50 Book Challenge: Readergirliz's second attempt!

I started the last 50 book challenge in March of 2008, and it took me 2 and a half years to get through 50 books. I think I can do a little bit better the second time around. So, let's get started, from hopefully July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011!




#1) A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray. This was a great young adult book which was easy to read, but full of substance. The characters, especially Gemma (the main character) and Pippa, were three-dimensional and complex. The plot moved along pretty quickly and was mostly satisfying. I think this book is the first of a trilogy or a series, so not all of my questions regarding the Order, Miss Moore, Circe, and Gemma's relationship with Kartik were answered. The magical aspect of this novel was a little abstract, though I had a general idea of how it worked. Maybe that will be answered in the next books...! I definitely am interested in continuing the trilogy/series, especially if they are as mysterious and compelling as this one was. 4/5 stars.

#2) Lolita by Vladmir Nabokov. This is a novel I've been meaning to read for a couple of years. It took me about three weeks from start to finish, mostly because it was dense. The writing was phenomenal; I loved Nabokov's wordplay and descriptions and the intense obsession he conveyed toward the relationship between Humbert Humbert and Dolores Haze. The pace of the book was kind of off for me, and as odd as this sounds, it was Humbert's doing, not Nabokov's. I could decide whether I like Humbert, the pedophile who narrates the story, though I did end up feeling sorry for the man by the end. I am thankful that I read the author's afterward because he spoke of the deliberate choices he made in penning the novel. Knowing what his perspective was made me appreciate Lolita a lot more. Recommended, but not to all audiences. 3.5/5 stars.

#3) Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt. If I were to rate this memoir based on happiness content, it would merit maybe 1/2 star. While it did have its funny moments, most of them a product of Frankie's innocence, most of the memoir was extremely depressing. The McCourt's situation kept getting worse and worse; a drunken father who wastes all of his wages on the pint, relatives who refuse to provide any assistance to a starving and dirty family, 3 dead younger siblings, and the fact that every other family is much better off than Frank's. It sounds strange to say that I loved this book because it was so sad, but I loved this book. McCourt's writing is outstanding. He wrote with the naivety of boy, but his word choices are very deliberate and never hackneyed. He uses some dialect in his writing, mostly Irish and a little Italian, but I never found it difficult to understand. I was compelled to read this memoir because no matter how awful Frank's life got, he always hoped that it would be better one day, and this attitude transferred over to my thoughts. Highly, highly recommended! 5/5 stars.

#4) The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud by Ben Sherwood. I read this in preparation for the movie adaptation (Charlie St. Cloud starring Zac Efron, coming out July 30, 2010) after two of my sisters recommended it. This is a difficult book to rate. I don't think it's meant to be dense literature but it dealt with the ever-heavy subject: death. The story begins after the main character, Charlie accidently kills his younger brother Sam in a car accident. They both die, but Charlie is revived. Before coming out of death, Charlie promises Sam he'll never leave them, and after the accident, Charlie is able to see Sam's spirit. Thirteen years later, Charlie meets sailormaker Tess and his life is changed. Ben Sherwood had a hopeful take on what happens after a person dies: they stay in an "in between" until they decide to cross over. The book was very sentimental, if a little predictable. Being the hopeless romantic I am, I loved the relationship between Charlie and Tess. Some parts of the plot seemed like random, convenient ephiphanies, which I suppose goes along with the theme of miracles, but I wish they had been more cleverly integrated into the story. This was a quick read, however, and really drew me into the story. Recommended as a good summer read. 4/5 stars.

#5) The Map of True Places by Brunonia Barry. Another compelling book for the summer! This novel tells the story of Zee, who is at a crossroads in her life. Her father, Finch, has advanced Parkinson's, her father has banished his partner, Melville, from the house for reasons unknown to Zee, she is not getting along with her finance, Michael, and to top it off, her patient she is treating for bipolar disorder, Lilly, has just committed suicide. Throw in few more quirky characters and you've got a compelling story, part drama, part thriller, and part romance. This novel is about Zee's struggle to accept her mistakes and to discover what she really wants from life. Although as I was finishing this book, I realized that when I read for pleasure, I'm not an especially critical thinker. I was surprised at the secrets revealed at the end, but then realized some of them were a bit obvious. I enjoyed how Barry tied up the loose ends; it satisfied my need for a semi-happy ending. The content was fairly sad, especially Zee's acceptance of her aging father. The only thing I didn't really like about this novel was how blantantly obvious some of the discoveries Zee makes were. Granted, what Barry wrote was my thought process word-for-word, but sometimes, I like a few hints and then a sudden realization. A very good book "nonetheless." 4/5 stars.

