Top 11 of 2011

Top 11 of 2011:
You do not know how difficult this challenge has been for me.  I have changed my list several times and I am still not quite happy with it.  I decided to stick with YA novels, though I have read some great books tthis year for older readers.  The number one book will be revealed tomorrow.

#11  Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green & David Levithan

I really enjoyed this book because of the alternating viewpoints.  Each author wrote alternating chapters from the point of view of a different boy named Will Grayson. 

#10 The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier  
I read this book for my Young Adult Literature class and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it.  It makes me want to read more from Robert Cormier.

#9 Nation by Terry Pratchett  
I had heard many great things about Terry Pratchett's books for a long time.  I finally decided to pick up this one and give it a try.  I am not sorry that I did.  Pratchett's style is intelligent and humorous.

#8 The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
I really enjoyed this book. The title immediately caught my attention, and the cover art also intrigued me.  Mary's community is surrounded by a high fence to keep out the zombies who are constantly trying to get in to them.

#7 Gregor the Overlander (series) by Suzanne Collins 
My daughter was interested in reading this book because her teacher read part of it to her class, but she didn't get to find out what happened.  We started reading this series together, but we finished it separately.  I really enjoyed sharing the experience with her and discussing what would happen next.  The story was fun and entertaining with some good lessons along the way.

#6 Looking for Alaska by John Green 
This book turned me into a fan of John Green and prompted me to read Will Grayson, Will Grayson.  I loved the writing style and the depth of this book.

#5 Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson 
I had heard so many things about this book (both positive and negative), that I had no idea what to expect.  I am so happy that I read this book.  It is such a powerful story.  The reader can't help but feel sympathy to the main character as she struggles to come to terms with being raped. 

#4 The Maze Runner by James Dashner 
 I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book, but then again, I have a tendency to like dystopia novels (one of my favorite genres).  I am looking forward to reading the other two books in this trilogy.

#3 Going Bovine by Libba Bray
I loved this book!  The cover art captured my attention right away, but I was reluctant to read it since I wasn't overly impressed with another book I read by this same author.  I finally decided to give it a try and was rewarded for my effort.  The book turns a serious situation (a terminal illness) into a humorous, impossible quest away from reality. 

#2 The Book Thief by Markus Zusak 
Okay, this one is kind of cheating.  I did read this book this year, but it wasn't my first time to read it.  If it had been my first reading of the book, I probably would have put it at number 1 since it is still one of the best books I have ever read.  I loved this book the first time I read it and I loved it (and cried) again when I read it again this year.  It is a powerful book and I think everyone should read it.







Check back tomorrow for my #1 book of 2011!!!

Holiday Break Reading Challenge - Day 15

For this challenge, I need to set goals for 2012:

Goal #1
This year, I hope to blog about every YA book I read as soon as I finish reading it. Often I have the bad habit of moving on to my next book and then blogging about 2 or 3 books within the same day. I know that when I do this, I don't review the earlier books the way they often deserve.

Goal #2
I would also like to keep up with Goodreads more this year and list every book that I read. This year I only listed around 58 of them, but I know I read closer to 75 or 80. After my blog yesterday, several books came to mind that I had left off. If I had been more diligent on goodreads, I would have had no trouble remembering.

Goal #3
I would also like to read 100 books this year. This might be a little difficult as I finish my MLS though!

Holiday Break Reading Challenge - Day 14

Today's challenge was truly a challenge for me!  I had to make a collage of all the books I read in 2011.  The hardest part was trying to remember all of the books I've read this year.  Unfortunately, I did not record every book I read on Goodreads, or this would have been a much easier task.  As it is, I came up with 58 books, but there are others that I know that I have overlooked.  I am not sure what my true total for the year actually was.

Holiday Break Reading Challenge Day 13

This year, I would like to attempt 2 reading challenges. NThe first is the Chunkster Reading Challenge at http://chunksterchallenge.blogspot.com/2011/12/chunkster-challenge-2012-sign-ups.html
This Is a reading challenge for people who want to read books of 450 pages or larger. There are three different levels. I chose the middle challenge (6 books within the next year).

I would also like to join the Goodreads book challenge this year. I hope to read 50 books in 2012 year. I think I topped that number in 2011, but I didn't really keep track.

Holiday Break Reading Challenge - Day 11

"...from a black bottle, and choke the unfamiliar voice until..."

