AlaskaBookworm's Reading List for 2010

I'm not sure I have any specific goals this year, other than reaching (and exceeding) 100 books.




Currently Reading: The Boy Book by E. Lockhart & At Home by Bill Bryson.

December 2010
119. The Maze Runner by James Dashner
118. The Ladies of Missalonghi by Colleen McCullough
117. The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart
116. Delirium by Lauren Oliver
115. Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork
114. The Crowfield Curse by Pat Walsh
113. Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
112. Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters by Natalie Standiford
111. What Good is God by Philip Yancey
110. The Monk Downstairs by Tim Farrington
109. The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer
108. Pretties by Scott Westerfeld

November 2010
107. Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
106. Tethered by Amy MacKinnon
105. How to Ditch Your Fairy by Justine Larbalestier
104. The Wilding by Benjamin Percy
103. The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler
102. Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen
101. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth by Jeff Kinney
100. Half Brother by Kenneth Oppel
99. The Gift of Rain by Tan Twan Eng
98. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
97. Evil Genius by Catherine Jinks
96. As You Wish by Jackson Pearce

October 2010
95. Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly
94. The Strange Case of the Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger
93. Guinea Dog by Patrick Jennings
92. Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
91. The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
90. The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey
89. Matched by Ally Condie
88. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
87. Great House by Nicole Krauss
86. I Am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to Be Your Class President by Josh Lieb
85. Fifty Miles From Tomorrow by William Hensley
84. The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan

September 2010
83. Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart
82. A Hell of Mercy by Tim Farrington
81. No Such Thing As Dragons by Philip Reeve
80. 31 Hours by Masha Hamilton
79. Countdown by Deborah Wiles
78. Making Toast by Roger Rosenblatt
77. Thirteen Days to Midnight by Patrick Carman
76. Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
75. Fat Vampire by Adam Rex

August 2010
74. Adam & Eve by Sena Jeter Naslund
73. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
72. Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler
71. Flight of Shadows by Sigmund Brouwer
70. Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green & David Levithan
69. One Day by David Nicholls
68. The Good Daughters by Joyce Maynard
67. Kraken by China Mieville

July 2010
66. Introverts in the Church by Adam S. McHugh
65. The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman
64. The Language of God by collinsfranciss::Francis S. Collins
63. Bruiser by Neal Shusterman
62. North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley
61. The Clouds Beneath the Sun by Mackenzie Ford
60. The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson
59. The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall

June 2010
58. Sweethearts by Sara Zarr
57. Hiroshima by John Hersey
56. Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin
55. Scribbler of Dreams by Mary E. Pearson
54. Once Was Lost by Sara Zarr
53. Trouble by Gary D. Schmidt
52. The Boy Who Climbed into the Moon by David Almond
51. Does My Head Look Big in This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah
50. The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
49. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
48. Full Tilt by Neal Shusterman
47. Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr
46. Insatiable by Meg Cabot
45. The Counte of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

May 2010
44. The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell
43. Sapphique by Catherine Fischer
42. 4330318::Surprised By Hope by wrightnt::N. T. Wright

April 2010
41. The Sword by Bryan M. Litfin
40. Who's Afraid of Beowulf? by Tom Holt
39. Twilight of Avalon by Anna Elliott
38. The Teacher's Funeral by Richard Peck
37. Austenland by Shannon Hale
36. A Song for Summer by Eva Ibbotson
35. Incarceron by Catherine Fisher
34. Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta

March 2010
33. My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
32. The Dream of Perpetual Motion by Dexter Palmer
31. The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
30. The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary by Jeff Kinney
29. Unwind by Neal Shusterman
28. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
27. Wringer by Jerry Spinelli

February
26. The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
25. The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag by Alan Bradley
24. Before the Throne by Naguib Mahfouz
23. The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams
22. Beauty by Nancy Butcher
21. Born to Run by Christopher McDougall
20. Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin
19. Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler
18. Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman
17. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
16. What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell
15. Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde

January
14. The Road; Cormac McCarthy
13. The Sparrow; Mary Doria Russell
12. Columbine; Dave Cullen
11. The Magician's Elephant; Kate DiCamillo
10. Equal Rites; Terry Pratchett
9. Going Bovine by Libba Bray
8. Eat This Book by Eugene Peterson
7. The Bear's Embrace by Patricia Van Tighem
6. The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly
5. Adventures in Missing the Point by McLaren and Campolo
4. The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid; Bill Bryson
3. An Emergent Manifesto of Hope; Doug Pagitt and Tony Jones
2. The Invention of Everything Else; Samantha Hunt
1. Impossible; Nancy Werlin

Well, here we go again!