#6) The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson. All I can say is: wow. Let me begin by comparing this trilogy to the Pirates of the Carribean Triology; The first installment of the three is a stand-alone piece, while the second and (presumably) third installments are linked together by an irrisistable cliffhanger. Let me next ponder a few questions: What was Larsson's thought process as he was putting this together? How did he juggle so many characters and so many plotlines? How did he make everything so wonderfully come together? Everything in this thriller comes together to make sense, and while in other mysteries the solution appears to be contrived, I completely bought into Larsson's story. I did not even imagine some of the elements he brought into the story. I don't want to give anything away, lest someone reads this blog and then picks up this book. Should someone read this, all I can say is please make your way through the first 150 pages. As much as the last half of the book captivated me, and I'm on an adrenaline high since I just finished it, nothing much seems to happen in the first half. Keep going at it. It's worth it. And now I'm in 92nd person on the waiting list at my library to pick up The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. Ahhhhh!!! 4.5/5 stars.

#7) The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. This was a book I picked up after all of the positive reviews on saw on LT. They were definitely right! A few small facts about this book:
1. Death is the narrator, so the book is filled with dark humor, few surprises, and an unusual perspective on colors.
2. The characters on Himmel Street are impossible not to fall in love with, especially Liesel (the book thief), Rudy, Hans, and Max. Even Rosa. :)
3. The story is divided into ten sections, each about a specific chunk of time in the book thief's life, but each section is not necessarily about the book thief. The main character's back stories are all told.
4. The story was not about what I thought it was going to be about.
I can't get any more specific because I don't want to spoil anything! I will say this much: the language was absolutely beautiful. This book had fantastic images described in ways I've never heard before, but it didn't sound forced or insincere. This was the first book that I've ever cried at. It was so unique in every aspect and I was so sad when it ended. 5/5 stars.

Nice reviews readergirliz, especially of TGWPWF and now I am wanting to read The Book Thief...lol...grrrr.
Consider yourself starred. :)

I just got back from Cape Cod, where I spent plenty of time reading on the beach! Here's what came from it:

#8) White Oleander by Janet Fitch. I began reading White Oleander because I had heard title before; I knew nothing of the plotline. Once I began reading, I had to laugh because nearly every book that is on this thread has a maternal character who is dead, dysfunctional, or missing. White Oleander follows this trend by adding a tally mark in the "dysfunctional mother" category. The main character, Astrid, is put into foster care after Astrid's poet mother, Ingrid, shoots her lover and is sentenced to life in prison. While the plotline centers on Astrid moving from foster home to foster home, Astrid's main internal conflict is how to reconcile the way her mother sees the world versus what she learns from each foster family. Astrid is a pretty believable character, though the voice Fitch gives her at the age of twelve seems too mature. Gradually, Astrid's age catches up with the maturity of the writing. I really disliked Ingrid's character. She is everything a mother shouldn't be to her child: selfish, vain, cruel, and manipulative. This was an easy book to read, but a tough book to get through because of some gritty content and the horrible things Ingrid writes to Astrid. Overall, this book was like Running With Scissors, had Augusten Burroughs been a girl in foster care. 4/5 stars.

#9) The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes by Diane Chamberlain. This was another book I read while in Cape Cod, from a friend's recommendation. She said Diane Chamberlain was an author similar to Jodi Picoult and as I loved My Sister's Keeper and Plain Truth, I decided to give it a shot. While I didn't enjoy CeeCee Wilkes as much as I enjoyed Jodi Picoult's books, I still very much liked CeeCee Wilkes. The book centers around the life of CeeCee Wilkes, later turned Eve Bailey. In short, CeeCee offers to help her boyfriend, Tim, in the kidnapping of the governor's pregnant wife to use her as bait to get Tim's sister, Andie, off of death row. While this scheme is pretty absurd, I liked the moral conflicts that followed. CeeCee is forced to go into hiding rather than face the consequences of her actions, and years later it comes back to haunt her. The whole book is about how one decision can really change the course of one's life. There were no courtroom dramas, but a lot of family drama. This was an easy read that I looked forward to picking up and didn't want to put down. While it wasn't Shakespeare or anything, it was a nice, light summer read. 4/5 stars.