Today's Holiday Break Reading Challenge is to pick the 26th line on the 26th page of the book I'm reading right now.  I'm reading The Running Man by Stephen King.  I recently found a list of King's top 15 books and this book was listed as one of them.  It is one of the few King books that I have never read, so I thought it would be a good time to pick it up.  The book I'm reading actually has four of his early novels in it, but I decided to look at the 26th page of the novel that I am reading rather than the entire book itself.

Holiday Break Reading Challenge - Day 10

Today's Challenge:
We all have books that are special to us. Today's challenge is to choose a book or books that you have received as a gift/gifts that mean something special to you.

I couldn't just pick one book for this challenge.  There were three books that I received for Christmas presents in consecutive years.  My parents knew how much books meant to me; they are both readers and they instilled their love of reading in me.  They know I love the classics, but they also know how much I love fantasy and science fiction.   One year I received The Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare!  I was so excited!  Another year, I received Legends, which was a book that I had been wanting for awhile.  It had all of my favorite fantasy authors in it.  Another year, I received a two volume set of Jane Austen's works. 

Holiday Break Reading Challenge - Day 9

Today's Challenge:

Merry Christmas Eve.  For today's activity I want everyone to think about books that have Christmas as an important part of the story.  Post the cover and the synopsis so we can see what it is about.  

My submission:
I have only read one Christmas book recently.  Christmas is Murder is a mystery book.  Rex Graves is a barrister who is visiting staying at the Swanmere Manor Hotel for Christmas.  As soon as he arrives he and the other guests are snowed in.  Rex must become an amature detective when he discovers that one of the guests has been murdered.   

Holiday Break Reading Challenge - Day 8

Today's challenge:
Sometimes books can surprise us in a good way and sometimes they can surprise us in a bad way.  A book you might have been waiting to come out for a year could be a total bomb once you finally get to read it and a book you drag your feet about reading can turn out to be the best book ever. Today let's explore those books. Create a blog post featuring a HIT and a MISS.  Come back and link it using the Simply Linked.

My Submission:

Thankfully, I have had more hits than misses this year.  I always enjoy a good book, and some people would say that I never read a bad book.  I can almost always find something redeeming about a book.  If I can't, then the book is truly awful.  I can't say that about my submissions today.  I thought it would be fun to add a couple of hits and misses, and I also thought it would be fun to look at a hit and a miss by the same author.

Hit:

Going Bovine totally surprised me as a hit.  It sounded like an interesting premise, but it was a very thick book, and I wondered if the author could keep my attention for that length of time, especially after reading another book by this author that didn't really measure up (see below).  For my full review of this book click here.

Another hit for me this year was Twenty Boy Summer, which was a shock to me, to say the least.  I fully expected to dislike this book.  I only read it for my Young Adult Literature class.  I thought it was going to be a superficial teenage novel with no depth.  I was shocked to find that the book did have depth and that the characters were three dimensional.  I sympathized with them and loved to see them mature and change over the course of the story. 

Miss:

A Great and Terrible Beauty, also by Libba Bray, was a book that I thought I would enjoy.  However, I found it to be lacking.  It has none of the wit and humor of Going Bovine and the storyline drags on in places. I do know people who enjoyed this book, but it just wasn't interesting enough for me to continue on with this series.

Shiver is another book that I looked forward to reading.  It is also a book that I felt was lacking.  I am very skilled at letting my imagination slip into a book, but this book was just too out there for me.  No, it wasn't the premise of the book that was hard for me to buy; the premise intrigued me and caused me to pick the book up in the first place.  It was the characters that were hard for me to believe.  The dialogue seemed so unreal, and the characters did not seem like real people to me at all.  I can enjoy any fantasy book, as long as I can relate to the characters and see them live and breathe.  These characters seemed like shadows on the wall.

Holiday Break Reading Challenge - Day 7

Today's Challenge:

For this activity we want you to dig through your memory and come up with your favorite character of the year.  It doesn't have to be a book released this year, but it has to be a character you read about this year. Create a post and come back and link it using the Simply Linked at the bottom of this post.

This is a difficult challenge for me since I tend to love so many of the characters I read about it.  However, the one who keeps coming back to me, as I try to sift through the huge number of books that I've read this year, is Katniss Everdeen.

