Tuesday Thingers-03/31/09

Tuesday Thingers Question: What is your least-favorite book(s)? Is your least-favorite book listed in your LT library? If it is listed, do you have anything special in the tags or comments section? How have others rated your least-favorite book?

One of my least favorite books is listed in my Library and reviewed since it was an Early Reviewer book, the first one I ever received through the program. It was Any Given Doomsday and if you like you can find the review here. I wouldn't say it is the least favorite but it is the only one I have in my LT library. As far as others have rated it- pretty much the same. You can check out their ratings and reviews on the books page.

Wow, it has been over a month since I have participated in TT. Didn't realize it had been that long. Oops. :)

Tuesday Thinger is hosted by Wendy of Wendy's Book Corner

My Tuesday Tease

I haven't been getting much of anything done lately...knitting, reading or housework. Quite lazy. So I wasn't really sure what book to share with you all today. There are three in rotation right now. None really getting much reading time except for a few minutes here and there. (Not a good sign for April.)

Anyway, since I have been doing some iPhone Kindle reading I thought I would give you a little tease from the book I have up on there right now. The second of the Morgainville Vampire series by Rachel Caine. Vamps, boys, and girls in Goth ... makes for a fun read.

"Claire stood in the doorway, frozen with sudden dread. It looked like a room full of dead people. Worse-dead, drunk, horny people." The Dead Girl's Dance by Rachel Caine. 

Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.

Music filled 2009

I love Depeche Mode! They are my absolute favorite band ever. I have seen them in concert four times and will be seeing them for the fifth time in August. I have tickets for their SF concert in Mountain View. I cannot wait. Their new album releases in April. 

To make my waiting easier we have gotten tickets for the Nine Inch Nails concert here in Austin in May. Jane's Addiction will be opening for them. Woot!

And one more cool possible concert. I just read on Muse's website that they will be touring with U2 for some of their US concert dates this fall. How awesome would that be!? My fingers are crossed that one of those dates will be in Texas. Somewhere that I can get to. I suppose San Francisco would be okay.

Okay, I am done being a fangirl...for now. :) I leave you with DM's new single. Video is a bit strange. This is the first time I have seen it. Weird.

And one of my all time favorite songs! Enjoy.

Book Review- The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart

"I, Frankie Landau-Banks, hereby confess that I was the sole mastermind behind the mal-doings of the Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds. I take full responsibility for the disruptions caused by the Order-including the Library Lady, the Doggies in the Window, the Night of a Thousand Dogs, the Canned Beet Rebellion, and the abduction of the Guppy."

I had absolutely no idea what this book was going to be about when I purchased it. The back cover "letter" got me so intrigued, though, that I had to get it without knowing anything else. I had no clue what all that was about but I just had to find out. Turns out, all those mysterious sounding things were pretty cool and funny but the best thing about the book was Frankie.

Frankie, in her sophomore year at Alabaster Prep, has it all. The looks (thanks to a summer growth spurt), a Senior boyfriend and a great supportive roommate, but she wants more. Besides wanting to be accepted she wants to also be seen and respected for who she is. She is smart and resourceful, witty and well-versed and she sees herself as equals to her boyfriend and his friends and hates that they see her as someone to take care of.

I absolutely loved the tone of this book and the author's high level of language and literary references. (P.G. Wodehouse has quite an influence on Frankie.) There was no "dumbing down" of Lockhart's writing that you sometimes see in books for teens. I know what I was capable of reading as a teen and purposely sought out adult literature when I didn't find it in the YA books available back then. I am glad to see that E. Lockhart knows that teens are capable of reading at a higher level than some might think. I would have loved this book in high school and I am sure there are many now that do.

Oh, and on a side note. I absolutely love the cover of this book. The light blue of the envelope and the deep red of the seal wax - love it. 

4/5

YA Challenge

Monday Meme

I got this from Claire at kiss a cloud... a great meme for a Monday. 

And it fills up this space which usually is for books I have received. Alas, no books this past week. 


What time do you find the best time to read?

At night in bed.


What are you spending time reading right now?

Cry of Justice by Jason Pratt


What's the best book with time in the title you have read?

The Time Traveler's Wife

What is your favourite time (as in era) to read novels based in?

Present and Tudor England

What book could you read time and time again?

Harry Potter books

What recently published book do you think deserves to become a classic in time?

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

What book has been your biggest waste of time?

Wow, is is really hard to think of one. I didn't enjoy Paradise Lost or Wuthering Heights but not sure I would say waste of time. More  recent? Not sure.

What big book would you recommend to others to spend time reading if they haven't?

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon

What's your favourite read of all time?

It is a toss up between many books. So hard to name just one. How about a few favorites.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

Who is your favourite author of all time?

Jane Austen

TAG. YOU'RE IT!!!!!