Whew! Being at school means little to no time for reading...and sadly, librarything as well. :( But between August 18 and now I have managed to get a little reading done.

#10) The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. LOVED LOVED LOVED!!!! 5/5 stars

#11) The Road by Cormac McCarthy. Didn't love so much. Maybe coming off of The Hunger Games it wasn't nearly as exciting as I was hoping. In any case, I felt the plot action was slow, and I found it hard to read more than a few pages at a time. 3/5 stars

#12) The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo. This was a wonderful children's book about a vain china rabbit and his mental transformation based on his life experiences. I suppose this is a pretty prominent theme in literature, but it is an absolutely charming and lovely book. Probably 8-10 year-old reading range, and they should be able to handle the dark content, though there is plenty of love in the book, too! 4.5/5 stars

#13) Hallelujah Junction: Composing an American Life by John Adams. I read this for a music class, and really enjoyed it. I most needed it to get Adams's perspective on his own work and how he came to his ideas. The only thing that bothered me about this autobiography was that Adams's moral character always seemed to coincide with what was popular in retrospect. All that aside, you really need to know something about music to enjoy this autobiography because then you have a point of reference when he talks about the music of other composers. All in all, a very enjoyable read. 4/5 stars.

#14) The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky. Wow! What a mammoth of a book! I was required to read this book for an "Ethics through Literature" class and was unsure what I had gotten myself into. Although it took me about 3 months, between schoolwork, practicing, and classes, I finally finished it! I think this is going to be a reread in my future. I liked all of the topics of discussion which could be generated from the Brothers K: Why is Alyosha considered the hero, A defense for Dmitri's actions, Is Fyodor a real father figure, who is the real father figure, the corpse of Father Zossima, which woman's acts (Katerina or Grushenka) were truly justified, and an analysis Smerdyakov, the false gentleman. I wish I could read this in the original Russian because translations lose some aspect of the story or another. It was difficult to plow through, but I felt very accomplished and intelligent when I was done! Read it just to get to know Alexey. He's so adorable! :) 3.5/5 stars

Please ignore the "this message has been deleted." I somehow managed to post 3 of my last review...oops.

#15) The Freedom Writer's Diary by the Freedom Writers with Erin Gruwell. This is the start of my winter break reading. I picked it up based on a teacher's recommendation. The book is composed of diary entries from students of the class of Erin Gruwell. The class manages to stay together from freshman to senior year of high school, and their diary entries chronicle how their lives have changed or stayed the same since entering Ms. Gruwell's class. It is absolutely incredible what the Freedom Writers overcame and how honest they are in their diary entries. It is difficult to not read this as fiction because of the many happy endings. I had to remind myself that these were true stories and that the violence that these students grew up in is real. Not having grown up in that type of environment, I could not even imagine the fear the students experienced every day. It's the kind of book where you rejoice with the students when something wonderful happens, like when they meet Zlata Filipovic (who wrote Zlata's Diary: A Child's Life in Sarajevo), and feel crushed when something doesn't work out. The Freedom Writer's Diary is truly inspiring, and gives me hope that a teacher can inspire students to make a difference. 4.5/5 stars.

More winter break reading!! My absolute favorite part of vacation. :)

#16) The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton. I decided that over break I could not go to the library under any circumstances because then I would just discover more books I wanted to read. Instead, I raided my mother's bookclub selections and came across her most recent read. The Forgotten Garden is a fascinating, mulitgenerational novel which mainly centers around the story of three characters: Nell, a grandmother searching for her true identity; Cassandra, Nell's granddaughter trying to come to terms with deaths and her grandmother's identity crisis; Eliza, "The Authoress," who has a lot more to the story than I first suspected. Eliza's story takes place in the early 1900s, Nell's in the 1970s, and Cassandra's in 2005. Kate Morton switches between the character's stories and in this way she very successfully uses cliffhangers. I really enjoyed the inclusion of Eliza's fairytales within the novel. The family tree of the characters is sometimes difficult to remember...I had to think back at points in the novel about who was related to whom. There were a couple of predictable and disappointing plot points, but they were overshadowed by the terrific way the author drew all the characters together. Overall, a very satisfying read. 4/5 stars.

