Tag: readers

Update #5: 48 Hour Book Challenge

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First new book complete!

photo-1Update #5:

  • 3.5 hours reading time (11.5 total hours read)
  • 390 pages read (1334 pages total)
  • 0 cups of tea (2 cups total)

The Books

Review #6: I loved Maggie Stiefvater’s The Scorpio Races and The Raven Boys so I was excited to finally dive into Shiver. When it first came out, I avoided it, thinking it was just another paranormal romance trying to bank on the success of Twilight. Wow, I could not have been more wrong. Sure, the paranormal romance aspect is there, but Stiefvater’s writing is stellar. She’s deeply concerned with character and, as a result, Grace and Sam feel like real people, not romantic ciphers. (And honestly, even the romance is some of the best I’ve seen.) The plot is exciting and never feels like Stiefvater is just throwing in complications for the sake of it. A friend described Shiver as a kind of fairy tale, and it definitely has that vibe in the best way possible. I can’t wait to read the sequels!

Update #4: 48 Hour Book Challenge

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All the books I’d previously started before #48HBC are now finished. Take that, reading pile!

photoUpdate #4:

  • 2 hours reading time (8 total hours read)
  • 247 pages read (944 pages total)
  • 0 cups of tea consumed (2 cups total)

The Books

Review #5: I was about 40 pages into The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet when I picked it up for #48HBC and it was a great addition to the pile. It’s got a lot of humor and heart (the image of Dezzie wearing a “Though she be but little, she is fierce,” shirt made me cheer), but never forgets the anxiety of fitting in in middle school. I also like that Hamlet has a lot of very real reasons to feel awkward and embarrassed–from her Ren Faire-costumed, iambic pentameter-speaking parents to her super-genius sister to worrying that her friend is crushing on her, Hamlet has a lot to be concerned about (especially when all she wants to do is fit in). I don’t read a ton of middle grade novels, but this is one I wish I’d had when I was younger.

Update #3: 48 Hour Book Challenge

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Plowing through my “mid-read” pile this afternoon. Glad I can finally put these back on the shelves!

photoUpdate #3:

  • 1.5 hour reading time (6 hours total)
  • 196 pages read (697 pages total)
  • 0 cups of tea consumed (2 cups total)

The Books

Review #3: I was a little less than halfway through Dirty Little Secrets when I picked it up for #48HBC. It’s one I’ve meant to read for a while, since it deals with a big family secret and a mother with some emotional/mental problems (in this case, hoarding). My heart broke for Lucy through this one, as she feels a strange hope in getting to move on with her life if she can just clean out the house. Omololu manages to make Lucy’s mom into a real person, not just someone defined by her hoarding, and I liked those glimpses of her outside of the house (at work, as a child). I also liked that crush-worthy Josh Lee is revealed to be dealing with his own family problems; I love that “everyone has secrets” theme and it’s one I tend to use in my own work. The ending felt a little rushed for me, and I would have liked a little more of an emotional build there, but overall a great read for anyone interested in YA contemporary family drama.

photo-1Review #4: I was almost at the end of Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, and so glad to finally finish this one. It’s a tome, so even though I started it a while ago, I’d inevitable leave it at home and take another book with me. Then I’d want to finish the other book and, well, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell suffered for it. But it’s an excellent novel–fake British history plus magicians is a winning idea, and Susanna Clarke gets the tone perfectly. I loved seeing the various plot threads eventually come together, and the ending is surprisingly bittersweet.

Update #2: 48 Hour Book Challenge

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photo-1A little reading this morning, followed by brunch (you need coffee and biscuits for a book challenge, right?), followed by more reading. I managed to finish the second of the books I was in the middle of. Onto the stats!

Update #2

  • 1.5 hours reading time (4.5 hours total)
  • 136 pages read (501 pages total)
  • 0 cups tea consumed (2 cups total)

The Books

Review #2: I had already been about two-thirds of the way through Tell the Wolves I’m Home when I picked it up again for #48HBC. It was one of this year’s Alex Award winners, and I can see why–June’s a rich and compelling narrator, who’s navigating adulthood in the middle of losing her favorite person in the world, her uncle Finn. I remember feeling a lot like June at that age, as she feels like part of her is slipping away when she has a harder time pretending she’s in the middle ages. I was also really impressed by the character of Greta, her sister, whom I expected to just be the kind of obnoxious, wordly older sister. Instead, Greta is a complex character who desperately wants to connect with her younger sister and doesn’t quite know how. Overall, an excellent look at love and grief and jealousy and reconciliation. It’s beautifully written and quiet, which is the kind of book I’m drawn toward.

