Febraury 2009 Book Challenge - Page 3

[Oriole]

Originally Posted by basmom

So...I have started the Twilight series. A questions to the series readers, Should I devour them all in a row, or should I read one, move on to another book, read a Twilight book, move on to a different book, etc...?

I had no will power as far as putting the Twilight books down goes... I also believe even CrunchyDaddy couldn't wait to finish them all! heh I had to read them as fast as I could, all in a row, and it was torturous to wait for the fourth one to come out. If you can wait - you can wait, I guess... But in general, I always prefer to read series altogether, unless I don't enjoy them that much. *shrug*

[NewCrunchyDaddy]

Originally Posted by basmom

So...I have started the Twilight series. A questions to the series readers, Should I devour them all in a row, or should I read one, move on to another book, read a Twilight book, move on to a different book, etc...?

I guess the best answer to that is it depends on how you feel about Book One. As was said, if you can't put it down and need to know what comes next, then by all means, plow right through them.

On the other hand, if you are at best ambivilent about the first book, then perhaps you'll need a break between them.

Just as the poet William Carlos Williams says that "so much depends upon a red wheelbarrow," so much depends on your reaction to the first book in the series.

[NewCrunchyDaddy]

I should also add that that advice comes as I am listening to the audiobook versions of the series and I hate the reader with a passion (she's so bad) and as I was getting to the end of the first one (it took 40 days to listen to a 12 hour audiobook) I told myself I need a break and I should listen to something non-Twilight before I move on to New Moon ... however, do I have to say what audiobook is currently uploaded to my iPod? So, you can take my advice with a grain of salt.

[kbond]

Originally Posted by Keeta

kbond - I have had this book on my shelf for like 2 years....I think I stole it from my mom, intending to read it right away and then never got around to it. I'm going to have to dust it off, now. Thanks for the inspiration!

I'm loving reading stuff set in Seattle right now. Have you read Greg Bear's newest book? I started it, and the beginning is all in Seattle anyway. Also, the Succubus Blues series by Richelle Mead is set in Seattle and pretty fun (and they have them at the library).

I have read Greg Bear's newest...the Seattle setting isn't that important in it, but it was fun. I'll have to put the Mead on my list.

[PassionateWriter]

subbing....i feel so lame w/ my 6 books but there is just no way for me to keep up here with you hard core readers! but you inspire me to do better and my 6 books this year already is more than i finished last year. less time online....less time online...repeat ad nauseum! lol!

[PassionateWriter]

Originally Posted by kangamitroo

#6 The Great Theft: Wrestling Islam from the Extremists by Khaled Abou el Fadl
i highly recommend this book.

thanks for this rec..i think i will pick it up tomorrow.

Originally Posted by cathe

You should suggest it -- its apparently the new thing. Tell them to 'get with it'! For prizes we'll get book bags with coupons and 3 local wineries donated baskets and they'll pick winners for those . . . is that cool or what?

f

how do you go about this? ill have to talk to my librarian.

[Jenifer76]

The Solace of Leaving Early by Haven Kimmel

Langston Braverman returns to Haddington, Indiana after quitting her PhD program midstream. Minister Amos Townsend is trying to balance his own intellectual interests with his ministry. Their lives intersect when a childhood friend of Langston dies orphaning her two daughters. I spent 99 percent of the book disliking Langston. I couldn't understand her and her motivations. A few times, I wanted to stop reading it. But in the end, Kimmel redeemed her a bit and I was happy to see how it wrapped up.

[Oriole]

January: #1. The Hunger Games (Collins) *****
#2. Dead until Dark (Harris) ****

February:
#3. Stolen Innocence (Wall)****
#4. Until You (McNaught) ***

It was an okay romance novel. I usually enjoy McNaught a little bit more. But it did keep me reading and engaged. Proud Lords and ladies, and red haired beauty, balls and gowns... You get the idea! heh

[cathe]

Tamar by Mal Peet

About two undercover operatives working in Nazi-occupied Holland in 1945, both fall in love with the same women which affects their reason. Fifty years later, the granddaughter of one of the men and the women tries to uncover what really happened. This book got raves from lots of people and awards. I liked it but didn't totally love it.

[cathe]

Originally Posted by PassionateWriter

how do you go about this? ill have to talk to my librarian.

Here's the home page for my library system. You'll see on the right 3 libraries that are doing adult reading programs -- they're all different. Arroyo Grande is doing one where you read 8 books each in a particular category. Atascadero is doing one similar to what NCD and Fremontmama described. Cambria has one totally different . . . Tell your librarian to check it out.

[cathe]

Originally Posted by PassionateWriter

subbing....i feel so lame w/ my 6 books but there is just no way for me to keep up here with you hard core readers! but you inspire me to do better and my 6 books this year already is more than i finished last year. less time online....less time online...repeat ad nauseum! lol!

Yeah You! That's awesome -- you read more in 1 month than the whole last
year!

[fremontmama]

Originally Posted by PassionateWriter

subbing....i feel so lame w/ my 6 books but there is just no way for me to keep up here with you hard core readers! but you inspire me to do better and my 6 books this year already is more than i finished last year. less time online....less time online...repeat ad nauseum! lol!