Love your ticker!

Welcome back! Great ticker...

That ticker is adorable!

Glad to see you back with us again, Linda!

I like the ticker, too.

Yes, welcome from all your old friends!!!

Hey Linda, I'm hoping to stay current with your reads this year :)

xox
Susan

I'm here too! (waving)

I'm hoping to stay more current with everyone too. I did woefully last year! I miss everybody!

Okay, it doesn't come anywhere near Stasia's 15 books read this past week, but we do what we can. (wink, wink)

1. Impossible by Nancy Werlin. Liked it; didn't love it. Teenage girl discovers she is the inheritor of a horrible family curse that was put upon them centuries ago by an evil fairy. Only true love can save the day. Kind of interesting, but mostly I was a little bored.

2. The Invention of Everything Else by Samantha Hunt. I'm still processing this book. It was haunting and lovely and at times downright funny. It evocatively captured the wonder of the first half of the 20th Century, the intersection of both scientific saavy and innocent wonder at the world; the belief among many, both rich and poor, that almost anything was technologically possible.

3. An Emergent Manifesto by Doug Pagitt and Tony Jones. I think it took me two years to read this book. It is a series of essays from leaders in the Emergent Church movement. Some of the essays really resonated, and some irritated the heck out of me. Overall, it was interesting, but as is indicated by the length of time it took me to read, I didn't instinctively prefer it over novels.

4. The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson. I'm a big fan of Bryson's. He's got a great sense of humor, if you can see past his habit of chronic exaggeration. This book was a snapshot of his childhood in Des Moines, Iowa in the 1950's. Laugh-out-loud funny.

The Invention of Everything Else sounds great. It's going on my list! I also read and enjoyed The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid.

I have The Invention of Everything Else in the BlackHole already, so I do not need to add it again. I liked The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid, but really did not think it was Bryson's best.

>10 alaskabookworm: That's how I felt. Great motivator for me to do a better job this year :)

I'll put Bill Bryson on the library list, they have a translation :-)

5. Adventures in Missing the Point by Brian McLaren and Tony Campolo. This is my year for trying to finish up reading a bunch of theology-ish books I started over the past couple years. I admit it, when strapped for time, novels always win out. But now that I wake at 6:15am to get my oldest son off to a before-school pre-algebra class, I devote my morning hours to Bible reading and getting caught up on other Christian nonfiction books. McLaren is one of the leaders of what is called the Emerging Church movement. Campolo has been a long-time fixture in the evangelical community. They take turns writing essays about relevant "issues" in contemporary American culture. They each get a chance to respond to the other's essays in a couple pages at each chapter's end. I found this to be a refreshing book, with well-reasoned thoughts. I admit, I preferred Campolo's essays over McLaren's. They were a little more academic and less touchy-feely. McLaren's touchy-feely-ness attracted me to the periphery of the Emerging Church movement a couple years ago, and I think they're got a lot of important things to say, but afterawhile the tone tends to be a bit annoying (to me). Anyway, a good book if you go in for that sort of thing.

6. The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly. After reading Donnelly's young adult book A Northern Light I was very interested in reading her adult fiction. This one definitely falls into the historical romance camp, and is the first in a trilogy. Its been awhile since I've read a book from this genre and it took me awhile to get into it. But in the end I was fairly absorbed in this 750ish-page book that is set in New York and London around 1900. Jack the Ripper plays a role, as does the tea trade. I give it four stars, and have ordered the next one in the series.