Katniss is everything I like in a character.  She is a strong person, but she isn't perfect.  She makes mistakes, but usually when she is least comfortable with herself, her true self takes over and she does the right thing.  I am really looking forward to seeing the movie, yet at the same time, I am wary of movie versions of books that I like.

I just hope that the movie does it justice and that it doesn't saturate everything until we're sick of it.  It seems that has almost happened to Twilight lately.  I also hope that the actress who plays Katniss will be able to portray her as a strong, likeable character. 

I guess I'll have to wait until March to find out!

Holiday Break Reading Challenge - Day 6

Here is the challenge for Day 6:

What you have to do is this - figure out the title of the book by the synonyms I used for them. (I apologize in advance for how silly these probably are, but really, my creativity only goes so far.) Do the best you can.  The person with the most correct answers wins. If there is a tie, Julie and I will draw names out of a hat.

Fill out the Google form below in order to be eligible for the prize.

I'll post the answers after the winner is announced.

1. INTERSTATE TO HADES
2. THE UNENDING GRIN
3. FEMALE ABDUCTED
4. CARDINAL MITTEN
5. FIBBER
6. THE UNENDING SMOOCH
7. THE STERLING CUTLASS
8. ASSASSIN ITALIAN FOOD
9. MURKY EXISTENCE
10. SMALL MALE SIBLING

Holiday Break Reading Challenge - Day 5

Today's challenge:

Reject by Monica D. Cartwright

Tom has felt rejected his entire life by his family, his peers, and his community.  Then one fateful night, he rejects them all and decides to leave his home forever.  What he didn't count on was a life-changing car accident that would send him on a path he could never have imagined.  Will Tom be able to recover and face his demons, or will he always be the reject he believes himself to be?

HBRC Day 5 - Create-a-Cover

This is one of my favorites, folks.  Get ready to get those creative juices flowing.

1 – Go to “Fake Name Generator” or click http://www.fakenamegenerator.com/

The name that appears is your author name.

2 – Go to “Random Word Generator” or click http://www.websitestyle.com/parser/randomword.shtml

The word listed under “Random Verb” is your title.

3 – Go to “FlickrCC” or click http://flickrcc.bluemountains.net/index.php

Type your title into the search box. The first photo that contains a person is your cover.

4 – Use Picnik, or something similar to put it all together. Be sure to crop and/or zoom in.
5 - Link your Book Cover post using Simply Linked.

In terms of the activity for the HBRC, we're asking the participants to create the cover and write a short synopsis to go along with it. What is your book about?  We can't wait to read your ideas.

Holiday Break Reading Challenge - Day 4

Okay, I'm late getting started (as usual) with the Holiday Break Reading Challenge.  But, I guess I should say better late than never!  For today's challenge, I had to find a blog that discusses one of my favorite genres of books.  I love fantasy and many of the best fantasy books are written for young adult readers.  I found Wants and Worlds and thought that this would be a good choice for this challenge. 

Young Adult Literature - Artichoke's Heart

Supplee, S. (2008). Artichoke's Heart. New York: Dutton Books.

I read Artichoke's Heart to satisfy an assignment for my Young Adult Literature class.  The assignment was to read two books recommended by teenagers, one girl and one boy.  I read Monster after a teenage boy in my sophomore English class recommended it to me.  This book was passed on to me from a senior girl who was in my Pre-AP English class two years ago.  I must say, that I am glad that I got to read this book.  I think that the topics it deals with are so important for many teenage girls.  The main character must learn to cope with many problems in her life.  Rosemary Goode is overweight, lacking self-esteem, and dealing with her mother's cancer diagnosis.  On top of these problems, she is also trying to deal with the feeling of being an outsider, since her mother always sides with her aunt over everything.  Both her mother and her aunt try to pressure Rosemary into losing weight.  When she finally does start to come to terms with many of the underlying issues she has in her life, she is finally able to like herself and gain self-confidence.  In addition, she also loses fifty pounds.  Throughout this process, she becomes friends with a girl who she used to think had it all, and falls in love with the handsome, sensitive "jock" who sees her for the person she really is.  Rosemary's story sets a good example for any teenage girl who has ever had the feeling that she just isn't good enough.  Not only that, but Rosemary is a likeable character who makes the reader sympathize with her pain and laugh at her witty humor.  I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I'm glad I had the chance to experience it.  Thanks, Courtney!