#17) The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. At first, I thought I may have picked up this one a little too quickly after The Forgotten Garden. There were a lot of similarities between the two books, most noticably a mysterious "authoress," family secrets, and a young character trying to discover the truth in a family's past. There was even a main character named Adeline in both books, a name which I had not really heard before. The books were different enough, however, that I was not constantly comparing one to the other. Vida Winter's story was absolutely incredible and sad, and more than once I got the shivers from some of the creepy things which occurred (but don't worry, it's not scary!). The ending of Vida's life story was definitely a surprise, though in retrospect, I could have figured out the plot twist had I been paying enough attention to what Margarat (the protagonist and narrator) was describing to me! I had a difficult time putting the book down. However, like in The Forgotten Garden, there was an aspect in the end which I thought was cliched and shouldn't have been there, though in both books it does bring everything full circle. An easy read and a little gothic, but very captivating. 4/5 stars.

#18) Little Bee by Chris Cleave. I picked up this book for two reasons. The first was that it was being raved about on Librarything over the summer, which is when I browse what's currently popular. The second was that my mother's book club read it. That is actually the theme of reading over winter break as to catch up with my mom and so we can talk about books together. :) I had absolutely no idea what Little Bee was about when I picked it up because the description on the back was so vague. When I began reading, I was caught completely off guard. This is the story about the relationship between Little Bee, a Nigerian illegal immigrant in England, and Sarah, a mother who is struggling with guilt. The two meet under pretty hideous circumstances which are described in the book...not for the faint of heart. :( What I enjoyed very much about Little Bee was the way it switched back and forth between Little Bee's perspective and Sarah's perspective. Little Bee learned how to speak "the Queen's English" as to better be accepted into English society and it was very fun to read her precise English with a few phrases she does not quite understand. I can't even discuss the ending here because I don't want to give anything away. Warning: this is not the feel-happy book of the year. It is wonderful, but very sad. 4/5 stars.

#19) The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. Seeing as my winter break is wrapping up, I wanted to read something which would only take a few days. Well, I partly got my wish...this book took me less than a day to read! It is similar to Tuesdays With Morrie because it is about the lessons a man wants to share before he dies. Unlike Tuesdays With Morrie, Randy Pausch is the dying man, from pancreatic cancer. He will leave behind his wife of eight years and their three young children. The book was a way to reach as many people as possible with the lessons he has learned from life, as well as a way for his children to remember him. I adored this book because Randy never feels sorry for himself. He is realistic about his situation but still lives his remaining days with joy and wanting to make a difference to somebody. Randy is also realistic about life, and the fact that it is not easy, you must work hard, get along with other people, and occasionally ask for help to achieve your dreams. But he acknowledges that it is possible. You must read this for all of his anecdotes and cliched phrases he loves. I just wrote down a ton of his words of advice which are going up on my wall when I get back to school. A loving memory of himself for his wife and children. 5/5 stars.

#20) Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. This was essentially the only book I read during my last semester, and I read it in a few nights. The sequel to The Hunger Games was absolutely captivating. Katniss has survived the first Hunger Games, but now she has to survive the aftermath of the Games; convincing President Snow that her acts in the Games were genuine is not easy. While the book takes a little while to get rolling, I fell in love with the main characters again. I was definitely surprised by the twists in the plot, and I would never have predicted the ending. I am very anxious to read the last book in the trilogy, Mockingjay, but I hear that it is the weakest of the three books. Either way, I cannot wait to finish this trilogy. 5/5 stars

#21) Bel Canto by Ann Patchett. After two false starts, I finally read and finished Bel Canto. I didn't put it down because it was a bad book, but I guess I just wasn't in the right frame of mind when I tried to read it. How could I not be interested in a book which included a main character who was an opera star? The premise of the book is slightly odd. A group of people from around the world are kept hostage by a group of young people in an unknown country in South America. This book chronicles the time that the hostages are kept in the Vice President's house and the bonds which are formed between the characters. Gradually, the group of terrorists stops becoming the enemy and that role is given to time. There are some amazing characters in the book: Mr. Hosokawa, whose birthday the hostages were celebrating when the house was taken over; Gen, his translator and friend; Roxane Coss, famed soprano, who is asked to sing at the party; Simon Thibault, who only wants to see his wife again; Carmen, a terrorist who has a thirst to learn languages. This is a fascinating book which I won't soon forget. In the edition I read, Ann Patchett includes a guide on how to love opera, and gives some opera recommendations! 4.5/5 stars.

