2009 Challenge Wrap Up

Completed 8/09












My Serial Challenge Books

1 series completed.







Completed 5/09








My A to Z Books

23/26. Incomplete.











My eBook Challenge Books

4/10 books read. Incomplete.









Completed 11/09










Completed 10/31













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A to Z Challenge 2009 Wrap Up

 Another challenge I was so close to finishing but missed by a few books. This was fun. I realized that I read a lot of books that begin with  the letter S!

Here is my list of books read for the challenge. I only missed Q, W and X.

Thanks, Becky, for hosting!


A- The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon (review)
B- The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket (review)
C- Courage in Patience by Beth Fehlbaum (review)
D- The Disappearance by Efrem Sigel (review)
E- Eighth Grade Sucks (The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod) by Heather Brewer (review)
F- Fault Line by Barry Eisler (review)
G- The Gifted Gabaldón Sisters by Lorraine López (review)
H- How To Be Popular by Meg Cabot (review)
I- Impulse by Ellen Hokins (review)
J- Julie and Julia by Julie Powell (review)
K-Knots and Crosses by Ian Rankin (review)
L- The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver (review)
M- The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards (review)
N- No Humans Involved by Kelley Armstrong (review)
O- The Opal Deception (Artemis Fowl #4) bye Eoin Colfer (review)
P- Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich (review)
Q-
R- The Reader by Bernard Schlink (review)
S-Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay (review)
T- ttyl by Lauren Myracle (review)
U- Undercover by Beth Kephart (review)
V- Vanishing Acts by Jodi Piccoult (review)
W-
X-
Y- You Know You Love Me by Cecily von Zeitgesar. (review)
Z- Zoe's Tale by John Scalzi (review)




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Book Review- Zoe's Tale by John Scalzi

Zoe's Tale by John Scalzi

I am really glad that my first book into the hubby's Sci Fi collection was this one. It is a standalone story that parallels Scalzi's Old Man's War series and told by the teenage adoptive daughter of the main characters from those books. This book follows Zoe from Huckleberry to Roanoke, the new colony her adoptive parents are heading. Her history and importance to another alien race make her all the more interesting.

Not being familiar with the other books was not a problem. I had no trouble getting into the story and never felt lost. I did ask questions of the hubby when I started but all the questions I had were answered eventually in the book. Zoe was an easy protagonist to like. She is a strong teen girl with a sarcastic sense of humour and a good heart. Her story and the way she told it was quite engaging.

I really want to read the previous books now. I am very interested in the world built by Scalzi. It is an interesting one with interesting characters. Lucky for me, the books are right down stairs.

4/5

AtoZ Challenge




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Book Review- Vanishing Acts by Jodi Picoult

Vanishing Acts by Jodi Picoult


I am still not really sure what I think about this book. It is only the second Jodi Picoult book I have read, the first being Salem Falls, which I really enjoyed. This one...I am just not sure. I liked it, but there were things about it that I didn't.

The premise was definitely interesting. I can't imagine what it would be like to find out as an adult that you were kidnapped at 4 years old by your father and the mother you thought was dead has really been searching for you for over 20 years. I thought it a nice touch that Delia, with her dog, work for search and rescue. She looks for those who are lost as someone once did for her.

I think my problem with the book was that, on top of this very big and full plot, it also dealt with alcoholism and child abuse, a love triangle and a suicide. There were just too many unnecessary characters and side stories that took away from the main story line. It would have been so much better had it stuck to the story of Delia and her father's reasoning for kidnapping her and how it affected the lives of all involved.

2.5

AtoZ Challenge


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Book Review- Julie and Julia by Julie Powell

Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously by Julie Powell


One of the critiques about Julie Powell I read while checking out reviews of Julie & Julia was that she is too self-centered. Well, this book is a memoir, which in itself means that it will be all about her, right? I actually really enjoyed reading about Julie’s successes and mishaps while attempting to make all of Julia Child’s recipes in her cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, in one year.

Julie came to notoriety through her blog that she kept throughout her year of cooking. It garnered a lot of attention and made her a bit of a minor celebrity. I must admit, I don’t remember any of it. I first came aware of her with the release of the movie of the same name. I wish I had known about the blog, though. Her writing style, her humour and the content would have all kept me reading.

The book had me laughing out loud, but what was most funny to me were the parts that had nothing to do with her actual cooking. I related more with her love of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Silence of the Lambs, of her liberal and honest views of the world, and her take on her blog readers’ reactions to her posts. The parts of the book focused on her cooking was just as funny as well.