Readers, Start Your Engines: the 48 Hour Book Challenge Starting Line

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Okay, so I should have written this post a few hours ago, but joining the 48 Hour Book Challenge was kind of a last minute decision and I wanted to dive in. I’ve seen the event online for the last couple of years but other activities always got in the way. But not this year!

photoStart time: July 7, 8:30pm

Update #1:

  • 3 hours total reading time
  • 365 total pages read
  • 2 cups of tea consumed

The Books

Review #1: I started with The Moon and More because it’s my most recent purchase and I was hooked when I started in line at Sarah Dessen’s reading. Lots of great stuff in this one. I think Dessen handles the various relationships really well, and touches on a lot of the complicated emotions leading up to college. Emaline is a likable and relatable narrator, and the minor characters shine. I especially liked that Emaline’s family situation is a little complicated; their relationships felt very genuine. One minor issue–I didn’t quite understand how Ivy could afford the most expensive beachfront rental property, especially when shooting on location. Even major award-wining documentary filmmakers aren’t exactly rolling in it. (But that’s probably just because I used to be a film department front-desker.) Overall I think this is a must-read for Dessen fans and anyone looking for a summer beach book with a lot of heart and honesty.

Friday Fifteen

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Anyone else feel like they’ve had about ten days in this week? Glad it’s finally Friday and time for the Friday Fifteen:

1. Lon Po Po by Ed Young
The wolf comes to visit in this gorgeous, creepy take on Red Riding Hood.

2. Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis
I think it’s supposed to be funny. Might have read it too young.

3. Samantha Saves the Day (American Girls: Samantha #4) by Valerie Tripp
I continue to want to spend the summer in Piney Point wearing nautically-themed outfits.

4. Richard III by William Shakespeare
At 16 I wrote a malevolent character with a hunchback, thought I was sooooo clever.

5. Girl Goddess #9 by Francesca Lia Block
Reread this collection a lot in high school. “Dragons in Manhattan” was probably my favorite.

Mark Your Calendars: Golden Boy Launch, June 27

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9780399161124_small_Golden_BoyThings I’m excited for now that it’s June: sandals, picnics, walks in the evening, and the book launch of Golden Boy by Tara Sullivan!

Tara is one of my critique group members, a fellow redheaded UVA grad, and an extremely talented writer with a deep interest in sharing international stories of courage and survival. Golden Boy is officially released on June 27 (less than a month away)! From the Goodreads summary:

“Thirteen-year-old Habo has always been different— light eyes, yellow hair and white skin. Not the good brown skin his family has and not the white skin of tourists…When the family is forced from their small Tanzanian village, and Habo knows he is to blame.

Seeking refuge in Mwanza, Habo and his family journey across the Serengeti…Suddenly, Habo has a new word for himself: Albino. But they hunt Albinos in Mwanza because Albino body parts are thought to bring good luck. And soon Habo is being hunted by a fearsome man with a machete. To survive, Habo must not only run but find a way to love and accept himself.”

Tara Sullivan–author extraordinaire!

Basically, it’s a book that everyone need to read. And I can personally vouch for the writing. My notes to Tara consisted largely of “OH MY GOSH!” and “HABO!”

And if you’re in the general Boston area and want to celebrate the launch of this book, make sure to come out to Porter Square Books on June 27, 7:00pm for the official launch event. Snag a copy of the book, eat tasty treats, and get to know your new favorite author.

Friday Fifteen

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Can you guys believe it’s already the last Friday in May? Although I can’t say I’m too upset–I’m psyched to move into June and into full-on summer weather. Let’s start the weekend with a few fifteen-word (or fewer!) book reviews:

1. Whatever Happened to Janie? by Caroline B. Cooney
Jane finds her real family, acts like a brat to them. Pre-Weasley family of redheads.

2. Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank B. Gilbreth and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
Fun memoir about a big family in early 1900s. TLC’s got nothing on the Gilbreths.

3. Brave Irene by William Steig
Irene battles winter to deliver a ball gown. Frequently read this on my own.

4. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
Interesting look at pre- and post-colonial Nigeria, but more interested in Obierika than Okonkwo.

5. The Hostile Hospital (A Series of Unfortunate Events #8) by Lemony Snicket
The VFD mystery heats up–and a reference to Clarissa Dalloway makes this one a winner.

Links Galore

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Lots of good links for (at least around here) a rainy Wednesday:

Friday Fifteen

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So glad it’s Friday! Let’s start the long weekend with some fifteen-word (or less!) book reviews.

1. Beauty by Robin McKinley
My favorite Beauty and the Beast novel. Love that Beauty is close to her sisters.

2. The Crucible by Arthur Miller
Excellent look at society terrorized by hate, hysteria. Would ove to see a good production.

3. Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton
Burton’s illustrations are fantastic, and I love a good inanimate object story.

4. Dawn’s Wicked Stepsister (The Baby-Sitters Club #31) by Ann M. Martin
Not everything’s ideal when your mom marries your BFF’s dad? Who could have foreseen this?

5. Poems on the Underground ed. by Gerard Benson, Judith Chernaik, Cicecy Herbert
Collection of classic and contemporary poetry featured on the Tube. Such a cool project!