#22) The Passage by Justin Cronin. I picked this up after seeing the hype about it on LT last summer. I really, really enjoyed this novel. It was a science fiction-post apocalypse kind of novel, where the main antagonist is a virus which will turn its victim into a superhuman-vampire creature which will kill 9 of its 10 victims, and infect the last one as to keep spreading the virus. This was different from other "end of the world" novels in that it begins before the virus has been unleashed, and tracks the existence of a little girl, Amy, with a father figure, Wolgast. When the world collapses, the book flashes about 100 years into the future (92 A.V., after virus, I'd imagine) to a community of people, where we meet Peter, Theo, Alicia, Sara, Michael, Elton, Auntie, Arlo, Hollis, Galen, Caleb and many others who live a life of fear, hoping the lights will keep the "virals" away. At 766 pages, there were times when the book dragged a little bit, but there were plenty of action sequences and enough romance to keep me through those parts. There are some graphic descriptions involving dead animals/people. There are also places where I definitely laughed; a group is in Las Vegas for the first time and the entire city is not quite in ruins; someone points to the Eiffel Tower and wonders why it isn't in Europe. I really enjoyed this book, and the ending is calling for a sequel, which, unfortunately, comes out in 2012 (and the third book in the trilogy in 2014). If nothing else, it is a great meditation on how people might react in the face of chaos and catastrophe. 4.5/5 stars.

#23) The Giver by Lois Lowry. I got out the third book in the "trilogy," Messenger, from the library but decided I had to reread The Giver and Gathering Blue before I could read Messenger. The first time I read The Giver, I was in 6th grade and I really enjoyed it. This time, I still enjoyed it, but was more horrifed and saddened because I understood more fully the concept of "releasing" and I could feel Jonas's pain as he was the only person who could feel emotions. A passage I did not remember reading the first time around is when Jonas asks his parents if they love him. To his surprise, his parents correct him, saying the word "love" is almost obsolete, and that he needs to use more precise language. I also more fully understood the ambiguity of the ending, and hope that he met the happier one. I also understand why this would be on a challenged or banned book list; euthanasia, scenes which could be interpreted as sexual, two children of different sexes giving the Old baths, and some disturbing memories which the Giver transmits to Jonas could be some of the reasons why this book would be banned. However, people who ban this book bans a book which challenges the way a child perceives his surroundings, and how something wonderful cannot always be taken at face value. Still terrific and still relevant, after 9 years. 5/5 stars.

#24) The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb. A while back I read I Know This Much is True, and have yet to read She's Come Undone, but I was waiting for the release of The Hour I First Believed and now I finally got around to reading it. Caelum Quirk, and his wife, Maureen, are in a rough patch in their marriage, when Caelum gets the call that his beloved aunt Lolly has died. While he is in Connecticut trying to straighten things out, Maureen is a woman trapped in the library on April 20, 1999 at the Columbine school. I was unsure if I was going to really like this book. The subject matter isn't really light, for one. It's heartbreaking to see Maureen's transformation from a confident woman to a completely shattered one. Also, at the very beginning of the book, there were some really disturbing scenes of Caelum as a boy being psycologically abused by his school's janitor. I was really uncomfortable reading that part and wanted to stop reading. However, most of the rest of the book is about confronting monsters from the past and present, and let me tell you, Caelum has a lot of that to do in the course of the book. 4/5 stars.

P.S. There is at least one reference to I Know This Much is True, and even though it's a sad reference, it made me laugh to see Wally Lamb plagiarize himself a little.

#25) The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. Neil Gaiman is perfect; his horror is not so horrific that it will keep me up at night, but he provides enough chills to give a little scare. I really enjoyed The Graveyard Book. It tells the story of Nobody Owens, an orphan who toddles to a graveyard after a man named Jack kills off the rest of his family. (No spoilers, it happens in the first couple pages.) He is adopted by ghosts, Mr. and Mrs. Owens, when the ghost of his mother begs the Owenses to keep him safe. The rest of the book chronicles Bod's adventures inside and outside of the graveyard. I know that the book is loosely based off of Kipling's The Jungle Book, but since I have not read those books (or seen the Disney movie...yikes!), I wasn't able to make comparisons between the two. It might be smart to read Kipling's books and then Gaiman's books, as to read the original first. Having said that, I found this book to be a little scary, very entertaining, and a lot clever. Because Bod is a human adopted by ghosts, he has some abilities of the dead, like Fading and having great night vision. Bod's curiosity often gets him into trouble, which eventually results in the man Jack tracking him down again! Overall, a quick and fun read which I would recommend to both kids and fans of Gaiman. 4.5/5 stars.