Julie & Julia was really enjoyable, laugh out loud funny, a great look into the life of an Austinite living in New York. Which reminds me, the Austin references were fun to read as well. One other thing, I know I have complained a bit in the past about the overuse of profanity in novels. Well, there is quite a bit in this one as well, but it didn’t bother me in the least probably because it seems realistic, part of Julie Powell’s personality. Just be forewarned.

4/5

A to Z Reading Challenge




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Book Review- Undercover by Beth Kephart

Undercover by Beth Kephart

Elisa has a way with words. Her metaphors and similes come in handy for the boys at her school who come to her for poems to pass on to the girls they pine for. She is the female Cyrano d' Bergerac of her school. She considers herself an "undercover operative", not quite on the radar of the boys or the girls, sometimes not even with her teachers, but always there watching and seeing things they don't. UNDERCOVER tells the story of Elisa as she discovers that she is not as "undercover" as she thinks she is.

Another beautiful story by Beth Kephart. I read HOUSE OF DANCE last year and loved it, and now I love this one even more. I am not much of a poetry reader, but this book has definitely got me interested in reading some. I loved Elisa's English teacher and how she helped her develop her talent of writing and also to find a love and understanding of other's poetry. That is what I need!

On top of that, this is a very sweet story about a young girl discovering who she is, her strengths and loves, and then finding the courage to share with others openly.

4/5

YA Book Challenge
AtoZ Challenge

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Book Review- Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich

Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich

Stephanie is on the hunt for Martin Munch who has stolen some sort of technology from his company. He is hiding out in the Pine Barrens with a guy named Wolf that everyone calls the Vampire. With the help of the usual suspects and the return of Diesel, Stephanie goes in search of her prey through the woods that are home to the Jersey Devil and quite a number of odd characters.

It had its moments. Lula is as funny and crazy as ever. Stephanie's men all make appearances. It is supposed to have a supernatural feel to it but it just didn't work. There was nothing "spooky" about the book. I just kept waiting and waiting for something to happen but nothing ever did. The "supernatural" aspects were a bit weak and felt out of place in this world that Janet Evanovich has created.

It definitely had its funny moments and I actually thought the monkey bit was cute. Yup, there is a monkey. Many monkeys actually. I tell you, strange stuff but nothing scary. I am starting to think these books have run their course. Time for new characters and story lines. I love Janet Evanovich's use of humour and her stories are always entertaining but I am starting to lose interest in Stephanie Plum and co.

2/5

AtoZ Challenge

Book Review- The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket

The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket

The Bad Beginning starts the tale of the Baudelaire orphans and their sad and unfortunate lives beginning with the death of their parents. The narrator, Lemony Snicket, warns the reader of a sad story with no happy ending and that is exactly what you get. The sad tale of Violet, Klaus and Sunny and their first encounter with Count Olaf.

Finally, after years of hearing about these books, I have read the first in A Series of Unfortunate Events. Having seen the movie awhile back I did feel like I had read this before. There were many similar parts but the differences were very evident. I am aware that that the movie had elements from several books. 

For the most part, I enjoyed it. I like the way the story is narrated except for the constant defining of terms used in the book. I realize the book is for a much younger audience than me, but it still bugged me. Why not let kids go and look up the words on their own if need be? Kids are smart and should learn to figure out meaning of words by their context and/or use a dictionary when they can't. I am a teacher, though, and believe in having high expectations of kids. They don't need to have words defined for them in the narrative.

Still, I look forward to reading the second book in the series.

3/5

AtoZ Challenge

Book Review- Impulse by Ellen Hopkins

Impulse by Ellen Hopkins

This is the story of three teens from very different backgrounds who are in a psychiatric hospital for attempting suicide. Vanessa has a family history of mental illness, Tony grew up being abused by his mother's boyfriends, and Connor seemingly has it all but looks can be deceiving.

Told in first person by all three characters, Impulse has quite a powerful impact. You feel what they are feeling, you sometimes understand their pain other times you don't. You are there to see their recovery and their fall backs.

I received the audiobook through Library Thing's Early Reviewers Program and listened to it on my drive to and from work for the past two weeks. Heavy material but I am glad to have had a chance to hear it. I think audiobook format was perfect for me. I am not much of a poetry reader so I have stayed away from these books for that reason. The book is a collection of free verse poems, as I believe all of the author's books are. The actors really brought Ellen Hopkins' words to life in a way I may not have appreciated as much in reading. It was like listening to someone's private journal with the good and the bad all shared. So real and raw, this book leaves you reeling.