Dickens

Have you read much of his work? I have read some but seem to have missed quite a few. I realized this while checking out the listings on PBS Masterpiece Classics tonight. Little Dorrit was the movie tonight and I was amazed that I had never heard of it, let alone not read it. 

How did I miss this one? 

So, I am watching it right now. Couldn't not watch it. It is hard to pass up these BBC adaptations of the classics. Also, Matthew MacFadyen is in it. :)

As for the books I have read by Dickens, they are:

Great Expectations

A Tale of Two Cities

A Christmas Carol

That's it! I think I may have to add some Dickens to my Classics Challenge list.

What would you recommend?

End of March Madness (Sunday Salon)

It is hard to believe it is already nearing the end of March. The month has gone by so quickly. It has been a good month bookwise. I have read some really good books and have managed to get them all reviewed. Well, almost. I have one more to come.

March Books Read and Reviewed:

19. The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
18. Glass Houses by Rachel Caine
17. The Gifted Galbadón Sisters by Lorraine López
16. Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code by Eoin Colfer
15. Schooled by Anisha Lakhani
14. Sandry's Book by Tamora Pierce

Reviews to come:
21. Cry of Justice by Jason Pratt
20. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E.Lockhart 

You can disregard the numbers, they are just for me. Keeping track of the number of books read in 2009. I can't believe there are some who have already ready over 100 books! How is that possible? I thought 20 was pretty good. :)

How many books have you read so far this year?

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Mo of Unmainstream Mom Reads has given me an award. It feels like yesterday when I got my very first Premio Dardos Award. Thanks so much, Mo! You should all go and check out the other blogs she awarded it to. There are some really great ones on that list.

This award acknowledges the values that every blogger shows in his or her effort to transmit cultural, ethical, literary, and personal values every day.

The rules to follow are:

1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award and his or her blog link.

2) Pass the award to 15 other blogs that are worthy of this acknowledgment. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

It is so hard to pick a few from my long list of blogs I read so once I again I pass this on to everyone who Follows me and to those I Follow! you are all worthy of this award.

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With the end of March comes the start of the Classics Reading Challenge hosted by Trish. I posted my list of books for this challenge a few weeks ago and now I must make a choice for what book to start with. I am thinking I will start right at the top and begin with The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. I received my copy through Library Thing's Early Reviewers and feel I should read and get a review up soon. It is a very nice unabridged edition and I love the cover.

Which classic will you be reading in April?

The Reader, cont.

From the comments of my review post for The Reader:

Beth Kephart said...
Your 4 of 5 — given, in the end, for the language, the story, the themes, or all of this? I feel your thoughtfulness here, your mind still churning.

Mari said...
Beth- For all of it. This is definitely a book I will have to reread to get my thoughts on it fully realized. I am still thinking about it. You are so right about that. This was one of those books where I didn't want to give it a rating just yet.

I was thinking about this a bit more and realized that my review didn't really match my rating of 4/5, so I wanted to explain it a bit. As mentioned above, I was torn on whether or not to rate it but in the end 4/5 is the rating I think it deserves. Here is why.

I like books that make you think. That leave you pondering what you have read days after closing the book. The writing in The Reader may seem distant but it serves a purpose. Michael can't seem to react to his own story, so it is left up to the reader. He never judges Hannah for what she did. Never questions her actions. He just states the facts of what happened and shares her recollections during the trials. The question she asks of the judge is the same question being asked of the reader, "What would you have done?"

This book grabbed a hold of me from the first page and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since finishing it. It has some difficult subject matter, and yes, it was hard to feel sympathy for Hannah after you hear her history and role during the Holocaust and her affect on Michael's life, but the fact that this book was able to elicit feelings of anger, guilt and sympathy within me makes this a really great book in my eyes.

Book Review- The Reader by Bernard Schlink

The Reader by Bernhard Schlink

I have had a hard time writing this review for some reason. It was not a difficult read. Very straightforward writing and telling of the story. It is a very matter of fact recounting of what happened to Michael Berg after the day Hannah Schmitz helped him when he got sick walking home at the age of fifteen. You never really get into the head of Michael as he commences an affair with 30-something Hannah. And even when he finds her again years later while she is on trial for war crimes she committed as a guard at a concentration camp during WWII, he seems to have no feelings or emotions. He is numb.

There are so many parts to this book. So many different things to think about. The affair between an adult and teen. Illiteracy and its affects on those who try to hide it. The coming to terms of the actions of family and friends during WWII by the younger generation of Germans. I think the lack of emotion and judgement allows for the reader to have their own unique reactions to the story. Just reading through reviews on GoodReads you can see such a difference in opinion and reactions to the story.

4/5

WWII Challenge
A to Z Challenge

Vote Earth!

Originally uploaded by Earth Hour Global

Will you be turning off your lights tonight?

