Completed All Challenges . . . and Then Some!

It's hard to believe that the year is coming to a close already. 2010 is around the corner. Wow! In that time, this challenge has been a great incentive to read, read, read, as much as I can. Of course, being sick and then in my first trimester of pregnancy (yahoo!) has given me lots of time to lay around and read...because that's all I really can do and it helps take my mind off of how crappy I feel. Anyhoo, I've read 50 books since the last post, bringing me to 135 books (including audio, manga, graphic novels, YA and Adult titles, but not children's) and there is no way I can blog about them all now - so sorry! But I'll at least list them and maybe chat about some recent favs... Here goes!

When I last left you, the YA book, The Cabinet of Wonders, by Marie Rutkowski was on my nightstand, waiting to be read. Well, it was a thoroughly pleasurable read. In fact, I couldn't put it down! I great mix of fantasy, historical fiction, action, and adventure. In fact, this made it onto our school outreach book club list! It could definitely be read by tweens, too. The main character, Petra, is a wonderfully strong girl and it leaves you itching for a sequel. The best characters are certainly the tin animals, though, like Astrophil, the spider. What imaginative creations! I can't recall my rating system, but let's give it 5 stars out of 5. *****
Another star book this year was, Shiver, by Maggie Stiefvater. A little bit, Blood and Chocolate, but not so graphic, lustful or adult, and a little bit Twilight, but more thoughtfully written, this werewolf book will have you crying by the end. Well, it had me crying at any rate. The descriptions are beautiful - they actually have you shivering with the cold. The exciting news is that Ms. Stiefvater is coming to our library to talk with our writer and readers club in December! Also, we've gotten news that the entire Wolves of Mercy Falls series has been bought for film rights!
Jumped by Rita Williams-Garcia is another YA book that had me thinking this year. Although the ending was a little rushed, strange, and dangling, I loved the way that she showed the different viewpoints of the girls involved in this story about race, gangs, girls and bullies. Williams-Garcia does an excellent job creating her three main characters through first person narrative, and you get perspective and personality with a punch. A quick book and definitely a good pick for reluctant readers.
Mare's War, by Tanita S. Davis, was not at all what I expected. A great story about two teen sisters, who rarely get along, and their grandmother, Mare, an eccentric, fun-loving and anti-stereotypical 80 year-old. The girls' parents force them to spend weeks during one summer, traveling with Mare on a cross-country road trip for a family reunion. Along the way, they learn about Mare's past as a member of the Women's Army Corp during World War II, and about her struggles with overcoming poverty and race boundaries. But don't be scared - this is hardly didactic and the chapters alternate between the girls' points of views and Mare's. Mare is a wonderful character and the teens learn to appreciate all that she went through and why she acts and thinks the way she does.
Last, I loved this "oldie but goodie": Annie on My Mind, by Nancy Garden. It is a story of first loves and strong, enduring love, and yes, it is about two teen girls. Nancy herself didn't come out until much later in life, but she states how important this book was for GLTBQ literature. So much of the older stuff, she says, had depressing endings, with the main characters dying or even "becoming straight." She wanted a dignified story with a positive ending and a message about the "love" side of gay relationships that often gets lost or less attention. First published in 1982, the new edition that I read contained a great interview with Ms. Garden that explained her thought process behind the story and about the times. The book itself isn't too dated to be relevant today, and demonstrates just how far the GLTBQ community has come in the way of rights, respect and recognition.

So, that about wraps up this blog post. I hope to have my entire list of books on here before the end of the year and by then, I'll be ready for another 100+ books in 2010! :)
(Here's what I've read since August - ratings out of 4 stars max):

