

33) Unwind

I had this recommended to be by a friend, and I was blown away. I don't read a lot of science fiction, and haven't read a YA sci-fi book in a long while. This is more of a dystopian novel, set in a future where teens between 13 and 18 can be 'unwound' by their parents. There entire body is divided and donated as organs so they don't technically 'die'; the story follows three teens trying to escape this fate. This doesn't sound like fodder for a rich character study, but I found the three characters to be complex, engaging and realistic. The action is just the right level of intensity and there are lots of twists and turns to keep the reader on her toes. I found myself annoyed about going to work in the morning as I just wanted to stay home and finish it. Highly, highly recommended.

#47: I already have that one in the BlackHole. Unfortunately, my local library does not have it yet.

I felt a similar way about Inkheart, and I actually think the ending to the FILM was far, far better suited to the story than what's in the book. I hadn't intended to keep reading the series... until I saw the movie, which made me want to read the next two (one of which I hope to read this month). You're right though, it could have also been a bit shorter.

>48 alcottacre: Hope the library gets it in soon. It will be worth the wait!

>49 dk_phoenix: Interesting. I didn't thing the film had gotten very good reviews. Perhaps I'll have to check it out. I'm usually wary of movies adapted from books, especially children's fantasy; remember The Golden Compass? Yick! What a disaster they made of that!
I might try reading The Thief Lord before the others in the series as I've heard that is good as well.

34) The Remains of the Day

I have had this on my TBR shelf for what seems like forever. I wish I had read it much sooner. I have seen the movie more than once (I adore Emma Thompson), but I had figured the book would be much different. The movie does play up the romance a lot, and it's definitely more pro-American than the book (I thought it strange that they chose to make the two American characters into the same 'voice of reason' character played by Christopher Reeve.) One aspect of the movie that I liked a lot was what Emma Thompson does with the Miss Kenton character. The one thing I would criticize about the book was that her character seems to lack the vitality that she has in the movie.
This is probably because Ishiguro is doing something much more subtle than a movie could ever hope to do. His analysis of Mr. Stevens is indepth and insightful. You feel at times puzzled by, frustrated by, amused by, and sorry for this character and his actions. His reminiscences are funny and sad on the surface and give you a glimpse at the many layers underneath his fixed exterior. I would recommend both the movie and the book for different reasons, which is not something I do often.

#51: I know I need to read that one. It is just a matter of finding where I put it!

I thought Stevens came across as more of a plonker in the book than he did in the film. I also thought the plot sort of fizzled out.

>50 wisechild:: Oh, I know what you mean... I think that will forever be known as "The Golden Compass Incident" which perhaps no one should ever speak of again... Now, while I wouldn't say the entire Inkheart film is wonderful, on the whole I enjoyed it more than the book, and I think that's because Funke was heavily involved in the production and direction. If I'm not mistaken, she put the screenplay together... and as I've said, the ending sells it. If nothing else, skip through the film and watch the end -- it just suits the book so much better.

I'm hoping to read The Thief Lord this month as well; I've heard many good things about it and my poor copy has been languishing on my shelf for the better part of a decade...

35) The Ice Storm

Like the last book I read, The Remains of the Day, I have seen the movie version of The Ice Storm and really liked it. I love Ang Lee's quiet style, and while it's not his best work, the film is enjoyable on several levels (including the moodiness of the characters and the visual appeal of the storm setting).

Unlike The Remains of the Day, however, The Ice Storm novel is awful. Just awful. I think I can safely say that this is the first book I have ever read where the movie was better. Not just better, but vastly superior.

I hated every character. I hated what they said, how they acted, and mostly what they thought, which for 80% of the book, was all about masturbation. Now...I'm no prude. I belong to a real-life book club where we read strictly feminist erotic literature (though we've been on hiatus for awhile). I have no problems with reading books that deal with sex in many ways. This book, however, made me feel icky all over. I won't go into details, but there are some scenes that are just unnecessarily gross. Gross for the sake of being gross and for the sake of making all of the characters unlikable.

And if this weren't bad enough (which it was), the incessant 'lists' that Moody makes were beyond irritating. In order to 'set the mood' of the 70s, he would spend an entire page listing all of the TVs shows, or listing all of the different titles of Fantastic Four comic books, or all of the music being listened too. How this was considered 'descriptive detail' by his editor I have no idea.