Book Review- Glass Houses (Morganville Vampires) by Rachel Caine

Glass Houses by Rachel Caine

Claire Danvers is a college freshman at the age of sixteen and living in a dorm in Morganville, Texas where the other girls terrorize her and it doesn’t get any better off campus. Vampires make the college town their home and they have a very strong influence on all that live there. Claire tries to find refuge at the house of Michael Glass, an 18 year old with a secret, and his two roommates, Eve and Shane.

This is the first in the Morganville Vampire series and the minute I finished this I started reading the next book in the series. The cliffhanger at the end required immediate reading of the second. I had to know what was going to happen. Glass Houses got me completely hooked. The high school-ish feel was odd since it takes place on a college campus and the main character is supposed to be so smart but never really shows it. Still, it was good for some easy mindless reading. Definitely addictive.

3/5

YA Challenge
Serial Readers Challenge
eBook Reading Challenge

Sisterhood Award

Yvonne of Socrates Book Reviews has given me this really cool award. Thanks so much, Yvonne!

Here are the rules to spread the sisterhood spirit:

1. Put the logo on your blog or post.
2. Nominate up to 10 blogs which show great attitude and/or gratitude!
3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Remember to link to the person from whom you received your award.

I have been very blessed to receive so many awards lately that I would love to share it with everyone. Especially with every one of my "sister bloggers" right over there in my Followers widget. Also, if I Follow you...this is for you, too!

Another book for my "Currently Reading" list

I am sure you have noticed that my reading habit tends to have me reading more than one book at a time. I know I am not the only one, but I wanted to explain all the books over in my currently reading widget. There are four. I know, crazy, huh?

Well, one comes in daily increments over email that I read at rest time every day (or at least that was the plan) while I eat my lunch. One is on my iPhone that I only read when I am out of the house and in need of something to read. One (usually the bulkier or denser read) stays by my bed for nightly reading before I go to sleep. The fourth, usually an easily portable (paperback or small hardcover) and shorter in length book that can be read while relaxing in the bath or while eating and can be tossed in my bag whenever needed.

I picked up that fourth book yesterday since I found myself lacking one. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart and I am loving it already. I can tell that Frankie is going to be a favorite character and I have only read a couple chapters.

So who is Frankie?

Here is a little info on her.

"Between May and September, she gained four inches and twenty pounds, all in the right places. Went from being a scrawny, awkward child with hands too big for her arms, a frizz of unruly brown fluff on her head, and a jaw so sharp it made Grandma Evelyn cluck about how 'When it comes to plastic surgery, it never hurts to do those things before college,' to being a curvaceous young woman with an offbeat look that boys found distinctly appealing." Page 5, The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart.


Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.

Summer Reading in the mail

I have settled in a bit more since getting home yesterday. 

The clothes are unpacked and ready to be washed. The shower has been scrubbed until it shines and the held mail has been gone through. Books made their way to me while I was away and I was so excited to tear open the wrappings around two new books. Well, one new and one I have in an Anthology, but wanted in a small paperback capable of being stowed in a pocket of my backpack when I go to Bath this summer. 

Can you guess the book? The author, maybe?

A lovely BookMoocher sent me a copy of Persuasion by Jane Austen. A good choice, right? A good choice for Bath? Of course, Northanger Abbey is the one I think of when I think of Bath. I am reading an abridged version of Persuasion through DailyLit right now but have fallen behind by more than a week. I was doing so well. I am looking forward to reading through it properly, though.

This was not the only book I found in the mail and I just might be a teensy bit more excited about this one than the Austen one. It is my February Early Review book From LibraryThing.The Strain by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan! Check out this article for some info about the book. 

I may not be waiting until summer to read this one.

Mailbox Monday hosted by Marcia of The Printed Page

Book Review- The Gifted Gabaldón Sisters by Lorraine López

The Gifted Gabaldón Sisters by Lorraine López

The Gabaldón Sisters- Loretta, Bette, Rita and Sophia, all named after famous movie stars, lost their mother early in life and were taken care of by their father and their old, Pueblo housekeeper, Fermina. Upon her death, she leaves the girls with a gift which they don't discover until much later in their lives. They had always believed the gifts to be magical- the power to heal, to lie, to curse and to make others laugh when in fact, the gift she left them is so much more powerful and meaningful.

This is a beautiful story about family, secrets, lies, history and love. I really enjoyed the weaving of English and Spanish throughout the writing. It is so much like the way my family speaks that it was very comfortable to read.

4/5

AtoZ Challenge

Reviews to come (Sunday Salon)

After a great but busy trip to California it is quite nice to be sitting at home.( I am ignoring my unpacked suitcase.) We had two very restful days in Big Sur which means lots of reading. I finished a couple books while there. I am also almost half way in on another and just today, on the plane home, I read almost all of The Reader. Only a few more chapters left. It was one I couldn't put down until we landed.

I know this week has been very quiet around here, but in the coming weeks there will be some reviews coming your way. 