7. The Bear's Embrace by Patricia Van Tigham. This book was recommended by Whisper1, who thought I might be interested in it, living in a place that has a large and neighborly bear population. It took me awhile to be "ready" to read it, knowing how the the story plays out. Once I started, though, I couldn't stop reading. It was a sad and poignant story about depression and severe pain; mental illness and some of the inadequacies of the medical establishment (at least in Canada during the time the story is told.) I found myself identifying deeply with Patricia, believing that in similar circumstances I would probably react in much the same way. There are tender and affecting demonstrations of love, and love's short-comings. I highly recommend this book, particularly for anyone who either struggles with depression or cares for someone who does.

8. Eat This Book by Eugene Peterson. Another of those theology books I needed to finish up. This one was given to me by a friend who thought I would love the explorations of the beauty of reading and language, particularly in the context of spiritual reading and understanding the Biblical text. This is an excellent book about reading Scripture, and I would go so far to say it has changed my life. Not a simple list of "to do's", this is a book about imagination and involvement and participation in the continuing "story" that is human history. It's dense at times, but I HIGHLY recommend it, especially if you're someone, who like me, thought the Bible was the most boring book ever written.

I'm already behind on threads again. I am, however, pleased to have read eight books so far this month. A good start (for me).

Hello. I finally found your thread. My, but the 75 challenge group is a large one this year and I'm making a concerted effort tonight to track down my favorite folk from previous years.

Found you and now starred you.

I have a friend who lives in Des Moines Iowa and loves it there. I'm going to get your book #4 for her as a gift.

I'm glad you were able to read A Bear's Embrace. It is a haunting book! You really nailed it regarding your review!

And, regarding book #5, if you are looking for books regarding "theology-ish" subjects, I just finished two very good books. Tuttuthefirst (Tina) recommended Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith by Kathleen Norris and it is excellent. In addition, I recently read Have a little Faith by MItch Albom, also a wonderful book.

Congratulations on finishing eight books thus far!

Linda/Whisper1: Somewhere in my unwieldy stacks (I added over 2,000 books last year! It's getting kind of ridiculous - not that this will slow down acquisition), I have a copy of Amazing Grace. I'll need to dig it out. Ironically (I think), she also recently wrote a book called Accedia and Me which is sort of a chronicle of melancholy and spirituality, which I started a while back (yet another of those spiritual-bent books that I've been easily distracted from). It might make a good companion to The Bear's Embrace. Norris explores her own struggles with depression/melancholy, but takes her exploration past the physical, to a spiritual level, which I think for many people (Patricia Van Tighem, perhaps?) can get terribly neglected. Norris is an impressive writer/thinker. I'll dig out my copy of Amazing Grace.

LOL the most boring book ever written. Still lol.

Like you I've decided to try to catch up on some of those books this year. It was one of my 999 categories in which I finished exactly zero books! I'm reading all these recs and remembering one of the best "theology-ish" (love that!) books I've read: The Mystery of Marriage by Mike Mason. The guy plans to live monastically and to his horror discovers he's fallen in love and gotten married! Wonderful reflections. Beautifully written. There was a section I'd marked out for my someday vows if I ever married. very moving.

Great to catch up on your reading! xox

Uh oh, dangerous thread. I didn't know that Ms. Norris had a new book out. I'll have to look into Acedia and Me. I got out my copy of Amazing Grace last night for my bedtime reading. That one has been a long time favorite of mine along with The Cloister Walk.

I also love Eugene Peterson's writing so will add Eat This Book to my wish notebook. Btw, if you think the Bible is boring, try reading The Message version by Peterson. Very accessible. :-)

There was a book I'd started reading in my father's office last year (he's a theology prof) dealing with the Emergent Church movement... a kind of rebuttal, if you will, and I believe it was called Why We're Not Emergent: By Who Guys Who Should Be. I'd only managed to read about 50 pages before I had to leave (and since he'd borrowed the book from someone else, I wasn't able to borrow it), but they were making some excellent points & comments about the 'other side' of Emergent Church theology (ie, taking points to their logical conclusion).

I'd highly recommend it if this is an area you're interested in (and it seems that way from the books above!); it's a good look at the other side of things. And now that I've remembered about it, I think I'll have to go track down a copy too...!

Faith
One of the comments that Kathleen Norris seemed to make was that the church goes through phases, not all of them all positive changes. One chapter in particular caught my attention because she talked about political correctness and how we don't want to use the words redemption, sin...or even the word wretch (found in the hymn Amazing Grace).