#26) Feed by M. T. Anderson. Not sure what my fascination with dystopian future book is, but I seem to gravitate toward them. This was a pretty disturbing look at what a future might be like if everyone were installed a "feed," that is, a computer in the brain which tries to advertise to your every want. In the case of Titus, the main character, and his friends, the feed sends them information about parties, drugs, clothing sales, movies, and everything else which needs a consumer. The book centers around Titus's relationship with Violet, who got the feed installed late (7 years old versus at birth) and remembers her life without it. The most severe consequence of living in a society set up for instant gratification is ignorance. No one in the society knows any better than to keep up on the latest trends, so they don't know or care about how the earth is deteriorating. They just roll with the punches. The vocabulary of the teenagers (and adults!) is so mind-numbingly stupid. Violet's father is the only one in the book without a feed, and he uses near-obsolete words and complicated syntax so that someone will remember what language used to be like. I was greatly saddened by the ending, and even though Titus is one of those people who's brain has been taken over by the feed, I found myself sympathizing with Titus. Greatly disturbing read which teenagers addicted to their phones/computers/iPods should read. 4/5 stars.

#27) When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead. Note: if you haven't read A Wrinkle in Time, read that before you read When You Reach Me because it is an essential part of the plotline. If you read it, you'll need to understand the concept of a tesseract as well as Meg and her family's adventures in A Wrinkle in Time. When You Reach Me was such a treat to read. The story is centered around twelve year old Miranda and her family and friends. Her mother is going to be on the $20,000 Pyramid with Dick Clark, her best friend Sal was punched and won't talk to her now, and a crazy homeless man has appeared on the corner and mutters nonsense to himself and others. Miranda starts randomly receiving notes from an anonymous person which make her question the legitimacy of time travel. When I finished the book, I realized it wasn't quite as dramatic as I had anticipated, but fascinating and entertaining nontheless. The ending is jaw-dropping when all of the pieces of the puzzle come together. Wonderful. 5/5 stars.

#28) Sarah by Marek Halter. I read this on the recommendation that it was similar to The Red Tent, which I have previously read and really loved. Compared to The Red Tent, I didn't really like Sarah. The Red Tent was a story about women, and having children and the rituals surrounding the female cycle was only a small part of the story. In Sarah, almost the entire story is centered around Sarai's desire to have children but her inability because of herbs she took when she was 12 to stop fertility. If she's been barren for so long, and does not accept Abram's miracle working God, then there is no point in having a whole book centered around her tiresome and useless pleas for children. The book was also way too graphic regarding male and female sexuality. It made me uncomfortable that a man had written this. However, this book certainly wasn't the worst I've read. The story was interesting enough, as there's almost no information in the Bible about Sarai, and the descriptions were nice. I liked Abram's character development, and I am a sucker for a good love story. Overall, it wouldn't be the first book I'd recommend to someone. 3/5 stars.

#29) Messenger by Lois Lowry. After quickly rereading The Giver, I decided to complete reading the loose trilogy. I wish that I had reread Gathering Blue also, just to get a feel for the second dystopian society, but unfortunately did not. Messenger is the story of Matty, a boy who first appears in Gathering Blue. He lives in a utopian society with a blind man whom people call by his true name, Seer. Matty has grown into a young man of about 15 and is one of the few people the Forest will allow to freely navigate without Warnings. Everything is fairly happy in Village, run by Leader, a man that fans of The Giver will recognize immediately, until people begin to unexplicably change for the worse. This change in people causes them to vote to block off Village from outsiders, so Matty must leave Village one last time on a dangerous mission. Because this book is juvenille fiction, it is not difficult to read, but the subject matter most of the time is very dark and sad. Themes such as selfishness and selflessness, sacrifice, and love are all present. What's more, it's a terrific connecting thread to both The Giver and Gathering Blue and ties up some previous loose ends. A fast read with a very sad ending, but Lois Lowry does it again, giving an entertaining read that will make kids think. (I hope!!) 4.5/5 stars.

#30) Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. I was wary to begin Mockingjay after I had heard more than one review about how it is not as compelling/effective/exciting as the first two books in the trilogy. It was a little slow going at first, but picked up in the second half. I can't give away too much in my review, lest someone should read it, but I'll say this: characters who you have grown to love in the first two books will die, other characters are only shades of who they once were, the main plotline is not centered around the 76th Hunger Games, it is the most different of the three books, you'll have to have read The Hunger Games and Catching Fire to understand Mockingjay, and you may or may not like the ending. I personally liked the epilogue as much as I disliked the Harry Potter #7 epilogue. It's a different story than the first two books in the trilogy, though more graphic. Overall, an entertaining teen read that provides a satisfying conclusion to the end of the trilogy. 4.5/5 stars.