Glass Houses by Rachel Caine

The Gifted Gabaldón Sisters by Lorraine López 

The Reader by Bernhard Schlinck.

Hope you all had a great week!

I am off to see what I missed this week. 653 unread posts in my Reader! Not sure I am going to get through all those. Wish me luck. :)

Book Review- Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code by Eoin Colfer

Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code by Eoin Colfer

During Artemis Fowl's last heist before giving it all up to be a part of a normal family with his mother and returned father, his trusty bodyguard and friend, Butler, gets mortally wounded and the C-Cube, which has lots of stolen fairy technology within it, is taken by a Chicago mobster. Once again, Artemis must get help from Holly Short and the LEPrecon Unit to help save Butler and get back the cube. And the price for that help? Only his memory and perhaps everything that has changed him from the ruthless criminal mastermind he was to the much more humane and moral, yet still a genius, Artemis he is now.

The best of the bunch so far. I really enjoyed seeing the nicer side of Artemis. The journal entries were a nice new inclusion, sharing his thoughts about the change in his father after his recovery.

4/5

Serial Readers Challenge

I am also counting this one towards my own yearly challenge of reading a book by an Irish author during the month of March. Not exactly the same as the previous books I have read, but it still meets my own requirements. :)

Here are some of the other books I have read:

2008- In the Forest by Edna O'Brien (review)

2007- Oh, Play That Thing by Roddy Doyle

2006- A Star Called Henry by Roddy Doyle

2005- My Dream of You by Nuala O'Faolain

2004- The Country Girls Trilogy and Epilogue by Edna O'Brien

In 2003 we went to Ireland so there were a few more books read that year, I unfortunately can't remember them right now. I know one was an anthology of women authors. I also read The Princes of Ireland by Edward Rutherford as it was a gift that Christmas before along with the trip. I still need to get myself a copy of The Rebels of Ireland.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Spring Break reading

I know I have been pretty scarce these past few days and unfortunately that is not going to change this week. I am heading our of town today. I am on Spring Break! Woohoo! Besides being busy with laundry and packing up the clothes I am trying to decide what books to take with me. I have a few books on the iPod Kindle, one close to being finished. I have been reading it every time I have a little time...at the doctor's office, in line at the post office, laying on the couch.

So, be expecting a review of Glass Houses by Rachel Caine soon. It is the first book in the Morganville Vampires series. I am also a few pages from finishing the third in the Artemis Fowl series. The Eternity Code by Eoin Colfer. Another review! March is turning out to be a much better reading month.

So, books to take with me to California.

I have the second book in the Morganville Vampires series and Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson in the iPod Kindle.

I also have Cry of Justice by Jason Pratt ready to go in my bag.

Not sure if I should take any more. Perhaps one more book. 

The Graveyard Book? An Obsolete Honor?

Not sure if I will get back on here much this week so if I don't..have a great week!

eBook Challenge

I just can't seem to stay away from the challenges. Here is another one. Now that I have a few books on the iPhone I can actually join this one.

Here is my list:

1. Glass Houses by Rachel Caine
2. The Dead Girl's Dance (Morganville Vampire's Series) by Rachel Caine
3. Midnight Alley by Rachel Caine
5. Feast of Fools by Rachel Caine
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Booking Through Thursday-03/12/09

What book do you think should be made into a movie? And do you have any suggestions for the producers?

I really think Bel Canto by Ann Patchett would make a wonderful movie. Don't think it would be a blockbuster, but done well, it could win a few Oscars. Unfortunately, the director, that I think should direct it, is no longer available. Robert Altman passed away three years ago. Did you ever see Gosford Park? Amazing! This style of movie is exactly what I see Bel Canto: The Movie being.

Teach Play Learn

I have just started a new blog to chronicle my teaching experiences as a Pre K teacher. If you are interested, stop by and take a look:

Teach Play Learn

It's Tuesday! Time for a tease.

Finally I get the chance to open up this book and start reading. 

If you remember, Jason Pratt stopped by last month for a guest post. I was supposed to have a review of the book the following week but unforeseen circumstances had kept the book out of my hands. Jason was kind enough to send me a signed copy which I now have the pleasure to read.

Here is a quick glimpse inside:

"I remember. I have failed in so many things, and most of my people do not know- or do not remember." page 12, Cry of Justice by Jason Pratt.

Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.

You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
Please avoid spoilers!

eBook Purchased

Well, I may not have a Kindle but I do have an iPhone. 

I just downloaded the Kindle for iPhone app after reading Chris' review of it. I was kind of worried when I first went and looked it up last week and there were no reviews. I thought I would wait awhile before downloading it. Now, only a week later there are over 700 reviews and mostly positive. 

I also purchased a book. (I just couldn't wait.) Plus, I need easy to take with me reads for Spring Break. What did I get? Glass Houses by Rachel Caine. $4.79! Not bad. It was in the app in a matter of seconds. It looks great too. Easy on the eyes, easy to change pages. (I read through a few.)