Rats. I passed up your book no. 6 on Saturday. Now I have to put it on the giant wishlist. *sound of me grumbling as I slope off to get that done*

Donna828: I actually have been reading The Message almost exclusively for the past year or so. You're right, it absolutely makes the Bible narrative come alive. Peterson's approach is so refreshing.

dk_phoenix: I've got the book you mentioned in my "pile". I bought it fairly recently; probably won't start it for awhile, but I'm very interested in what it has to say. I also recently got a book called Deep Church that looks to be interesting as well.

Just this morning I started back up on another of those faith-books that I'd put aside; this time however I'm having to completely start over. Nevertheless. The book is Surprised by Hope by N.T. Wright. Meanwhile, my "fun" reading consists of Libba Bray's new one, Going Bovine.

Everyone, thanks for your comments and input. Suslyn, the marriage book you mentioned sounds very interesting.

I bought a Message NT for myself because of your conversations on it, but it got left in the States LOL :)

ETA at least I *think* it was you... :)

Ok, a bit of the weirdly bizarre: I would have bet MONEY this morning that I owned a copy of Amazing Grace by Norris. So when later this morning I found a hardcover copy at the SPCA thrift shop I bought it thinking I could send it to someone who didn't already have it. But lo and behold, it turns out I DON'T have it! Hmmmm. Maybe this is all a sign I ought to move it to the top of my reading pile.

I am a firm believer in book omens.

9. Going Bovine by Libba Bray. I was a big fan of Bray's Gemma Doyle trilogy, which actually got me really interested in YA lit. I had waited a long time for this, her newest book, to be released. It is a story about a teenage boy who is diagnosed with a terminal illness. What begins with a story of teen angst turns into a metaphysical journeyl. If you've ever read Don Quixote, you will easily see its influence on the story, something that delighted me to no end. Bray's story is filled with interesting characters, a road trip, a little romance, and a lot of humor. While I wouldn't answer her metaphysical questions in the same way she does in the novel, I applaud her willingness to delve into hard things and do so with wit and wisdom.

I already have The Tea Rose and Amazing Grace in the BlackHole. I will also add Acedia and Me and Eat This Book. Thanks for the reviews and recommendations, Linda.

>22 Whisper1:: Linda, that sounds like it would be a really interesting read, thanks! I'll have to take a look for it; I'd like to hear her perspective on things.

#31: How did you like The Magician's Elephant? My local library finally has a copy of it.

#32: Stasia, The Magician's Elephant was okay. DiCamillo is such a lovely writer that its hard to not love her books. I didn't feel this was her best; I was sort of hoping for a poetic and beautiful final page and it wasn't there. It was probably just my mindset when I read it but I kind of didn't get the whole point of it. Though there were a couple pages where I got misty. I'd be curious to get your take, when you get a chance.

#33: Sounds disappointing, but I will give it a try. I will keep you posted.

12. Columbine by Dave Cullen. A bit of a departure for me, I had seen in various places on the Internet that this book was very good. I agree. It is well worth reading in particular for getting the "big picture" of what happened on April 20, 1999, but also for understanding how easily the media and media-followers can make drastically erroneous conclusions about shattering domestic and world events. Sometimes it takes time and several very dedicated people doing lots and lots of research to begin to the scratch the surface of the "truth" of events. Both gripping and disturbing (I could barely put it down to sleep, but then of course the subject matter left me somewhat sleepless too); I highly recommend this book.

(As a quick but troubling aside, immediately upon finishing my reading, I went onto the Internet to find pre-shooting portraits of the victims of the Columbine shooting - the book is notably without any photo-documentation at all, and I wanted to put some faces with names. VERY inadvertently, in going to a website that seemed to have a montage of the victims, there was ALSO a picture of the killers' corpses at the crime scene. It was very shocking and upsetting and immediately upon registering what I was seeing, closed my browser. Ugh. Didn't need to see that at all. I sent Dave Cullen and quick email about my discovery and he very kindly responded saying that, sure enough, some crime scene photos were leaked awhile back, and legally there's nothing to be done. So, if you read Columbine, and wander to the web to find photos - even benign ones - beware.)