I will be thinking about this one for awhile.

4/5

A to Z Challenge

YA Book Challenge

Be sure to check out my current contest. Go here to see the prizes. You have until May 1st!

Book Review- How to be Popular by Meg Cabot

How to Be Popular by Meg Cabot

Steph is tired of being the butt of jokes. She has put up with it for 5 years since spilling a Big Gulp sized Big Red soda on the skirt of one of the popular girls, who has never been able to just let it go. Steph's plan for her 11th grade year is to become popular. And, well, it works... kind of.

This was a fun read. My first Meg Cabot book. I couldn't believe I hadn't read any of her books before. I love the lesson of not needing to be popular to have great friends and a fun high school experience. I was also very happy to see Steph not make too many mistakes during her short rise to popularity. She was able to keep her head on straight for the most part.

3/5

YA Book Challenge

AtoZ Challenge


Be sure to check out my current contest. Go here to see the prizes. You have until May 1st!

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

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

Book Review- ttyl by Lauren Myracle

ttyl by Lauren Myracle

The entire book is written in Instant Messages between three best friends during their sophomore year in high school. You can probably imagine the drama or relive it. :)

Easy to read, fast-paced and unique, this book kept me reading to the end.

I wanted to read this book after seeing a local news story of some mom's protesting this book being in their kids school library.
Now, there is some sexual content and use of profanity but nothing that really shocked me. I am not a teenager, but I was once. This was all stuff I would have chatted with friends about at sleep overs. However, the problem they had was that it was in the middle school's library. They had no problem with it being read by high school age kids they just didn't want their pre-teens reading it quite yet. I can actually understand their concerns, which surprised me, but I definitely do not approve of book banning.

Have you read the book? Do you think it is appropriate for middle school aged girls?

3/5

AtoZ Challenge

YA Challenge

Book Review- The Disappearance by Efrem Sigel

The Disappearance by Efrem Sigel

" 'It's been two weeks; do you have any idea what that does to a person? Your child missing, almost certainly dead and you don't know how or why.' " page 95

I posted this line for Teaser Tuesday this past week because it perfectly describes what this book is about. Joshua and Natalie Sandler come home one day to find their 14 year old son, Dan, gone. The police, their community and friends have no idea what has happened to him-dead or alive, kidnapped or a runaway-there are no answers. The book focuses on how Dan's parents deal with this terrible situation.

How would you deal with it? Would you ever give up your search for answers? Would you completely shut down and forget all about the other people and things you love in your life? What happens to the marriage when spouses react differently?

This was a very interesting and different take on the missing child story. Instead of focusing on the mystery of what happened to Dan, it deals with the people affected by his disappearance. The affect of not knowing what happened.

The only problem I had were the sex scenes. They seemed a bit awkward, the wording a departure from the rest of the book. Perhaps it was the use of certain words that made me want to skip these sections (only two), words that would seem more at home in another type of book.

3/5



A to Z Reading Challenge

Book Review- Fault Line by Barry Eisler

Fault Line: A Novel by Barry Eisler

When a client with a new encryption software (Obsidian) and the officer in charge of the patent application are both found dead, Alex Treven turns to his estranged brother for help after being threatened himself. His brother, Ben, is an assassin for the US Government who unwittingly finds himself back in the Bay Area to help his younger brother, who he has not spoken to in six years.

The story of the brothers' estrangement and family history is nicely mixed with the suspense and action of trying to hide and stay alive of those who would like to wipe all traces of Obsidian away. Very entertaining and fast paced, full of great Bay Area places that I am familiar with. Very fun to read and get lost in for an afternoon.

I got this book through Library Thing's Early Reviewers. The book will be released on March 10th.

4/5

AtoZ Challenge

Book Review- No Humans Involved

No Humans Involved by Kelley Armstrong

The 7th book in Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series focuses on necromancer and public spiritualist, Jaime Vegas. Jaime joins a team of spiritualists for a t.v. show attempting to "talk" to Marilyn Monroe. She gets paired with a Brit (who is very similar to a certain psychic on the Travel Channel's Most Haunted. Actually, not sure he is still on there.) and a young newcomer. While on set, Jaime discovers real ghosts and a mystery that only she and her friends in the council can solve.

I really enjoyed this one. I was waiting for Jaime to get her own story. She has always seemed like the weak one comparatively in the other books. Here she gets to be strong and show her abilities more. Plus she finally gets Jeremy on his own and away from his Pack. Leads to some...fun.