There are some complaints about not being able to purchase the books right from the app but it is so simple to do it off of Amazon that I didn't really see it as a problem but I am sure it will be a feature soon enough. 

Have any of you tried it out yet? 

YA Books Meme

You know I love lists, right? Well here is another I have seen around the blogs lately that I couldn't pass up.

Instructions:
Put an "X" next to the books you've read
Put a "+" next to the books you LOVE
Put a "#" next to the books you plan on reading
Tally your "X"s at the bottom
Share with your friends!

1. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy / Douglas Adams X
2. Kit's Wilderness / David Almond
3. Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian / Sherman Alexie
4. Speak / Laurie Halse Anderson X
5. Feed / M.T. Anderson
6. Flowers in the Attic / V.C. Andrews X
7. 13 Reasons Why / Jay Asher
8. Am I Blue? / Marion Dane Bauer (editor)
9. Audrey Wait! / Robin Benway
10. Weetzie Bat / Francesca Lia Block
11. Tangerine / Edward Bloor
12. Forever / Judy Blume 
13. What I Saw and How I Lied / Judy Blundell
14. Tyrell / Coe Booth
15. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants / Ann Brashares X
16. A Great and Terrible Beauty / Libba Bray 
17. The Princess Diaries / Meg Cabot
18. The Stranger / Albert Camus X
19. Ender's Game / Orson Scott Card #
20. Postcards from No Man's Land / Aidan Chambers
21. Perks of Being a Wallflower / Stephen Chbosky X+
22. And Then There Were None / Agatha Christie X
23. Gingerbread / Rachel Cohn
24. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist / Rachel Cohn and David Levithan X
25. Artemis Fowl (series) / Eoin Colfer X+
26. The Hunger Games / Suzanne Collins #
27. The Midwife's Apprentice / Karen Cushman
28. The Truth About Forever / Sarah Dessen
29. Little Brother / Cory Doctorow
30. A Northern Light / Jennifer Donnelly
31. Tears of a Tiger / Sharon Draper
32. The House of the Scorpion / Nancy Farmer 
33. Breathing Underwater / Alex Flinn
34. Stardust / Neil Gaiman #
35. Annie on My Mind / Nancy Garden
36. What Happened to Cass McBride / Gail Giles
37. Fat Kid Rules the World / K.L. Going
38. Lord of the Flies / William Golding X
39. Looking for Alaska / John Green #
40. Bronx Masquerade / Nikki Grimes
41. Out of the Dust / Karen Hesse
42. Hoot / Carl Hiaasen 
43. The Outsiders / S.E. Hinton X+
44. Crank / Ellen Hopkins 
45 The First Part Last / Angela Johnson
46. Blood and Chocolate / Annette Curtis Klause 
47. Arrow's Flight / Mercedes Lackey
48. Hattie Big Sky / Kirby Larson
49. To Kill a Mockingbird / Harper Lee X
50. Boy Meets Boy / David Levithan
51. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks / E. Lockhart #
52. The Giver / Lois Lowry
53. Number the Stars / Lois Lowry
54. Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie / David Lubar
55. Inexcusable / Chris Lynch
56. The Earth, My Butt and Other Big, Round Things / Carolyn Mackler
57. Dragonsong / Anne McCaffrey 
58. White Darkness / Geraldine McCaughrean
59. Sold / Patricia McCormick
60. Jellicoe Road / Melina Marchetta
61. Wicked Lovely / Melissa Marr X
62. Twilight / Stephenie Meyer X
63. Dairy Queen / Catherine Murdock
64. Fallen Angels / Walter Dean Myers
65. Monster / Walter Dean Myers
66. Step From Heaven / An Na
67. Mama Day / Gloria Naylor
68. The Keys to the Kingdom (series) / Garth Nix
69. Sabriel / Garth Nix 
70. Airborn / Kenneth Oppel
71. Eragon / Christopher Paolini 
72. Hatchet / Gary Paulsen 
73. Life As We Knew It / Susan Beth Pfeffer
74. The Golden Compass / Phillip Pullman X+
75. Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging / Louise Rennison X
76. The Lightning Thief / Rick Riordan
77. Always Running: La Vida Loca / Luis Rodriguez
78. how i live now / Meg Rosoff
79. Harry Potter (series) / J.K. Rowling X+
80. Holes / Louis Sachar X
81. Catcher in the Rye / J. D. Salinger X
82. Push / Sapphire
83. Persepolis / Marjane Satrapi
84. Unwind / Neil Shusterman
85. Coldest Winter Ever / Sister Souljah
86. Stargirl / Jerry Spinelli 
87. Chanda's Secrets / Allan Stratton
88. Tale of One Bad Rat / Brian Talbot
89. Rats Saw God / Rob Thomas
90. Lord of the Rings / J.R.R. Tolkien X
91. Stuck in Neutral / Terry Trueman
92. Gossip Girl / Cecily Von Ziegesar X
93. Uglies / Scott Westerfeld X
94. Every Time a Rainbow Dies / Rita Williams-Garcia
95. Pedro and Me / Judd Winick
96. Hard Love / Ellen Wittlinger
97. American Born Chinese / Gene Luen Yang
98. Elsewhere / Gabrielle Zevin
99. I am the Messenger / Markus Zusak
100. The Book Thief / Markus Zusak #

I have only read 22 on this list. How about you?