Young Adult Literature - Monster

Myers, W. D. (1999). Monster.  New York: Amistad.

Steve Harmon is sixteen years old and is on trial for murder.  In a robbery gone wrong, a drug store owner is killed.  Two men went into the store to get the money.  Steve allegedly had the job of going in before the robbery to see if the store was empty.  One other teenager had the job of slowing down anyone who chased the robbers.  This story is told through Steve's journal and a screen play that he is writing.  In a way, the reader can't help to feel sorry fo Steve.  He did not pull the trigger, and he wasn't in the store when the murder took place.  On the otherhand, if he was involved in the way that he was accused, then he is still an accomplice to the murder. 
I really enjoyed this book.  It did take me a little while to become accustomed to reading the screenplay format, but I enjoyed the story.  It is a book that makes you think and examine the sometimes thin line between guilt and innocence. 

Young Adult Literature - What My Mother Doesn't Know

Sones, S. (2001). What my mother doesn't know. New York: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers.

This is a book written in poetic verse.  Sophie tells her story of relationships with boys, her mother, and her father.  Her parents' marriage is falling apart and Sophie is trying to cope with the distance between her mother and father.  She is also trying to adjust to her ever-changing feelings about the boys around her.  First she is in love with her boyfriend Dylan, but later she can't stand the though of being near him.  While her friends are away for Christmas vacation, she begins a relationship with the school outcast.  She quickly learns that they have a great deal in common and that they are actually perfect for each other.
I enjoyed this book.  It accurately portrays the many changing feelings and experiences that teenagers go through.  I thought Sophie was an interesting narrator, and it did not take me long to become comfortable with the format of the story.

Young Adult Literature - Charles Darwin

Krull, K. (2010). Charles Darwin. New York: Viking.

 

I was extremely impressed with the say Kathleen Krull presents her biography of Charles Darwin.  The book is written in a very easy to understand format that makes Darwin's life not only interesting, but also exciting.  I found Darwin to be a fascinating subject and greatly enjoyed learning more about his life.  I think that he was a brilliant scientist for his time and also an all-around nice person. 

Young Adult Literature - Janis Joplin: Rise Up Singing

Angel, A. (2010). Janis Joplin: Rise up singing. New York: Amulet Books.

Janis Joplin:  Rise Up Singing is an interesting, well-written biography that covers the tragic life of Janis Joplin.  I found this book fascinating since Joplin grew up in Port Arthur, an area where my dad's family briefly went to school.  Angel does a great job of telling Joplin's story in a way that is appropriate for young adults. 

Young Adult Literature - Saving the Baghdad Zoo

Halls, K. M., & Sumner, W. (2010). Saving the Baghdad zoo: a true story of hope and heroes. New

     York: Greenwillow Books.

Saving the Baghdad Zoo was simultaneously an uplifting story and a sad story.  It was wonderful to read about the success stories for some of the animals.  However, it was also tragic to think about what happened to all of the animals that were missing or that died before help could arrive.  I enjoyed the stories of each animal that was given a new lease on life.  I especially enjoyed the pictures of the happy animals in their new habitats.  I loved the story of the lions and their special relationship to the dog they grew up with.  Even though the lions were starving, they did not eat their companion. 

Young Adult Literature - It's Perfectly Normal

Harris, R., & Emberley, M. (2009). It's perfectly normal: Changing bodies, growing up, sex and sexual

      health. New York: Candlewick Press.

It's Perfectly Normal is a book that intends to educate adolescents about puberty, sex, and reproduction.  I think it is a good book to introduce the topic of sex education with a child; however, I am surprised that the cover recommends it for ages 10 and up.  Some of the illustrations in the book are detailed and seem too mature for most 10 year olds.  I would recommend the book for 13 and up, but I think more than anything, it depends on the maturity level of the child.  The book does cover a wide range of topics that are important for adolescents to understand as they are growing up and entering puberty.

Young Adult Literature - It Gets Better

Savage, D., & Miller, T. eds. (2011). It gets better: Coming out, overcoming bullying, and creating a
     
       life worth living. New York: Dutton.