4/5

A to Z Challenge

Book Review- Courage in Patience

Courage in Patience: A Story of Hope for Those Who Have Endured Abuse by Beth Fehlbaum

As the title implies, this book is about courage. The courage to be yourself, to love your self and others, to fight for what is right and the courage to survive.

Ashley Asher survives one of the most horrible things that could ever happen to a young girl, sexual abuse by her stepfather. When her mother chooses to believe him and stay with him, Ash goes to live with her father whom she has never met. She visits with a counselor and enrolls in her stepmother's summer school english class where she meets and makes friends with a great cast of characters (that reminded me a bit of Stand and Deliver). With the help of her new family and new friends she is able to find normalcy in her life again.

Most of the book focuses on Ash and sexual abuse, but once in Patience, TX other issues start being addressed, as well. Bigotry, teenage pregnancy, censorship. At first I was a little confused and felt this was an unneeded addition to the book, but in the end I understand their place in the story. Just as Ash was finding the courage to get past the horror she lived through, the people of Patience also had to find theirs.

4/5

YA Reading Challenge
A to Z Challenge

Book Review- Sarah's Key

Two stories weaved together to tell a story. One about a girl trying to protect her brother after having been arrested and sent to the Vel' d'Hiv' with her parents in Paris, July 1942. The other, an American Ex-Pat journalist researching the events of July 1942.

The chapters about Sarah and her family were the hardest part to read emotionally, but they were the best parts of the book. The modern day chapters that focused on Julia and her family started out feeling out of place and unrelated. I kept getting upset that Sarah's story was getting interrupted. I was very tempted to skip them and get back to them later. However, as I continued to read the connection became more apparent and I ended up not minding them as much.

Such a sad tale and under such terrible circumstances. This book had me crying and wanting to find more books on what happened in France during the Occupation. I am just appalled by the inhumanity of those who sent so many people to the work and concentration camps during WWII. This is one that will stick with you for awhile after reading it.

4/5

A to Z Challenge (S)

WWII Challenge

A to Z Challenge

Hosted by Becky. Click on button for details.

I had completely forgotten that I had signed up for this one. Well, one more can't hurt, right?

I will be attempting Option B: Read titles A to Z. Commit to reading 26 books theoretically speaking.


A- The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon (review)
B- The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket (review)
C- Courage in Patience by Beth Fehlbaum (review)
D- The Disappearance by Efrem Sigel (review)
E- Eighth Grade Sucks (The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod) by Heather Brewer (review)
F- Fault Line by Barry Eisler (review)
G- The Gifted Gabaldón Sisters by Lorraine López (review)
H- How To Be Popular by Meg Cabot (review)
I- Impulse by Ellen Hokins (review)
J- Julie and Julia by Julie Powell (review)
K-Knots and Crosses by Ian Rankin (review)
L- The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver (review)
M- The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards (review)
N- No Humans Involved by Kelley Armstrong (review)
O- The Opal Deception (Artemis Fowl #4) bye Eoin Colfer (review)
P- Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich (review)
Q-
R- The Reader by Bernard Schlink (review)
S-Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay (review)
T- ttyl by Lauren Myracle (review)
U- Undercover by Beth Kephart (review)
V- Vanishing Acts by Jodi Piccoult (review)
W-
X-
Y- You Know You Love Me by Cecily von Zeitgesar. (review)
Z-

Book Review- The Memory Keeper's Daughter

The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

David Henry, a physician in the 60's delivers his twin babies himself due to a terrible snow storm. Norah, his wife, delivers a perfectly healthy boy and then surprisingly, a baby girl. The baby girl has Down Syndrome and knowing that her life will be difficult and wanting to save Norah the grief, David decides to have his nurse take her to an institution for "the feeble minded". Caroline, however, decides on a better alternative and disappears with the child, while Norah is told by David that Phoebe was stillborn.

I enjoyed most parts of the book, mostly during the sections with Caroline and Phoebe. I loved reading about her growth and successes and the activism by Caroline to get Phoebe into school. I was ashamed and saddened by the comments mentioned by others in the story and by David's and later Paul's use of the word "retarded" to describe her.

The sections that focused on David and Norah were at times hard to get through. The sadness and self-hate were hard to read, all because of this secret that caused more damage to their family than keeping their daughter would have. It was hard for me to have sympathy for David. All his troubles with his son and his wife were brought on by himself, by the secret he kept, by giving up his daughter.

3/5

A to Z Challenge (M)