Classics Challenge 2009

Yup. Another challenge. 

I just can't seem to help myself. :) I love Classics and there are still a lot for me to read so what better way to get them read than to participate in the Classics Challenge for 2009. 

I participated in last year's challenge and finished so I have my hopes up that I can complete this one as well. However, this year I am only going to try for four books plus the bonus "Should Be A Classic" book.

I blame The Black Sheep for this one. I saw she would be participating again so of course I have to as well. :) 

So, here is what I have in mind for this one:

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer 

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

Persuasion by Jane Austen 

Dracula by Bram Stoker

Bonus:

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

It's possible this list may change.

This gets started on April 1st! Will you be participating?

Read as of (8/09)

Persuasion by Jane Austen

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

What a Week! (Sunday Salon)

This has been quite the busy and stressful week for me so I am quite happy it is finally Sunday. Report cards are due soon, changes at work are causing some stress, and other stress inducing factors that have come up recently have been driving me a little batty. 

Thankfully, I can lose myself in a good book once I get home or in my knitting even for just a little while and forget about it all. Coming online helps, as well, especially when you find out you have been given awards from some really great bloggers. These came from two of my own favorites so it made me smile and made me forget about all the crap I have had to deal with this week.

"This blog invests and believes in the PROXIMITY-nearness in space, time and relationships. These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement! Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this clever-written text into the body of their award."

A big thank you goes to Serena of SavyVerse&Wit for thinking of me when she read the above qualifications for this award.

Time to pass this on to 8 wonderful blogs:

Presenting Lenore
Confuzzled Books
The Book Zombie
Wendi's Book Corner
J Kaye's Book Blog
The Literate Housewife Review
Em's Bookshelf
kiss a cloud

Another big thank you to Yvonne of Socrates Book Reviews for giving me the "I Love Your Blog" award. You don't know just how much this means to me right now. :) This is so cool, right?

Here are the rules to keep the award moving:

1) Add the logo of the award to your blog
2) Add a link to the person who awarded it to you
3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs
4) Add links to those blogs on your blog
5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs!

And here are 7 of the wonderful blogs I love to visit. It was so hard to pick just 7 out of all the blogs in my Reader:

BookBath
In Bed With Books
The Compulsive Reader
Reviewer X
Blacklin's Reading Room Review's and More
Blogging About Books
Lost in a Good Story

Thank you Serena and Yvonne for making this week end on a good note. :)

____________________________________________________

Today is the last day of the Book Giveaway Carnival that was hosted by Tracy at Book Room Reviews. Once again it was a lot of fun. I have one last winner to announce. The winner of Skeleton Creek by Patrick Carman. Such a fun book. You are going to enjoy it. Don't forget about the Webacast tomorrow, too! Anyway, the winner is...

Kristi

Congratulations! Please email your address to marireadsATyahooDOTcom and I will get the book in the mail to you as soon as possible.

Book Review- Schooled by Anisha Lakhani

Schooled by Anisha Lakhani

I teach in a public school that services kids from underprivileged homes. Sometimes, as all teachers do at times, I complain about difficult kids, parents, and/or admin. It comes with the territory. PreKindergarten isn't all happy faces, snack and fun arts crafts. It is work and there are hard days. However, I do not have it as bad as Anna Taggert in Schooled.

Oh. My. God.

I would have quit the very first day if I had to deal with what she does at her private school in Manhattan. who would put up with that? Well, we know there are many who do, but how? Those kids would have eaten me alive the first hour. I would have very little patience for their parents and I would resent the un-supportive administration that catered to the rich family donators. This is quite a world I would hate to live in but love to read about.

Never again will I complain that a parent didn't make it to a parent conference!

4/5

Your favorite books and Winners!

Your Favorites of 2009 (so far!)