My partner kept asking me why I earth I wanted to keep reading a book that I hated so much. I can't explain to him why I detest not finishing a book; I just do. But I would have to say this is one of the worst books I've read in a long time. Yuck.

I've never read a book by Rick Moody that didn't make me want to start a class-action lawsuit against the publisher for using those trees to print the bloody thing.

Right on, sister woman.

>56 richardderus: Cheers to that! I'm not going within a ten-mile radius of anything by him again. This will teach me to read books I picked up off the street.

Oh, I hope you'll keep reading random books that you find like that! A bad book found is a bad book avoided in my view. When I liberate a book from a random place, even if I hate it, I think it's a gift from the Universe. I didn't have to waste any mental resources on finding it!

#55: The Ice Storm is shooting straight for the top of my 'do not read' list. Thanks for the warning!

>58 richardderus: You're right Richard...it is fun to see what the Universe sends you. I am more than happy to send the Ice Storm back into the abyss in the hopes that it will find a better home.

>59 alcottacre: 'Do not read' list? Is it bigger than the BlackHole?

#60: Not yet, but give it time!

36) Around the World in 80 Days

I seem to be reading lots of books lately that I've already seen as movies (completely unintentionally). I loved this movie as a kid, but haven't seen it in years. I don't know that it would stand up (and I certainly have no intention of seeing the Jackie Chan version).
As for the book, however, it was tons of fun. A very quick read, with just the right amount of silly situations that the characters get into. I love the old Victorian method of naming characters: Fogg, a 'mysterious' gentleman; his servant Passpartout, who must 'pass with him through all the world'; and the policeman Fix, who certainly gets himself in a fix trying to find out of if Fogg truly is a bank robber. I know I'm a geek but that kind of thing makes me giggle. The writing is not too verbose and there is enough action to keep the reader interested.
The one drawback is of course, the outdated Victorian English view on other countries. The Orientalism is at times cringe-worthy: "Hong Kong seemed to him not unlike Bombay, Calcutta and Singapore, since, like them, it betrayed everywhere the evidence of English supremacy." Ouch. It gets worse when they travel to America and Verne muses on Mormon polygamy practices and Sioux Indians. Needless to say, neither of these groups of people are looked upon very favourably. While I never like to excuse these kinds of views saying "that's just what they thought at the time," I still think the book is readable because the narrative also has many positive things to say about other countries. There is even an interracial marriage, which I imagine at the time would have been quite forward-thinking.
I would still recommend this book as a fun light read, bearing in mind the outdated worldview as a good reminder of how far we've come in respecting different cultures.

On a slightly different note...I'm going to be able to read much more frequently over the next few weeks. I'm a little behind in my 75 challenge, but hopefully summer vacation will allow me to catch up. These past few weeks really kicked my butt: report cards, end of year stuff, job interviews, ahh! But, as a positive end to all the craziness, yesterday I turned 30 and got myself a brand new full-time teaching position! Woot!

Congratulations! Now that you know you have a job in the fall, you can really enjoy your summer break!

Well, I just have to delurk long enough to offer my congratulations. Who and what will you be teaching in the fall? Happy reading this summer!

Congratulations (and belated happy birthday!)

Congratulations on your new job and Happy Birthday for yesterday.

Thanks! It was a great birthday. My new full-time job will be teaching at-risk kids in an alternative school. Though I'm sure this will be a challenge, I'm really excited about returning to high school (after a year of grade 7) and about the small class sizes. I'm certainly going to be enjoying my summer break with some good books!

Congrats on the job! Oh, and enjoy the reading.

Good luck with your new job. That will be quite a challenge! Make sure you read The Outsiders by Hinton and Monster by Myers. They are two standards for high school, at-risk kids that grab their attention and reach them.

>70 mamzel: The Outsiders is a favourite of mine to do with students. I'll have to check out Monster. Thanks for the recommendation.

37) This Side Jordan

This is Margaret Laurence's first novel, set in Ghana on the eve of independence. It follows two families, one black and one white, who are both about to give birth to their first child. We mostly get the perspective of the two fathers-to-be, and see all the complications of race-relations in colonial Africa through their eyes. The tension between Africans and the British are fully realized, sometimes making the reader cringe, but always probing us to think. Laurence is very adept at interweaving mythological and religious themes into the thoughts of the characters. She does this nicely through the character of Nathaniel, who is caught between the mythological pull of his ancestry and the promise of a new modern African society.