#31) 365 Thank Yous by John Kralik. My sister graduated high school this past weekend and one of her teachers gave a copy of this book to every member of the class. I picked it up and finished it about two hours later. 365 Thank Yous is akin to Tuesdays With Morrie or The Last Lecture. It is a kind of self-help nonfiction book that tells you of one man's success over something and how the reader might achieve the same kind of success. In this case, John is very unhappy with his life; his law firm isn't doing well, he's grown distant with his family, his relationship with his girlfriend is on the rocks, etc. The way John changes his life is by making a New Year's Resolution to send 365 thank you notes after hearing a voice that told him that he needed to change before his life could change. John's life does change for the better, though I won't say exactly how, by sending these thank you notes and showing gratitude for the little things in his life. One of my favorite thank-you notes that John sends is to Scott, who works the cash register at Starbucks (I would love to get a note from a customer where I work!). The best part about this true story is that John's simple gesture impacted so many other lives, and his project is something that anyone can replicate. I'm also not a fan of how much society relies on technology, and I really appreciated John's handwritten notes. This is a very quick but rewarding and addicting read and I definitely recommend it! 4/5 stars.

#32) The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly. After seeing all the glowing reviews on LibraryThing, I decided I had to read The Book of Lost Things. In short, I absolutely loved it. I really like fairy tales and their modern interpretations, so this was right on the mark. This is a coming-of-age story of David, a bookish boy whose mother has just died. David, in his anger and frustration and rebellion against his new stepmother and stepbrother, is tricked by a Crooked Man into entering a fairy tale world. David encounters many fairy tale characters in his quest to find the King and his guidebook, The Book of Lost Things. What I really liked about this book was the author's way of twisting fairy tales to suit his storytelling purpose. For example, the fairy tale world is overwrought with a wolf-human hybrid which originated with Red Riding Hood seducing a wolf. Their offspring is a creature , called a Loup. At the end of the novel, Connolly includes a 100+ page guide to the fairy tales he used in creating this book, including their history, adaptations of the fairy tale, and usually The Brothers Grimm's version of the tale. It's a very dark look at fairy tales however, and there are many gruesome creatures and deeds done in the book. Roland and the Woodsman were two of my favorite characters, but the kind characters are definitely outnumbered by the despicable, especially the Crooked Man and the Huntress (definitely some of the creepiest chapters in the book!). I loved this book, and if you like dark, fractured fairy tales, you'll love it, too. 5/5 stars.

#33) Chocolat by Joanne Harris. I read this book based on a friend's recommendation, and also that I wanted to see the movie because I love Johnny Depp. :) Chocolat was definitely not what I thought it was going to be about. I think I was expecting more of a romance novel, but what I got was a story with underlying tones of changing people for the better. Vianne is a sort of witch who has been a vagabond for most of her life, but settles down in a small town in France, where she sets up a chocolate shop shortly after Lent begins. The chocolate shop happens to be right across the street from a church, whose priest, Francis Reynaud, is a traditionalist and is angry that Vianne and her daughter, Anouk, don't go to church or believe in his God. The main conflict is that of Reynaud trying to destroy Vianne's business, but she manages to defy him in many ways. There are many characters who I loved, including Guillaume, an older gentleman who loves his dog, Anouk, who is absolutely adorable, and Luc Clairmont, whose mother is overbearing and his grandmother is a riot. Josephine, however, seemed a little inconsistent. She is either portrayed as a disturbed, meek, thief of a woman, or else very courageous and bold. I suppose that since Vianne has some supernatural powers, this is plausible within the plot. I liked that Joanne Harris included first person narratives from Vianne and Reynaud's points of view, and I felt myself sympathizing with both characters. I wish I had taken French in high school, because Harris describes all kinds of chocolate and other food, but the names are in French, and half the time I didn't know what she was talking about. The ending was left a little open, but this was a pretty satisfying (or delectable, if I'm going for the food metaphor) read, and I recommend it to those who want a delicious escape. 4/5 stars.