Welcome! :

And don't feel lame, just bring along your love of reading of any kind (slow, fast, a little, a lot, all types of books) and you'll fit right in

And oh, I read that wrong, you read more books this year already than the entire year last year?! Wowee! Nice!

[becoming]

9. Boys In The Trees - Mary Swan

Hmm. There were parts of this I enjoyed--certain sentences, in particular--but mostly I felt like it was a jumbled mess. I found myself skimming through entire paragraphs because I could barely follow her train of thought, but then the next paragraph would be written in such a way that I'd have to go back and read the other one I neglected. It was actually a pretty frustrating read for me, and it wasn't long at all. Definitely not a favorite of mine.

[Fiestabeth]

3. The Mary in Every Woman by H. Ione Grable

A dear friend of mine is the author and I feel bad that I finally picked it up and read it through rather than just skimming. It's very rambling but since I know her it felt like having a nice long conversation with her. She is just the sweetest woman but is now suffering from dementia. My daughter and I are actually mentioned in the book, which is so much fun. It is about her journey with Mary, so probably people here wouldn't be into it unless they are Catholic, Episcopalian, or into stories of Mary and angels. I'm none of the above, just a friend of the author, so it was touching to me.

[CHoney]

#2 - The No-Cry Sleep Solution
I kinda skimmed this book because my little guy is figuring his routine out on his own and is doing very well! (Hopefully I don't jinx it!)

I'm going to make it a goal to watch less tv, and read more books. I have to catch up here!

[Keeta]

7. Magic to the Bone - Devon Monk
Urban Fantasy - Can I give something 3.75 out of 5 stars? Because that's what I would do if I could.

I liked this book, and I really didn't know what to expect. I picked it up on a whim because the author is local to Portland, where I lived and my parents live close to now (and it was at a tiny used bookstore in a tiny town, where the proprietor is really into paranormal, blah blah blah.)

Set in a universe where magic was "discovered" 30 years ago and is used in all sorts of functions, magic also has a darkside - magic users pay a price for wielding it, in illness, soreness, or even death. Allie's having a tough time - she's estranged from her rich powerful father, living in a crappy apartment in a crappy part of Portland and "hounding" for a living - tracking down rogue magic users - sometimes without pay. When she's asked to hound a hit on her friend Mama's son, Boy (it's kind of a joke, the name), she sets off a chain reaction that just keeps getting worse. Mysterious Zayvion Jones keeps popping up to bail her out, but he keeps just out of reach enough to be an enigma and very very interesting.

I liked this. It has some real potential for a series and I'm glad to see that the next is set to come out in May. And I LOVE that it's set in Portland, even if some details are totally skewed in my experience.
---------------------------------------

1. One Foot In the Grave - Jeaniene Frost 2. Shadow Kiss - Richelle Mead 3. Parenting a Free Child: An Unschooling Life - Rue Kream 4. Lord of Misrule (Morganville Vampires, Book 5) - Rachel Caine 5. Sunshine - Robin McKinley 6. Storm Front (The Dresden Files, Book 1) - Jim Butcher 7. Magic to the Bone - Devon Monk

[JenLove]

I finished Twilight 2 nights ago and will be starting New Moon today. :

#1 I Dreamed of Africa
#2 The Birth House
#3 Once on this Island
#4 The Shepard's Granddaughter
#5 Natural Health After Birth
#6 Twilight

[cathe]

Skin by Adriene Maria Vrettos

This was from a 14 year old boy's of view about his older sister suffering from anorexia and his parents messed up relationship. It was okay -- didn't wow me.

[Bufomander]

#20 People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
This was a good story but I struggled with it a bit -- the different time periods were a little hard for me to keep track of/keep separate -- and I felt like I was supposed to be seeing the connections between them more than I was. Did other people have less trouble with this aspect of it? I think part of it was that I was picking it up and putting it down too much. Like, if I'd read the whole thing on an international flight, maybe it would have flowed better for me?

[snozzberry]

#11 Graceling
Author: Kristin Cashore
Category: Fiction, Young Adult
Rating: 5/5
Summary: Katsa is Graced with the ability to kill, which her uncle the king exploits for his own gain. She has no friends—how could a wild, predatory animal have friends? Then one day, she meets another Graceling who not only challenges her idea of friendship but her idea of herself. And it just so happens he’s pretty darn cute, to boot.

Review: OhmygoshIlovedthisbooksooomuch. I’ll try to stop gushing and write a coherent review, but…sigh. I was sad to let this one go.

Just a few of the things I loved loved loved:

• The world—I always get a little nervous when I start a fantasy book because the author can get so wrapped up in naming things and creating their own little world that it takes away from the story of the characters and their struggles. Not so with this book. The world is there, but you aren’t hit over the head with it. So the result is that it feels real. Within the first few pages, I felt like I was there.
• The strong main character—Actually, the strong female main character. And I’m not talking the ability to kill. Katsa is a girl who knows what she wants and isn’t going to let other people tell her how to live her life.
• The romance—Yum.

I can’t wait for the next in this series!