I may be wrong, but I think this is Laurence's only novel told through a male perspective (I can't speak for her all her short stories or YA fiction). I saw this as a bit of a drawback, as I didn't fall in love with the characters like in The Diviners, or even The Stone Angel. I may have sympathized with Nathaniel, but I don't think I came away with any real sense of empathy. This may have been the limitations of a first novel, or it may have been the difficulty of writing through the eyes of someone of a different gender and a different race (not easy for any writer, I imagine). I would still recommend this book, but possibly only to those who are interested in the subject matter or in Laurence's early writing. And to those who haven't read The Diviners, please do...you're in for a treat.

#71: I have never read anything by Margaret Laurence, so I will start trying to track down her books. Thanks for the recommendations!

>72 alcottacre: Do give her a try Stasia! The Stone Angel is a staple in Canadian high schools, but I think it probably a book you should read when you're a little older, since the character is looking back on her life (I plan on re-reading sometime). The Diviners is an amazing book, and probably better suited for all ages, but the don't teach it in school because there are too many steamy scenes. The writing is gorgeous and one of the few books that makes me cry (soaking, sobbing tears) everytime.

#73: I checked and the local college library does have The Stone Angel, so I will begin there although it will probably be the fall before I get to it.

38) The Mysterious Affair at Styles

I enjoyed this book, though I don't know that I have a lot to say about it. A pretty standard Christie mystery, though I think this is an early one and she's just warming up to her style. The mystery, when revealed, was a bit of a let down, but the characterization of Poirot more than makes up for it. At the very least, this encouraged me to pick up more of her works, as I haven't read her since I was a kid.

Congratulations on hitting the halfway point of the challenge!

>76 alcottacre: Thanks! I didn't even notice that I passed the halfway point. Fairly good timing, as we're about halfway through the year.

39) The Book Thief

I wanted to really love this book, and I did like it a lot. Liesel is a young girl in Nazi Germany who goes to live with foster parents and loses her brother along the way. Her career as a book thief begins at his grave, and she begins to find meaning in stories, words and books as she tries to navigate the difficult world of war and anti-semitism around her. I was engaged with the characters, and the interesting narrative perspective of Death incarnate. I can't quite put my finger on why I wasn't completely enthralled; all the elements were there, but something lacked. I think the length may have contributed to this feeling, even though I though the story did clip along at a nice pace. In the end, I would recommend this book, but not passionately.

Two more to review!

40) Summer Crossing

Capote's first novel, published posthumously in 2004, was a quick read. So quick, in fact, I'd put in the category of novella. Unfortunately, it did read a bit like an unfinished novel. There were some really interesting things going on; his descriptions of the characters are rich and thoughtful, but I was left wanting more. The story centres on Grady, a young rich socialite left in New York for the summer when her parents travel to Europe; as they leave, she enters into a risky love affair with someone her parents would not approved of (to say the least). I enjoyed the book more for its similarities to a book I read earlier this year, Franny and Zoey. I would recommend this book to those who are interested in Capote, or Salinger for that matter. Those who are not a fan of either should probably skip this one.

41) The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

I loved this book!!! Did not want it to end. Ever. Those who have not read it are missing out. The story is about a young writer in England after the war who strikes up an unexpected friendship with members of a literary society on the Channel Islands; through this friendship she discovers what their lives were like during the German occupation of WWII. Their stories are fascinating, funny, heartwarming and heart-wrenching all at once. The finale is predictable but I didn’t care. In fact, I stayed up to 1am to finish it, which is definitely the sign of a well spun yarn.

#78: Guernsey was one of my favorite reads last year. I am glad to see that you enjoyed it as well!

Thanks Stasia. And thanks for recommending the Murdoch Mysteries...

42) Night's Child

The fifth in the Murdoch Mysteries series. I picked this one as my library didn't have the first one, it looked interesting, and it conveniently fit in withe night and day TIOLI challenge. I thoroughly enjoyed looking at Victorian Toronto through the eyes of a straight-laced detective. He even visited my neighbourhood! The plot was not exactly suspenseful, but it was a light read (despite the rather dark subject matter of child exploitation). I felt there were a few loose ends that could have been tied up more elegantly, but it was a fun enough read for me to look into more of the series.

