21 more to go and Audiobook Challenge Complete!

It's hard to believe that I haven't blogged since January - ugh! My regular blogs are so much easier to keep up with...anyway, I have a good excuse...I've been reading!! :) Graceling is one of my favorites of the year and I just discovered this YouTube book trailer the other day. It's pretty good!

Meanwhile, I'm excited to announce that I've almost finished the 12 Audiobooks Challenge! I just finished Frances Mayes's Bella Tuscany the other day, number 10 for me. With my very short commute, it typically takes me a month or so to get through a book. Since I read and loved, Under the Tuscan Sun, and I was in the mood to for some armchair travel (I don't get much vacation time since I left teaching), this seemed like just the thing. However, the moment I put the first tape in, I groaned aloud. The lilting southern voice of the author rang out...and continued to read the entire book. There is nothing more jarring than hearing a southern accent read about life in Italy. It just didn't sound right! Her Italian is actually very good and her accent of that language didn't make me cringe a bit. After one or two tapes, though, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I didn't notice her accent as much and was drawn into the story. Although there is a lot of repetition when compared to Tuscan Sun, I still couldn't get enough of the descriptions of the people, the land, the food (I tuned out the rabbit's head and goose stew descriptions - blech!), and even the home rennovations. The only problem I had after that was when she commented on a, "retarded man dancing with his mother." That was pretty offensive. Who uses that term anymore? Three stars out of four ***. Here are some of the other titles I've been reading furiously:
Looks, by Madeline George (four stars! like poetry and playwriting together)

Forever Changes, by Brendan Halpin (four stars - amazing! I had tears rolling down my face)

What I Saw and How I Lied, by Judy Blundell (three stars - very good!)

Airborn, by Kenneth Oppel (this was one of the audiobooks - the full cast was great!)

Antsy Does Time by Neal Shusterman (hilarious! four stars - really creative characters)

Rapunzel's Revenge, by Shannon and Dean Hale (two and a half stars out of four - just not impressive, although I think it's been rated higher by YALSA)

The Other Side of the Island, by Allegra Goodman (three stars - decent! reminded me of the Mysterious Benedict Society)

Princess Ben, by Catherine Murdock (the actual title is longer; two and a half stars; good premise but some parts were blah)

What I Talk ABout When I Talk AboutRunning, by Haruki Murakami (audiobook - not as good as I thought it would be; three stars ***)

A Child Called It, by David Pelzer (disturbing! not the best written book but a compelling topic - child abuse - and the most severe I've ever heard, except for The Glass Castle, by Jeanette Walls, which is way worse and much better written)

Chains, by Laurie Halse Anderson (four stars - amazing! great, different take on slavery during the American Revolution - juxtaposing her desire to be free with the American colonists' fight for freedom...oh yeah, except slaves...)

Bog Child, by Siobbhan Dowd (just learned the author died this year(?); four stars - wow!; - teen readers will have to have knowledge of the IRA and Ireland vs England)

Beanball, by Gene Fehler (two stars; (written in free verse – many viewpoints – very short – not very deep/ a little predictable)

Artichoke's Heart, by Suzanne Supplee (three stars; good look at overweight/obesity and teens dealing w/this – great character but a little too easily solved)

The Leanin' Dog, by K.A. Nuzum (Wow! four stars; Beautiful and powerful; a bit quiet and more for younger teen readers)

How to Build a House, by Dana Reinhardt (four stars - great tale of maturity- definitely for older readers)

The Dead and the Gone, by Mary Beth Pfieffer (not that great- not enough action and characters didn’t seem too upset by all that was transpiring – reactions of the rest of the world not realistic – blah *1/2 stars - heard that her first one (Life as We Knew It) was much better)

The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman (four stars - incredible! one of the best books I've read this year; unusual; great story of growing up; good for older children readers but also for all teens and even adults - can see why it won the Newbery!)

The Mysterious Benedict Society, by Trenton Lee Stewart (audiobook- I know this is a somewhat older title, but it was on my must-read list! loved the audiobook version - one reader did an awesome job of distinguishing the different characters; four stars!)

Puddlejumpers, by Mark Jean and Christopher C. Carlson (three stars; good in parts but rushed ending and faulty plot)

The Glass Castle, by Jeanette Walls (audiobook - see previous comments)

When the Black Girl Sings, by Bill Wright (**1/2 stars– not bad)

Janes in Love, by by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg (**1/2 – not bad – still stereotyped like its prequel, The Plain Janes, esp bad is the jock Jane and their gay guy friend)

Melting Stones, by Tamora Pierce (this is the first Pierce novel I've read - I think - three stars- not bad! still, found myself wanting to read the previous novel because it was referred to so much and the action sounded much better)

The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins (four stars!! deserves the Printz! runaway hit of the year; original; like Survival for teens)

Little Brother, by Cory Doctorow (great sci-fi similar to post 9-11; good for high school four stars!)

Hattie Big Sky, by Kirby Larson (four stars - audiobook; great reader, great story!)

The Bone Magician, by F.E. Higgins (four stars...if you haven't read The Black Book of Secrets; this is a paraquel, not quite as good as Black Book, but still mysterious and creepy; Dickens-esque)

Ink Exchange, by Melissa Marr (****stars! great fairie fantasy; I hadn't read much faerie stuff before and really enjoyed this one; local author!)

Sovay,by Celia Rees (two stars; really disappointed in this one; I expected a really strong girl character and lots of great stage coach hold-ups, but this plot idea faded quickly and overall the plot went everywhere and no where; characters were hard to distinguish)

Me, the Missing and the Dead, by Jenny Valentine (three stars; great!)

Savvy, by Ingrid Law (orginal! three stars!)

Well, that's it for the moment. I've got lots more to post about. I'm on book number 80 right now (Heroes of the Valley) and looking forward to a small road trip to get more reading done. YA lit continues to amaze me!