 Books:

The Love We Share Without Knowing by Christopher Barzak

Paper Towns by John Green

Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Age Before Beauty by Virginia Smith

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

Very Valentine by Adriana Trigiani

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

Sundays at Tiffany's by James Patterson

The Associate by John Grisham

When Will There Be Good News by Kate Atkinson

The Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons

Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce

The Red Necklace by Sally Gardner

FaeFever by Karen Marie Moning

North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley

Going To Far by Jennifer Echols

Ghost in Love by Jonathon Carroll

The Little Giant of Aberdeen County Tiffany Baker

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth

The Shack by William Young

Envy by Anna Godberson

Model Spy by Shannon Greenland

Down to the Wire by Shannon Greenland

My Fair Godmother by Janette Rallison

A Lion Among Men by Gregory MacGuire

Watership Down by Richard Adams

The Street Lawyer by John Grisham

Neurology of Angels by Krista Tibbs

Gamer Girl by Mari Mancusi

Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

Kill for Me by Karen Rose

Knit Two by Kate Jacobs

Dearly Devoted Dexter by Jeff Lindsay

Evermore by Alyson Noel

The Creme Puff Murder by Joanne Fluke

Dark Pursuit by Brandilyn Collins

A Child's Journey Out of Autism by Leeann Whiffen

Who By Fire by Diana Spechler

Undone Season by Rachel Caine

Naked in Death by JD Robb

Yadda Yadda Prayer Group by Neta Jackson

Rites of Spring (Break) by Diana Peterfreund

Sick Puppy by Carl Hiaasen

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Brownsville by Oscar Casares

Sweethearts by Sara Zarr

Riding Lessons by Sara Gruen

The Laughter of Dead Kings by Elizabeth Peters

Cry in the Night by Colleen Coble

The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan

Grave Peril by Jim Butcher

The Appeal by John Grisham

Supernatural: The Diary of John Winchester by 

Memory and Dream by Charles de Lint

Soulless by Christopher Golden

The Southern Vampire Series by Charlaine Harris

 The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz

The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb

Morning After by Lisa Jacobson

Authors:

Laurell K Hamilton

Charlie Huston

Linda Leal Miller

Brandilyn Collins

Sarah Dressen

Ray Blackstock

So many great books and authors on this list. Thank you all for sharing. I now have an endless number of books to choose from! 

Now on to business. The Winners! With the help of the handy-dandy Random Number Generator our two winners are:

The Disappearance goes to micaela6955/Michele P

ttyl goes to Estela

Congratulations!! Please send me an email with your address to marireadsATyahooDOTcom and I will get those to you as soon as possible. ENJOY!

Thank you to Tracy of Book Room Reviews for hosting another great Book Giveaway Carnival.

Book Review- Sandry's Book by Tamora Pierce

Sandry's Book by Tamora Pierce

Three young kids from different walks of life are brought together at the Winding Circle by the mage, Niko. Sandry, Briar, Tris and Daja are so different from each other but they all have magic within them that they need to develop and control. During there time in Discipline House, they also find time to become friends.

There wasn't much more to the book than the development of the characters. Most of the book is spent getting to know their backgrounds and their magical abilities. There was a bit at the end when they have to work together to save what they have found in their new home. Perhaps this is the setup for the action to come in the next few books.

I fear this is sounding like I didn't enjoy it but I really did. I read until I finished late into the night. I wouldn't have done that if it didn't grab my interest.

The best part, in my opinion, was how spinning yarn from wool was magic. It so is!

3/5

YA Challenge

Serial Readers Challenge

Skeleton Creek Webcast and a giveaway

Have you read Skeleton Creek by Patrick Carman yet?

Would you like to?

It is a fun, creepy, interactive, mixed media book that I am sure you would enjoy. If you haven't heard about it, there are video clips that you watch online while reading. The actress who plays one of the characters will be featured on the third webcast/chat on Monday. 

Check it out! Info below.

I have a copy (paperback, ARC) to share with one lucky person. If you are interested just leave me a comment. I will select a winner on Sunday. You have until midnight (CST) on Saturday, March 7th to enter. This will be open internationally.

**Contest is closed. Thank you all for entering.

Click Here to Find out More about Skeleton Creek

Live Webcast with Amber Larson – Monday March 9th at 4:30 PM (PST) 

Amber Larson plays Sarah Fincher in Skeleton Creek – watch the live webcast and ask questions via chat here:

http://www.mogulus.com/skeletoncreektv 

Skeleton Creek on iTunes!

Sarah Fincher's videos are now available on iTunes to download for your iPod or computer, just search for "Skeleton Creek" in the iTunes store or click here to subscribe.

Skeleton Creek has gone mobile!

You can now access sarahfincher.com from any iPhone,iPod Touch, or Windows Mobile device. Just go tosarahfincher.com on your device's browser and enjoy!

Are you an Early Reviewer?

Were you aware of the Early Reviewer Program? Have you received any books from the program? If you have, how have you liked the book(s)? Any other thoughts on the LTER program?

I have been very lucky with the Early Reviewer's program at LibraryThing. I joined in September and since then I have received and reviewed the following books:

Any Given Doomsday by Lori Handeland

Fault Line by Barry Eisler 

The Disappearance by Efrem Sigel

I also recently got in the mail The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer New Unabridged. Haven't gotten to that one just yet. Soon, I hope.