43) The 39 Steps

Yet another book read on the new ipad. I can't say that I enjoyed this much. The blatant anti-semitism in the first chapter was off putting, and the plot was convoluted. Also, the 'man on the run' motif got very tiresome, and he just seemed to be running from place to place for no reason throughout the whole thing. Not recommended.

44) The Big Sleep

In contrast to The 39 Steps, I found this noir novel to be really fun. While most of the content has become cliche, with blonde femme fatales, crooked gangsters and lots of brandy, I still felt like there was a great energy to the story. Though its not a traditional mystery, the series of greater entanglements hooked me in. I loved the stylistic atmosphere as well: "dead men are heavier than broken hearts." How can you not love a line like that?! While the obvious outdated sexist quality is not exactly positive, for some reason I was able to forgive this aspect because the style was so vivid.

I am glad you enjoyed Night's Child. I hope you get to read more of Jennings' books.

45) The Thirteenth Tale

This book started out rather slow. I'm not sure why I wasn't able to get into it as it's totally up my alley: creepy old house, twins, a governess, lots of references to Jane Eyre. But I found the first half of the book dragging. After about the halfway point however, I got hooked in with one scene and raced ahead to the very satisfying finish. I love the feeling of suddenly being grabbed and not being able to put the book down. And the big 'ahh...that was good' at the end of a well-told, well-crafted story. Old fashion storytelling at its best.

46) Monster

Thanks to mamzel for the recommendation. I went into my new school recently to take a look at what resources we have, and I remembered this one, so I grabbed it to read over the summer. As for my own reading, this was really quick, but thoughtful YA novel. Steve Harman is on trial for murder and writes his story in the form of a screenplay of the trial. As for teaching, I think my students may have a tough time with the format. I found myself having to look back to the beginning of the book sometimes to figure out who the characters were. Weaker readers might also not be able to follow the different fonts and screenplay notes (longshot, voiceover, cut to, etc.) I do think the content would be really engaging and the ambiguity would make for great discussions, but I'll have to see what my students' reading level is like before using it in the classroom.

#82: I liked The Thirteenth Tale when I read it a couple of years ago too. I will have to give it a re-read one of these days.

So sorry to be lax in posting on your thread. I enjoy visiting/lurking here.

You read many of the books I've read. I enjoy your comments!

I read Monster a few years ago for a YA lit class....as I recall, I found that it could be a bit confusing as well, but an interesting concept.

I really enjoyed The Thirteenth Tale last year, but you're right, the beginning isn't the most engaging thing and it takes some time to get going. But it's worth it!

Have not kept up with the posting as I've been frantically reading Wolf Hall.

>83 alcottacre:, 86 - Glad you also liked The Thirteenth Tale. I think it might have been my favourite this month.

>84 Whisper1: - You're welcome to lurk here any time!

>85 jayde1599: - I would have loved to take a YA lit class in my undergrad but they always filled up so fast. Did you do mostly contemporary novels or classics? (Or both?)

47) Wolf Hall

I'm actually quite proud of myself that I finally sat down and read this. It was on my list since it won the Booker, but it just looked to daunting to tackle at any other time of year (i.e. when I don't have infinite amounts of free time like during my summer vacation). But I found it surprisingly easy to read, aside from the frequently flipping to the beginning of the book to check out the list of characters (thank you to the editor who obviously insisted on that being included!).

This is probably not a book that would appeal to those uninterested in the Tudors. The minute details of life in the world of Henry XIII is impressively researched, but I've spoken to people who have tried to read this without having a background knowledge of the time, and have failed miserably. For me, the historical plot of Henry, Katherine and Anne Boleyn is such familiar territory that I found myself slightly bored by this aspect. I was most interested in the childhood, family life and inner thoughts of Cromwell, which is where I thought Mantel's writing really shone. There were some little gems of insight sprinkled throughout, and that kept me engaged through to the end. For such a long book, it's interesting to note how much of Cromwell's life (and eventual downfall) it doesn't cover. Recommended, but probably only to those who get a kick out of Henry and his parade of wives.