1. The Cabinet of Wonders, by Marie Rutkoski (CB – fantasy in historical setting – great!!) ***
2. The Possibilities of Sainthood, by Donna Freitas (CB – good!) ***
3. The Books of Umber: Happenstance Found, by P.W. Catanese (CB - fantasy/sci-fi-ish; great!!) ***
4. Scat, by Carl Hiassen (CB - not so great) **1/2
5. Anything But Typical, by Baskin (CB – good!) ***
6. The Rock and the River, by Kekla Magoon (CB – good!) ***
7. The House of the Scorpion, by Nancy Farmer (audio) **** excellent!!
8. Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia, by Marya Hornbacher (wow!****)Adult-non-fiction
9. Miki Falls – Book 1- Spring, by Mark Crilley (manga) **1/2. Not bad; kind of shallow.
10. Word Nerd, by Susin Nielsen (CB ’09) – awesome! ****
11. Dramarama, by E. Lockhart (Books 4the Beast) **** - very good!
12. Science Fair, by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson (CB ’09) - *1/2 – blah, story itself a bit funny
13. Miki Falls – Book 2 – Summer, by Mark Crilley (manga) **1/2; not bad, same as first one; reminds me of Twilight – forbidden love!
14. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw, by Jeff Kinney (#3 in series) ***1/2. Still very funny!! J
15. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing: Traitor to the Nation: Volume 1: The Pox Party, by M.T. Anderson (audio) **** - excellent! For older readers/listeners; very mature – wow – historical fiction
16. Good as Lily, by Derek Kirk Kim and Jesse Hamm (graphic novel) ***
17. Miki Falls 3 – Autumn, by Mark Crilley (graphic novel/manga) **1/2
18. Eon: Dragoneye Reborn, by Alison Goodman (CB - **** - awesome!)
19. Alabama Moon, by Watt Key (*** -decent; kind of stretched out….)
20. Dope Sick, by Walter Dean Myers (for CSK mock awards; decent ***?)
21. Skim, by Tamaki and Tamaki (graphic novel; Books 4 the Beast; great! ****)
22. Coretta Scott, by Ntozake Shange and Kadir Nelson (ill). (CSK mock – not good enough for author award; maybe for illustrator?)
23. The Luxe, by Anna Godbersen (Books 4 the Beast **** - awesome!)
24. Burnout, by Rebecca Donner and Inaki Miranda (graphic novel-OK-**1/2)
25. Elijah of Buxton, by Christopher Paul Curtis (***good! Historical fic)
26. Miki Falls – Winter, by Mark Crilley (not a bad series! Graphic novel; **1/2)
27. Token, by Alisa Kwitney and Joelle Jones (graphic novel) *** - good!
28. Jumped, by Rita Williams-Garcia (CSK mock awards) ****- very good!
29. Would You (audio) by Marthe Jocelyn (****very good! Sad/death)
30. Don’t You Dare Read This, Mrs. Dunphrey, by Margaret Peterson Haddix (**** - great!)
31. Peace, Locomotion, by Jacqueline Woodson (for CSK mock awards – not bad! ***)
32. Sophomore Switch, by Abby McDonald (aspired to be more, but some of it just silly - **1/2)
33. The Way We Roll, by Stephanie Perry Moore (CSK mock awards; terrible *, not realistic actions/overreations/exaggerations/quick conclusions and changes)
34. Seedfolks, by Paul Fleischman (***1/2 – great!)
35. Twilight Prisoner, by Katherine Marsh (sequel to Night Tourist – not bad but not as good; ***)
36. Sorcerers and Secretaries volume 1 (graphic novel) – (OK! **1/2)
37. Sorcerers and Secretaries volume 2 (graphic novel)- OK **1/2
38. Shiver, by Maggie Stiefvater (**** - amazing! I cried!)
39. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by Stevenson (audio – excellent! Husband enjoyed this one w/me! ***1/2)
40. The Wednesday Wars, by Gary Schmidt (audio – excellent! Very funny and easy to listen to ****; ending a little too perfect)
41. Hot, Flat, and Crowded, by Thomas Friedman (wow! Very, very good; **** - global warming; pg 118 to mark when I give this to others!)
42. Just Another Hero, by Sharon Draper (**1/2 – OK – some unrealistic dialogue/ teachers)
    
43. Life in the Fat Lane, by Cherie Bennett (***- decent; mom a little too stereotyped; liked that the ending wasn’t all pat; makes you think!)
44. Down Sand Mountain, by (our own local Steve Watkins!) (***-good, took me a little while to read it, but not the book’s fault)
45. Shooting Star, by Fredrick McKissack, Jr. (***1/2 – great book!-CSK mock awards)
46. In Defense of Food, by Michael Pollan (audio) - very good – not completely veg-friendly ***
47. Mare’s War, by Tanita s. Davis (***1/2 – excellent) CSK mock awards
48. Annie on My Mind, by Nancy Garden (****-excellent – older book but still important and very well written)
49. The Girls (audio) , by Amy Goldman Koss*** - decent – short and well-written; diff viewpoints
50. Black Angels, by Linda Beatrice Brown (for CSK mock awards - ** - only OK – jumped around a lot between viewpoints w/out warning, even within a paragraph; ending a little too dragged out/sappy)