It Gets Better includes a wide range of people telling the stories of how they overcame bullying and survived high school.  On the surface, the book is aimed at gay and lesbian teenagers to let them know that life does get better and they shouldn't take the road to suicide because they are different.  However, the book has a great message for anyone who has ever experienced bullying in high school.  Basically, it is important to let kids know that just because life is hard right now, that doesn't mean that you can't overcome it and have a great life in the future.  The book includes stories from many famous gay and lesbians, as well as from ordinary people who succeeded in life, to straight politicians, including the president.  Each person who contributed to the book tries to show support to teenagers who are bullied for their differences.
I think the book is very relevant to today.  Bullying is something that, unfortunately, goes on constantly in our schools, often with tragic results.  Bullies often push their victims to drastic measures.  The only downfall to the book was that it seemed almost like overkill.  I think that the book almost had too many contributions.  I think a smaller number of well-written contributions would have been better.

Young Adult Literature - Cool Salsa

Cool Salsa Bilingual Poems on Growing Up Latino in the United States.. (2008). Chicago: Paw Prints.

 

 

Cool Salsa is an interesting book of poetry.  I did not enjoy this book as much as What Have You Lost?  Most of the poems in this book are in English on one page and Spanish on the next page.  Since I am not fluent in Spanish, I went through the book quickly since I focused on the English translations.  I can see how this would be an interesting book to use in a Spanish class, or for hispanic students.  I thought that many of the poems were interesting, but I didn't connect with them as well as I did with the poems in the other poetry book I read. 

Young Adult Literature - What Have You Lost?

What Have You Lost? is a unique book of poetry.  Naomi Shihab Nye, an excellent poet herself, has selected various poems from a diverse array of poets covering different forms of loss.  The book contains poems that cover losing everything from a loved one to a sweater, and everything in between.  I enjoyed many of the poems in this book, eventhough poetry is not my favorite type of leisurely reading.  I think that some teens would enjoy reading this book especially to help them cope with the various types of loss in their own lives.

Young Adult Literature - Code Talker

Bruchac, J. (2005).  Code talkers: a novel about the Navajo marines of World War Two. New  
          York: Speak.


Code Talkers is an interesting book covering a fascinating topic.  However, for some reason, I had a hard time getting into this novel.  I think that the main downfall is the way the author moves from one episode to another so quickly.  Sometimes it seems as if he is giving way too much military detail, and other times he moves quickly onto another battle or training session with little detail.  I think this inconsistency kept me from really connecting with the main character.  I do understand that it would be almost impossible to write a book of a manageable length that fully covers his entire experience leading up to and during World War II; however, I felt that the book would probably be more interesting if the author had focused more on a shorter period of time within the main character's life.  I also would have liked to have seen more interaction with his friends throughout the war.  It all just seemed  a little episodic to me.  I think the story of the code talkers is interesting, and I think it would appeal to boys who are more interested in battles and history. 

Young Adult Literature - Speak

Anderson, L.H. (1999).  Speak. New York: Penguin.

Speak follows Melinda Sordino through her freshman year of high school.  The summer before, Melinda and her friend Rachel went to a party where a senior, Andy, rapes her.  Melinda calls 911, but is unable to tell them what is wrong.  When the police break of the party, the students blame Melinda and she becomes an outcast at school.  She even loses her friend, Rachel.  As the school year progresses, Melinda keeps her secret and slips further into depression.  She begins skipping classes and hiding in an abandoned janitor's closet which she fixes up as her own hideout.  When her former friend, Rachel, begins dating Andy she feels she must warn her about him.  She writes Rachel a note, but Rachel is angry and doesn't believe her.  She eventually realizes that Melinda is telling the truth and breaks up with Andy.  At the end of the school year, Melinda goes to the janitor's closet to collect her things, and Andy corners her.  He attacks her, but Melinda breaks a mirror and holds a shard of glass up to him.  Fortunately, some other students hear her screaming and come to her rescue.  Melinda begins to come to terms with what happened to her and she becomes a hero at school.

I really enjoyed this book.  I liked the way the book was divided up by the grading periods.  Melinda has an authentic voice in the book and the reader can't help but like her and feel sorry for her.  She doesn't know how to cope with her life, but she eventually learns how to express herself and come back from her depression.  I loved the ending, though I felt that, unfortunately, I think it was not totally realistic.  I think that in many schools, many students would take Andy's word over Melinda's and say that she made it up, or that it was consentual.