Congratulations on finishing Wolf Hall!

Thank you! I'm off to read some lighter (or at least shorter) fare. Starting with When You Reach Me and then possibly on to Shiver.

I loved When You Reach Me. I hope you enjoy it!

I bought a copy of Wolf Hall and it's been sitting there on my shelves looking intimidating ever since! I really need to just buckle down and start it... :)

> 91 I am enjoying it! I hope to finish it later today.

>92 BookAngel_a: It's actually not as intimidating as it seems. You just have to do a little work at the beginning getting some of the characters straight, but other than that it's not a difficult read. I'm glad I buckled down!

48) When You Reach Me

A really endearing story, and not just for all the references to my childhood love, A Wrinkle in Time. I really enjoyed the heartfelt story of Miranda trying to navigate the sometimes harsh world of middle school. Discovering boys, gaining and losing friends, and learning to stick up for those who need it - all these aspects felt warm and not cliched. The twist to the story was creative, but a little predictable, though I think it would really appeal to a younger audience. Recommended as a quick, lovely read.

I love Margaret Laurence's Manawaka books, including The Diviners and The Stone Angel, A Bird in the House and two others.

49) The Shadow of the Wind

After recommending The Thirteenth Tale to a friend, she lent me this book as equally good metafiction, and she wasn't wrong. Though the The Thirteenth Tale had a slight edge for me in terms of its gothic themes, I also couldn't put down this mystery set in the aftermath of the civil war in Spain. The bits and pieces of the narrative a slowly unravelled, some which I saw coming and some which I didn't, which was a nice surprise. Special mention goes to the welcome comic relief of the wise fool Fermin, one of my favourite characters of recent reads (though be forewarned, his language is quite colourful, often the colour blue). Highly recommended.

50) The Road

After finishing this postapocalyptic novel, I can't foresee anyone saying, 'Oh, I liked that.' There are some who will love this, some who will hate it, and some who will appreciate it; I'm in the latter category. It certainly wasn't an enjoyable read. There was one point around the 200 page mark where I gasped in dismay and put the book down. If this particularly horrifying scene had come any earlier, I don't think I would have finished the book, but at the point I wanted to just finish it. Nevertheless, the story absorbed me with its bleakness and there were some moments of clarity that made it worth my time. I don't think I could recommend this to anyone, as I think each person might have a strong personal reaction to this book. I appreciated McCarthy's insight, but am left wanted to go read something a little more comforting.

>95 elkiedee: I haven't read A Bird in the House yet, but I have it on my TBR shelf. She is pretty terrific.

Hi Wisechild, The Road is definitely a very emotional read. It's one of my favorites...so...I guess that says something about me, huh? :o

#94: Loved that one.

#96: Loved that one.

#97: Loved that one.

I see a trend here :)

>99 Ape: Emotional is probably a good word for it. I'm still upset about the thing with the baby. :(

>100 alcottacre: Ha! Well, I just started Freak the Mighty, which I know you raved about. I'll try and do my best to surprise you with my next few reads, though that might be a fool's errand!

#101: If you hate Freak the Mighty, I may never show up on your thread again, lol. Of course, you might count that a blessing :)

Stasia, I didn't mean I wanted to read books you'd hate, I meant I should try finding books you haven't read yet!
But never fear! You'll have to keep showing up here because...

51) Freak the Mighty

Loved it! This little gem made me laugh out loud so much that my partner kept asking me what the heck I was doing. Add a touch of suspense and some poignant moments, and overall this was a winner. I remember this book from back in my student teaching days where one school I was at read it with some emerging readers. I thought that the vocabulary might be too difficult for a group like that, but I can see how the story might be enough to grab their attention so they could push through all the tough stuff. At any rate, I'm glad I finally got around to reading it. Highly recommended.

#103: I am glad you loved that one. I rarely add young adult books to my library, but I am looking for a copy of that one to keep.

52) Shades of Grey

This one started a bit slowly for me, but I still dug it. It's set in a post-apocalyptic world where a rigid societal hierarchy is structured on what colour a person can see, similar to Brave New World but more fun. When compared my recent read of The Road, I really appreciated the depth of Fforde's imagination. I don't know how this guy comes up with the stuff he does, but I'm certainly happy to be along for the ride. Fans of his will like this too, though it's a bit of a darker departure from the Thursday Next stuff, it still has his signature style. I'm looking forward to reading the next installments, as I found the Thursday Next series to get better as it went along.