#34) The Golden Compass and #36) The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman. I missed out on this trilogy when I was little, so I decided it was FINALLY time to read it this summer. Lyra lives in Oxford, England, in my mind the 19th century, at Jordan College. She thinks she has neither father nor mother, but is content with life among Scholars. Rumors of kidnappers, called Gobblers, don't worry Lyra until her friend Roger, the kitchen boy, goes missing. In her quest to find Roger, Lyra finds herself in the remote Arctic regions in plenty of terrifying situations. What she doesn't know, but many others in the book are aware of, is that she is the child in a prophecy that will change the course of mankind. In short, I was entralled by The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife. There are many plots occurring simultaneously, but, as this is a book marketed as juvenille fiction, it never gets so complicated that I couldn't follow it. Lyra and her daemon, Patalaimon, are easy to love protagonists, as is Will Parry in the sequel. Lee Scoresby, the gyptians, the witches, and Iorek are not difficult to forget for their kindness and selflessness. I don't know if I would recommend this book to children; Pullman's writing style is very mature, and sometimes he used words that I didn't know! The themes of the book are also very mature; the existence of a higher power and the validity of the higher power are discussed, the I Ching makes an appearance, there is a lot of graphic violence, and plenty of frightening situations. Without a doubt, however, I would recommend this to mature kids as well as older kids and adults, especially those who love an epic fantasy story. Currently working on The Amber Spyglass, review to follow! 5/5 stars for both books.

#35) Prophecy-The Fulfillment by Deborah A. Jaeger. I received this book from LT Early Reviewers. This was a very interesting and unsettling book about the second coming of the Lord set in Nashville, Tennessee in 2018. Jillian Macomb has just broken up with her boyfriend after she refuses to have sex with him. Stephen is a student and a scholar of Early Christianity who receives a grant to work with Marc Macomb, Jillian's father. Both Stephen and Jillian receive startling and strange visions of what is to come. This book was definitely an interesting version of how the Lord could come a second time. One of the most plausible parts of the book is when the media has a field day over supposed miracles which are occurring. This book compelled me to stay up late reading! The characters in the book are pretty believable, though the circumstances surrounding them are anything but. Father Andrews is the most believable in his unwavering faith to God, and I grew to love Stephen because of his commitment to his mission and his faith. I had two problems with this book, however. The first was in some of the writing. The author uses the phrase "the proverbial cookie jar," etc. approximately five times in the book, but since it's a unique phrase, it was glaringly evident every time it was used. Other cliches are also used multiple times. My other problem is that this novel needed to be proofread one more time. There are places where the opening quotation mark is missing; some paragraphs are not evenly spaced across a line; on the back of the book jacket, there is a statement that says "an urgent need to follow it's covenant"- an incorrect apostrophe! While the ending was pretty satisfying, it felt rushed. This book could have been longer, or a sequel could have been written. I might recommend this book, depending on the person, because it had a very interesting storyline and had neat ties to the story of the birth of Jesus in the Bible. 3.5/5 stars.

#37) House Rules by Jodi Picoult

#38) The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman

#39) The Ten Students You'll Meet in Your Classroom by Vickie Gill

#40) The Journey of Crazy Horse by Joseph M. Marshall

#41) Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

#42) They Called it Prairie Light by K. Tsianina Lomawaima

#43) A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

#44) The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides

#45) The Navajo People and Uranium Mining by Stewart L. Udall

Half of these books posted (about Native Americans and the Ten Students) were read for school, but since they were in paperback book form and I read them cover to cover, I decided they counted toward my total books for this challenge. Since this has been all my reading since the end of August, I don't remember all the details about I read! However, I highly recommend the entire "His Dark Materials" trilogy and "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn." I read the latter at school is small chunks and I wish it didn't end. It was a lovely book!

Hopefully, more accurate records will appear on this thread in the future. I'm so close to finishing the 50 books and it will be done in less than 2 years!

#46) Matched by Allie Condie.

#47) The Chronicles of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg.

#48) Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout.

Just found your thread and I really have enjoyed your descriptions! I'm starring you and will try to find your reviews if you start a new 50 book thread. :)

Thank you so much Tina! I do plan to start a new thread (although it will take me more than a year to get the 50 books read), but I am so glad that someone read what I wrote. More reviews to come when I have time to do so! :)

I know what you mean -- I wonder sometimes if anyone reads my 50 challenge thread too... :0)

#49) Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer. 4/5 stars.

#50) Perfect Match by Jodi Picoult. 4/5 stars.