#35: That one was on my 'memorable reads' list for last year, and I think of all the books on my list, it would be the one I recommend the most. I am glad to see that you enjoyed the book (I always hesitate over using 'enjoy' because the subject matter is wrong for the word, but I do not know what else to use.)

Thanks for the heads up on the pictures. I did not go out looking for them and I think I am thankful for that!

OMG, your ticker is way too cute! :-)

13. The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell. This was a book club reread for me; it's one of my most favorite books. It was equally good the second time around, and I had a lot of fun highlighting all the profound and thoughtful passages. Should make for an interesting group discussion.

14. The Road by Cormac McCarthy. I figured with all the critical acclaim this book has gotten (The London Times called it the number one book of the last decade), I better read this. I must admit, coming on the tail of my reading about the Columbine HS shooting and The Sparrow, I'm up to my eyeballs with blood, murder, cannabalism and despair. Perhaps I should have waited a bit longer to read The Road. On the other hand, I sure was in the right mindset. Anyway, McCarthy is an amazing writer. His vision is troubling and stark, but strangely accessible. I can't help but wonder at why McCarthy's vision of humanity's future has so struck the public consciousness. Is this where we are headed? Ash, cold, hunger, annihilation. Whether McCarthy intended it or not, I am left with the impression that whatever the cause, the trigger of the final apocalypse, he seems to be saying we have no one to blame but ourselves. Recommended, but not for the fainthearted.

#38: I really liked both of those books! Great recent reading for you, Linda.

For me, the humanity of the boy, and the father's protection of him, were the very symbols of hope. I found the book less about the cause or the apocalypse or the sad state of humans than about the hope in personal compassion and nobility. I am glad you enjoyed the book, even in its starkness.

>38 alaskabookworm:: Have you ever read the sequel to The Sparrow? I'm ambivalent about giving it a try.

#41: Tad, I read it and IMHO it is not nearly as good as The Sparrow.

I felt the same way about The Magician's Elephant. I wondered if children would like it, as it seemed to be a showcase for her lovely writing style.

Tad, I haven't read Children of God yet. I've heard its nowhere near as gripping. I've got a friend reading it right now. Russell herself says she didn't want it to be the same as The Sparrow and so took the story a different direction. Stasia, I'm kind of ambivalent too, but as a couple people have hinted at what happens, I think I'll probably end up reading it sooner rather than later.

As far as The Road, I wanted to feel hopeful about it, and I think I did feel hopeful about it, but truly the only hopeful thing about it was love, which as we probably all agree, is the greatest force for change in the world. I have never read a book in which love was so dramatically juxtaposed against death. Incredible.

I agree totally about The Road. For me, the most memorable parts of the story include the Father and Son. I could sense the strings of love that held them together thru so much adversity. In the bleak grayness of everyday there was always a moment that touched my heart. I haven't read any other McCarthy but I'm hoping to one day.

Linda
I've been meaning to read Columbine and your excellent comments prompt me to do so.

I read The Sparrow years ago as an arc. I was disturbed by it.. I'm not sure why, but it haunted me.

15. Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde. Fforde does it again. I loved this book, taking my time with it so I wouldn't get lost in the highly imagined world the author creates. Though I was less inherently absorbed by a society defined by color (as opposed to his previously invented society defined by books), I got the impression that Fforde spent a lot more time thinking through the details and implications of this new world than he has with previous novels. Towards the end of the book, he truly surprised me with a big "ah ha" moment, one I didn't see coming, and I admire him for that. I'm very much looking forward to the next book in the series which I will cheerfully buy at full retail price the day it comes out (my litmus for authors I most love).

16. What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell. I didn't care for this story too much. It was a bit morally murky and oppressive-feeling. It won a major award for Young Adult. Did anyone else read it and get a different impression?

17. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. I know this book is highly beloved by many people, and I'll admit there were parts that made me a bit misty, but in the end I wasn't that impressed. The writing was mediocre, the metaphysics overwrought, I was frankly bored by the car-racing bits, and the ending fell flat for me. What touched me most was the tension between Enzo's owner and his in-laws, which I am sorry to say I have witnessed to a distressing degree in real life. That part I think Stein absolutely nailed. Not sure I'd read anything else by this author.

18. Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman. This book is being marketed brilliantly including a quote from some reviewer who said its the best book she's read in the past 10 years. If that's really true, then that's a reviewer who is probably in the wrong business. Nevertheless, as far as gentle reads go, and stories of "sisterhood" and forgiveness, this one is more than palatable.

19. Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler. As far as "palate-cleansing" reads go, I adored this one. Austen Addict Courtney finds herself mysteriously inside the body of an early 19-Century body. She must navigate another young woman's existence, including her family relationships and romances, bringing in a definitively modern American perspective. While definitely of the escapist, chick-lit variety, I absolutely loved this light, funny and sometimes thoughtful story. Be warned Austen-lovers, there is not a huge amount of Austen-references in this book, but its a fun read.

20. Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin. I heard about this book from other LTers. When I understood it was yet another book about a young woman navigating the afterlife and reincarnation, I wasn't sure I'd like it. But Zevin's book is less about trying to sell a metaphysical philosophy (like I felt The Art of Racing in the Rain was), than it is about embracing life in all its crazy twists and turns. Zevin has written and unusual, lovely, and humorous story that cleverly reimagines grief, loss, and love. Recommended.

#47: I have Shades of Grey home from the library now. I hope I enjoy it as much as everyone else in the group has.

The Art of Racing in the Rain did not do all that much for me either when I read it. Glad to know I am not alone.

I also have Elsewhere home from the library now.

As far as the rest of your recent reads go, the only one I am adding to the BlackHole is Saving CeeCee Honeycutt. The others I think I will give a pass. Thanks for the recommendation, Linda.

#47 - I read What I saw and how I lied last year and liked it. For a YA novel it was quite sophisticated in intent and I especially enjoyed the noirish undertones. It captured the seedier side of adult behaviour as seen from a teen perspective as innocent Elvie slowly comes to realise what was what. I really liked the period that it is was set in, and the location in Florida's Palm Beach. I'm glad that Blundell drew attention to the anti-Jewish xenophobic hotel policy, especially since the novel is set at the conclusion of the war.

Thanks for warning me off of the racing in the rain book. It has tempted me a few times, but I'd be disappointed if it was mostly trying to sell a metaphysical life or some such.

I really like your succinct yet informative reviews! Glad to hear that Shades of Grey was good; Fforde is so clever and I'm excited to read this book. I also wasn't very impressed by What I Saw and How I Lied: how come all the award-winning YA books seem to be so mediocre? Why won't they reward the actually good ones?

#49 avatiakh: I appreciate your comments on What I Saw and How I Lied. This gives me something to think about and balance against my own gut reaction. I agree with your comments fully; I think in the end I was disappointed that Evie didn't tell the truth, but that really isn't what the author was trying to do, she had other goals - I respect that.

#50 blackdogbooks: If you ever do read it, I'd be curious about your opinion.

#51 stephxsu: If you get to reading Shades of Grey, let me know what you think.

21. Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. This was a book club pick, and I honestly think most of us are approaching it with fear and trepidation, due to the subject matter being running and in particular ultra-marathoning. Few in my book club are runners much less exercise fanatics. Nevertheless, I was pleasantly surprised. VERY pleasantly. I blew through it in about a day. This is one of those nonfiction journalistic books that, like Seabiscuit and Shadow Divers, completely sucked me in to a world I would otherwise never learn (or care) anything about. Highly recommended.

22. Beauty by Nancy Butcher. I only picked up this very short young adult book because it was short and sitting right in front of me at a time I wanted a quick read. Good thing it was short because I didn't really enjoy it. A beautiful young princess makes herself overweight, pimply, and slovenly because her beauty-obessed queen-mother is so jealous of her own looks that competition with her daughter brings out her homicidal side. What I probably took away from this story more than anything was the picture of what women to do become beautiful - how it can become our sole identity. Also, how the desire to be loved causes us to compromise ourselves. Not bad concepts for young women to wrestle out. Nevertheless, not a great book and not what I would call "enjoyable."