53) The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

This was a big ol' meh. I thought the writing was pretty terrible, and was confused by the endless iBook ads and technical jargon that had no bearing on the story. The story itself was predictable and ultimately disappointing. I read this for the 'I Would Like to Be' TIOLI challenge, but I didn't end up wanting to be the girl with the dragon tattoo At All. I don't think the author knew how to handle the pretty sensitive issue of female victimization and I was left feeling cold. Some may enjoy the page-turning aspect of this thriller, but I don't think I'll be reading the rest of the trilogy.

#106: I am sorry you did not enjoy the book more, Karen. I do hope your next read is more to your taste!

54) Cloud Atlas

What a book! I wish I had read this when it was first published, as my mom told me I would like it. I would put this under best reads of the year so far. I don't know that I can fully articulate all my feelings about the book, other than how much I liked the structure. I thought the disparate stories intertwining might feel contrived, but the energy of the book made it work. I think I will be reading this again, as I feel that it's the type of book that you would get new things out of each time. Highly recommended.

#108: I am glad to see you enjoyed that one!

55) Shiver

I was skeptical about this young adult novel. I love gothic, paranormal stuff but was wildly disappointed in Twilight. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised; this was what the Twilight series should have been. I still think the female character, Grace, could have been a bit more interesting, but I really liked Sam. The dual perspectives kept me engaged and the story never felt predictable, which is hard to do in a teen werewolf book!

Wow, you've been reading some great titles of late, most are already in my Mt Tbr, but now a few are moving over to the 'read soon' position. Shades of Grey, Shiver and Cloud Atlas are all on my reading radar. Consider Martin Millar's Lonely Werewolf Girl if you want something different from Twilight and more like Jasper Fforde.

#110: The sequel to Shiver is out now too, Karen, so you might want to give Linger a try.

56) Nine Stories

The first book I read this year was Franny and Zoey, and this was equally enjoyable. A few stories stood out, like 'A Perfect Day for Bananafish,' Uncle Wiggly in Connecticut' and 'De Daumier-Smith's Blue Period.' The rest of the stories were a bit 'meh,' but overall I would recommend it.

I'm so behind in my reading, and consequently my posting. September truly is a busy month for teachers! I've got a few more on the go, but I'm hoping to pick up steam in October as I make my way towards 75.

#113: I'm hoping to pick up steam in October as I make my way towards 75

I have no doubt that you will make it, Karen!

Thanks Stasia! I've got two on the go right now.

57) The Castle of Otranto In short, this is a silly book. The writing is terrible and the characterization laughable, but for what it is, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Plus, for it's time it was groundbreaking, and I thank it for all the lovely gothic novels it inspired afterwards.

This is my favourite weekend in Toronto (book geek alert!)...Word on the Street festival and the Vic Book Sale are always the same weekend every year. I'm missing the Word on the Street festival tomorrow because of a book club meeting (hrmph!) but I went to the Vic Book Sale today and got a very nice haul, including quite a few recommendations from good old LibraryThing. Here's the list (in no particular order):

The Cure of Death by Lightning by Gail Anderson-Dargatz
The Birth House by Ami Mckay
Beyond Black by Hilary Mantel
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
Sweetness in the Belly by camilla Gibb
Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
Notes for the Hyena's Belly by Nega Mezlekia
By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept by Elizabeth Smart
Rebecca and Jamaica Inn by Daphne Du Maurier
Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
Poor Tom is Cold and Under the Dragon's Tail by Maureen Jennings
The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
Bronte by Glyn Hughes
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

Ok...touchstones are being unreliable.

Nice haul, love those book sales.

Great haul, Karen! Congratulations.

58) The Year of Magical Thinking

The first read from my recent book haul. I thoroughly enjoyed this book about a wife's grief after her husband's death and daughter's illness, though it wasn't exactly uplifting. Her prose is direct and unflinching, and she details her feelings of confusion with refreshing clarity.

59) Chanda's Secrets

This was a lovely YA novel about a young girl in Africa dealing with the AIDS epidemic that has affected her life and the lives of those around her. Again, not exactly cheery subject matter, but her learning to stand up to the shame and ignorance around AIDS ends up being uplifting. I read this book from a stash at school and may end up using it for future teaching.