Earlier today I found out I would be getting another book soon. Yay! It was my first choice and I can't wait until it gets here. I am a huge fan of Pan's Labyrinth which makes me even more excited to be getting The Strain by Guillermo del Toro.

Current Read and a Teaser

A couple weeks ago I received my first Tamora Pierce book through BookMooch. I have heard only great things about her books and was excited to see one of her books available for mooching.  Sandry's Book is the first in the Circle of Magic Quartet. 

From the back cover:

With her gift of weaving silk thread and creating light, Sandry is brought to the Winding Circle community. There she meets Briar, a former thief who has a way with plants; Daja, an outcast gifted at metalcraft; and Tris, whose connection with the weather unsettles everyone, including herself. At Winding Circle, the four misfits are taught how to use their magic - and to trust one another. But then disaster strikes their new home. Can Sandry weave together four kinds of magical power and save herself, her friends, and the one place where they've ever been accepted?

I am only a couple chapters in, but am already intrigued by these kids and what is going to happen to them. This is a book I can lose myself in for a little while. Here's a little teaser for you...

"A gust of wind bowled them onto their rumps before it whipped around the room, pulling covers off beds, scouring belongings off the small shelves. By the time it roared out of the room, all the girls but Tris were screaming." page 17, Sandry's Book (Circle of Magic) by Tamora Pierce.

Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.

You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
Please avoid spoilers!

New Challenge

Thanks, Serena, for letting me know about this one. Who knew I had been participating without even knowing. :) Since I read Sarah's Key, I have been very interested in reading more books about/set during WWII.

Books read for the challenge:

1. Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
2. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon

3. The Reader by Bernard Schlink

4. An Obsolete Honor by Helena P. Schrader
5. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

 Others that may get read:

 Band of Brothers by Stephen E. Ambrose
 The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

Time for a Giveaway!

It is time for a book giveaway. Yay! For the last Book Giveaway Carnival, back in November, I had so much fun visiting new blogs and getting a chance to win some great books. I also gave away four books here and got a great number of book recommendations (see list) in return.

I love getting recommendations so I am going to ask for you all to do it again.

The prizes:



The Disappearance by Efrem Sigel (paperback, ARC)
ttyl by Lauren Myracle (paperback)

Both have been gently read and recently reviewed. Click on the covers if interested in seeing my reviews.

The deal: Just leave me a comment and let me know your favorite book so far this year. Also, let me know which book(s) you are interested in. Two books, two chances to win!

The timeline: You have until midnight (CST) on Friday, March 6th to enter. I will announce the winners that weekend. I will be randomly picking two winners from the comments. I will not be sending out an email notification so be sure to comeback and see if you are a winner or subscribe. :)

This giveaway is open internationally.

** Contest is closed. Go here to see the winners. Thank you all for entering.

New Layout

I am giving this one a try. Not sure if I like it yet. What do you all think? It is very different. Thanks, Dar, for the link so I could make 3 columns.  I had been wondering how to do that. 

Color scheme work with header? (Still working on getting it fixed. I just might have the un-cropped version some where.

Books , books and more books

The Amazon box arrived on my doorstep Wednesday afternoon. Yay!

What did I get?

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
The Luxe by Anna Godberson
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (with its shiny gold Newberry Award Medal)
ttyl by Lauren Myracle

Also on the doorstep was An Obsolete Honor- A story of the German Resistance to Hitler by Helena P Schrader (for review)

A bit different from the first four but I am just as excited about this one. After reading Sarah's Key I have been very interested in books set during WWII.

On Friday I was surprised to find a package in the mailbox with another book. This one came from Shannon of Confuzzled Books. Refer a Book Friday is a weekly giveaway that I won awhile back for recommending The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. My prize was the book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver.

I need the husband to impose another ban! 

Hosted By Marcia of The Printed Page

Spring has Sprung (Sunday Salon)

It is hard to believe that Spring is already here. It is only the first day of March and already the trees have blossoms and the sun is shining. It was actually 90 degrees here on Friday! That's more like summer than spring. Well, I am loving how pretty our tree is looking right now. This is when it is at its best. Pretty, huh?

Well, since it is spring it is time for a little spring cleaning. I started this blog 6 months ago and have made very little changes to it since then. So I am asking for some help to improve it. Any suggestions? Please leave me a comment on my previous post. Thanks so much. :)

The Book Giveaway Carnival hosted by Tracy of Book Room Reviews gets under way tomorrow. I will be participating again so come back tomorrow to see what books I will be giving away.  A lot of other bloggers will be giving away books this week so be sure to click on the button to find a list to all those participating! 

I know this past month has been a bit slow on the review posts. Sorry. I have a feeling March will be a much better month for reading. February was a bit slow. Too many chunksters! I should have joined that Challenge! 

Hope you are all enjoying your Sunday. 

Cheers!