23. The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams. I stayed up past midnight to finish this grim but compelling story. Kyra (age 13) is the fifth of 21 children of a polygamous family living in an isolated religious compound in the middle of the desert. She is a girl who is shortly expected to marry her 60-year-old uncle as his 7th wife. She is one of the few people in this community who bucks against at-times brutal life. Yet, believably, she is profoundly torn by her desire to escape, because she knows to leave will mean never seeing her family again, and very likely severe punishment being meted out on them for their inability to "control" her. Though with a contemporary setting, this book has a very dystopian feel. Ironically, the cover article in this month's National Geographic is about isolated polygamous religious communities. I couldn't help but reflect on the photos of smiling blond-hair families of 100 from that article and wonder how many of the young women share a fate and decisions as terrible as Kyra's. The Chosen One introduced characters to loathsome to me that I wished I could reach into the book and seriously harm them. At the same time, there is plenty of love and courage. I really, really liked this book, and if my comments so far haven't put you off, then I recommend it.

>52 alaskabookworm: thanks for the rec of Born to Run - my father-in-law runs marathons & might really like this. I'll look out for it.

24. Before the Throne by Naguib Mahfouz. My Review

25. The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag by Alan Bradley. My Review

26. The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan. This is the second in the juvenile series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians. It was very fun.

#54: What did you think of The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag, Linda? I finally got a copy of The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie the other day.

I'm catching up and have enjoyed reading your thread. I still haven't read The Sparrow but loved her book A Thread of Grace (and quite liked Dreamers of the Day). I'd never heard of Mary Doria Russell before I joined LT and started posting on the forums.

I'm going to look out for Born to Run because I'm a lapsed (and very slow) runner. I haven't done a marathon but was obsessed with the idea a few years ago. Then I had kids, and now I'm back to walking!

What did you think of Before the Throne? I have the Palace Walk trilogy on the bookshelf.

How was the Mahfouz? I really need to get on reading some on his work... I can't believe I haven't yet... I even sat in the darn Mahfouz Cafe in Khan al-Khalili bazaar in Cairo and it didn't mean a thing to be because I hadn't read his books! *facepalm*

Glad you liked the second Riordan book too!

Ah, I was going to post links to my reviews of The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag and Before the Throne, but since I hadn't done it before I had to give myself a refresher course on basic html. Which I have just done and will try to add links to my reviews now.....

..... Wow! It actually worked! I feel so empowered.

Can't believe it's the second of March and I've only just found you. At least I'll have you for the next ten months! Looking forward to it.

Thanks for posting the review, Linda! I guess I will see how much I like 'Sweetness' first and then see about acquiring 'Weed.'

#59: lunacat: Golly, there's so many folks to keep up with now, and I'm not terribly active. But its great to be found!

#60 Stasia: You have to understand that sometimes I'm a bit slow on the uptake. Seems most readers fell in love with Flavia on page one of "Sweetness". Took me a bit longer. I look forward to your opinion.

So many great reads... I guess I'm lucky a tbr isn't practical for me? You'd have done serious damage to it!

27. Wringer by Jerry Spinelli. Young adult. I liked this one. From the cover expected something grim and dystopian. It wasn't.

28. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. Fascinating book about tissue research; recommended.

29. Unwind by Neal Shusterman. Young adult. This one is dystopian. I loved it; my 6th grade son read it and found it disturbing.

30. The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary by Jeff Kinney. If you know a kiddo who dreams if becoming a filmmaker, have him/her read this book. This book is less about the Wimpy Kid book-phenomenon, and a good overview look at how films are made from concept to final cut.

31. The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery. I finally made myself read this one after hearing it to highly recommended. I liked it; it was sweet and well told, but sometimes I got a bit irritated by the characters' voices.

32. The Dream of Perpetual Motion by Dexter Palmer.

33. My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult. Finally read this for book club. I really liked it and thought Picoult brought out the complexity of the issues at hand. That said I thought the ending was a total cop out.

34. Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta. Young adult fantasy. I really liked it.

35. Incarceron by Catherine Fisher. Was craving more YA fantasy, so I read this one next. LOVED it. So much so I order the sequel from a second hand seller in the UK.

36. A Song for Summer by Eva Ibbotson. Despite the frou-frou covers of Ibbotson's young adult books, they are much more top notch historical fiction than they are cheap romances. (There is romance, but it isn't cheap.) Recommended.