#120: I have already read the Didion book, but never heard of Chanda's Secrets. Thanks for the recommendation, Karen. I will look for that one!

I think you'd like that one Stasia. It's Canadian, so that may may be why it wasn't on your radar.

#122: My local library has a copy of it, so hopefully I can get to it soon. Thanks again.

60) Under the Dragon's Tail

I liked this Murdoch Mystery more than the first book I read in that series, Night's Child. Although this one has less emphasis on Murdoch's character, I liked the story better. These books are definitely on the predictable side, I really like the emphasis on the social history of my town. The seedy underbelly and lack of empathy for the unfortunate (especially marginalized groups and poor children) make this series depressing but insightful.

#124: I am very upset that my local library only has the first book in that series. I would really like to read more of them.

#125 That is too bad! I also have the third one...maybe when I'm done that we could do a trade?

#126: Sure! Although I am not sure what I have that you would be interested in, Karen. Take a look at my library and let me know if anything piques your interest.

61) The Woman in White

I enjoyed this mystery/suspense novel much more than I thought I would. I starting reading it on my partner's ipad, with the intention of reading a few pages a day throughout the month while I read other things. However, round about page 200 (out of 1100 on the ipad) I got hooked and couldn't put it down. I did find that it slowed down towards the end, especially after most details of the mystery are revealed and a significant portion of the end is spent in wrapping up details. Nevertheless, the majority of this rather long book kept me in suspenseful enjoyment. I will definitely be picking up more of his books.

#128: I am currently reading The Woman in White too. If you are in the mood for more of Collins' work, I would highly recommend The Moonstone.

62) The Cure for Death by Lightning

I've finished this one about a week ago on the plane to Vancouver. I was inspired to read it for the long name author TIOLI challenge, but also because it's set in BC. The novel didn't turn out to be quite what I was expecting however. In some ways I liked the infusion of native myths with this story of rural life, but the picture of the main character's childhood is rather brutal. She is trapped on a farm during WWII with her mentally ill, shell-shocked father, at the hands of which she suffers all kinds of abuse. Her mother copes by speaking to the spirit of her own dead mother, and the cast of other characters seem to be inflicted by some sort of 'otherness' spirit (possibly the trickster Coyote) in the wilderness. In the end I was satisfied with the resolution, but I was expecting a bit more whimsy and magic and a little less bleakness. Recommended only to those who really like their Can Lit.

#130: I think I will give that one a pass, Karen.

I read A Cure for Death by Lightning and also A Recipe for Bees a few years ago and really liked them.

>132 elkiedee: I'm glad you had two good experiences with the author. I'm still having mixed feelings about that book.

63) Freedom

This was my second read for my new (in person) book club. I don't think I would have stuck with this book if it wasn't for that book club. I felt the same way about Frazen's The Corrections - loved the writing, hated all the characters. I just don't think dysfunctional family dramas are for me. At least not ones where the characters are this petty. Loved the book club discussion, can't recommend the book. I am looking forward to our next pick, the new David Mitchell novel.

I need to step my game up if I hope to reach 75 by the end of the year. Does anyone have any extra hours in the day they want to lend me?

If people start lending hours to you, Karen, I hope you will share some with me!

Will do!

Thanks!

64) Poor Tom is Cold

This is book number 3 in the Detective Murdoch Mysteries and my favourite so far. An apparent suicide of an officer allows Jennings to explore issues surrounding mental health, prostitution, and even denistry in 19th century Toronto. The actual mysteries in these books are not particularly suspenseful, but in the end, I'm mostly fascinated by the depiction of the historic seedy underbelly of my beloved town.

#137: I am going to have to find the Jennings series somewhere. My local library has exactly one book in the series, the first one. Arg.

Stasia, I'm done with both of those books. Would you like them? I can't really see myself rereading them. Is there a way of private messaging me your address?

#139: Thanks for the offer, Karen. I sent you a PM.

65) Rebecca - Read for the TIOLI alphabet challenge. Not exactly what I was expecting, but that might have been a good thing. I thought it was going to be a little more like Jane Eyre, but it ended up feeling more contemporary. The main character was a little bit whiny, but I enjoyed the spectre of Rebecca that pervaded the novel. Overall, satisfyingly creepy.