37. Austenland by Shannon Hale. Needed a bit more romance and a dose of Austen. Hale writes a lot of YA fantasy. This is a light romance that likes to tease women who are obsessed with the Colin Firth version of "Pride and Prejudice". I could totally relate. (Also, if you like this concept don't miss the British miniseries "Lost in Austen" which can be streamed free from Netflix.)

38. The Teacher's Funeral by Richard Peck. A funny, historical YA book that looks at what happens when a young boys older sister becomes his teacher.

39. Twilight of Avalon by Anna Elliott. The first in a trilogy that is loosely based around the Tristan and Isolde story. Though its marketed as having romantic elements, the first book is totally void of them. Nevertheless I enjoyed it, and will probably read the second when it comes out.

40. Who's Afraid of Beowulf? by Tom Holt. Needed something humorous. Have had a few of Holt's books around and thought I'd give this one a go. In northern Scotland a relic from the past is uncovered: a buried Viking ship is discovered with the crew still aboard. The twist: the crew is still alive. Very funny, though I found it a bit slow.

Oh some lovely reads! THx for bringing us up to date. If a tbr were practical for me, you'd have just done some serious damage. Am I supposed to be grateful? ;-> Blessings.

#63: Wow! You have been busy, Linda.

I bought Finnikin of the Rock recently, so hopefully will be reading it soon. I am adding The Teacher's Funeral to the BlackHole - I really like Peck's books.

Susan and Stasia: Thanks for visiting! I was surprised to see it had been so long since I'd updated my thread. I wish I were reading more. Seems like anymore I have so many on my TBR (like 7,000 or so) that all I'm really capable of is running my fingers devotedly along their spines, or laying awake at night wondering which wall will next be sacrificed for a bookcase or what's going to happen when the next big earthquake hits.

#66: Well, while you are laying awake at night, crack open one of the books on your TBR :)

LOL

Looks like a lot of good reading on your latest batch. I have three of the YA fantasies on my wishlist already!

7,000 books TBR? Wow, I don't feel so bad about my paltry several hundred now!

Linda
What great fun I'm having reading your posts and the books you read...quite a few great ones.

I like your quick, breezy style of listing your thoughts.
Like you, I thought Unwind was a marvelous book!
I also liked Elsewhere.
A few months ago I read Wringer by Jerry Spinelli.

This evening I finished another of his books I highly recommend. Milkweed is incredible!

Linda, I've got Milkweed somewhere in the house. I'll dig it out! Thanks for the recommendation.

Donna, pretty disgusting isn't it. 7,000. I can hardly justify it. Until, that is, I read articles about how the publishing industry is trending towards digital books - then I feel GREAT about my paper-and-ink collection.

Wow. I haven't posted since April????!!! Crazy. Where did the year go? In any case, I'll make this short. I've updated the books read this year (so far) at the top of this thread, if you care to glance at it. Obviously, because of time constraints, I'm not going to review each and every one. I'll try to do better next year.

Glad to hear from you, I glanced ;-)

You were/are missed! I've wondered about you. How are you?

I knew it had been a while since you posted, but I did not realize it had been since April. Wow!

#75 Linda: I'm doing great. VERY busy with life! Some days I barely get time to read! (Oh, the horror.) I'm very much enjoying the two weeks off from regular school-year activities, to relish the holidays with good friends and family. And read as many books as possible by the end of the year!

Just finished reading my 119th book of the year: The Maze Runner by James Dashner. It's not often I read such a page-turner that I actually was bored by. Why was this? Trying to figure it out. Too formulaic? Too much action? Too much plot and too little characterization? Stilted prose? I reacted to this book about the same way I felt about the wildly popular and also formulaic "DaVinci Code": Eh. It was okay. Feedback? Was I just not in the right mood, or am I missing the boat entirely?

Happy New Year to you!

#78: I have not read The Maze Runner yet, although I have heard good things about it, so I cannot answer your question, Linda. Sorry!

I enjoyed The Maze Runner but I didn't find it wonderful. The made-up curse words started to grate on my nerves after awhile, to be honest. Still, I thought it was a decent read with some interesting ideas, and I plan to read the second one. I'm borrowing them from the library rather than purchasing them, though :)