66) Prince Caspian - A reread from my early childhood. This book almost captures the magic of the first, but doesn't quite get there. The loveliest bits were all the various creatures featured, especially the mice. I also enjoyed finding my name and phone number printed in the front cover in my own 8 year old handwriting. Funny stuff.

67) By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept - Read for the TIOLI thinster challenge, this is more of a prose poem than a true novel. Apparently the story of a love triangle between the female narrator, a man and his wife is autobiographical, but there is not much story here. Instead there is a tirade of emotion, sometimes powerful, sometimes jarring, sometimes histrionic, but definitely not boring. The rawness of her feelings permeate every sentence and left me feeling a little exhausted, especially for such a short book. I think this might deserve a reread at a later date, just to experience the language again more fully.

#141: Some nice reading there, Karen!

I have never heard of By Grand Central Station so I will have to look for it. Thanks!

68) The Voyage of the Dawn Treader - This was a new read for me. I'd read the first four books in the series when I was young, and have been slowly picking my way through again over the past year or so. But I'm sad that I didn't read this one as a kid because I loved it. I think it definitely rivals The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, if not surpassing it. I loved the adventure and the references to Odysseus and his travels. Lots of mysterious creatures and spooky islands. I'm looking forward to what they do with the movie coming out soon.

69) Blink - My first ever audio book. I listened to this in my car on the way to work for the last week or so and really enjoyed it. Gladwell's writing, and his reading voice, are perfectly suited to this format. His premise is interesting, but the real engagement comes with the stories he tells to prove his point. The only criticism I would have is that his point is a little vague, but the anecdotes are so varied that I was entertained all the way through (highlights included stories about coke/pepsi challenges, marriage counseling, art forgery and malpractice lawsuits). I've been skeptical about audiobooks in the past, especially with fiction, but I think I've found a good way to increase my non-fiction intake.

70) The Titan's Curse - I really liked this Percy Jackson installment. A very quick read, with a pretty obvious 'twist' for those who know anything about Greek Mythology, but still enjoyable. I really liked the characters of the Hunters. The one thing about the series that continues to bug me is how much older Percy seems than his supposed age of 14. I think the series would have benefited from him being an older teen, but maybe that's just me. I'm looking forward to completing the last two books in the new year.

71) The Skull Beneath the Skin - A delightful classic-type mystery. Everyone is on an island, someone dies, and everyone has a reason for wanting her dead. The conclusion was satisfying and not overly silly. I've never read PD James before but I will definitely suss out some more of her stuff.

I am glad to see you will be joining us again for 2011, Karen!

I received a copy of Blink for Christmas, and I'm looking forward to reading it -- happy to hear there are lots of great anecdotes, that's what I like!

Karen

Congratulations on reading 71 books this year!

#145 Thanks Stasia. I haven't set up my thread yet but I will soon.

#146 I hope you like it! I enjoyed listening to his anecdotes, so I hope it holds up in book form.

#147 Thanks Linda. And I'm still going. I'm planning on reaching my goal of 75 by Friday. I have this week off so I don't have anything else to do but read!

Congrats on having the week off to do nothing but read! Here's to 75!

So I made it! Pretty much at the last minute, but still. Here are the last reads of 2010:

72) Vices of My Blood - Number 6 in the Murdoch Mysteries, this one had lots of interesting details about workhouses and charities. This one actually had me guessing at the mystery as Jennings didn't reveal as much detail at the beginning as she normally does.

73) The House of the Vampire - A really interesting gothic novella about a vampire that sucks artistic creativity instead of blood. Creepy and fun.

74) Luka and the Fire of Life - I love Salman Rushdie! One of my all time favourite authors. This was a very accessible young adult novel written for one of his sons. Lots of fun play on words and use of mythology. I haven't yet read the first in this series Haroun and the Sea of Stories but I'll be sure to pick that one up soon.

75) A Christmas Carol - a nice end to the year read. It also worked well with the Jennings novel as it also touches on themes of charity and poverty in Victorian life. I've seen so many versions of this, but the original was well worth the read.

Congratulations!

Congrats!

Thanks everyone! What a great year. 2011 thread is up and ready to go.