June 2009 Book Challenge

[NewCrunchyDaddy]

Welcome to June's Challenge. Summer time is almost here. Time to dust off your "beach reads" and head for the hills, the coast, the mountains, wherever and settle down and read some brain candy for the next three months.

Anyway...

Now, repeat after me...

So, just by way of clarification (for comers both new and old), new and improved guidelines for the Book Challenge Thread are as follows:

1) Post the books you read ... or not
2) Post a recommendation ... or not
3) Number your book ... or not
4) Make a goal ... or not
5) Have fun with books (This one, unfortunately, is MANDATORY)


So, with that, avante and a happy reading May to everyone!


2008's Threads can be found HERE
January's Thread can be found HERE
February's Thread can be found HERE
March's Thread can be found HERE
April's Thread can be found HERE
May's Thread can be found HERE

[A&A]

Odd Hours by Dean Koontz.

Really entertaining read.

[katmann]

Please don't tell me it's June already!

[PassionateWriter]

subbing...i may still get one more book in for may.

[ReadingMama]

Knife of Dreams by the late Robert Jordan (I'm going to read it again)

This is the most recent book in the Wheel of Time fantasy series. There are 11 books so far with 3 more to come in November 2009, November 2010, and November 2011. (The first book in the series is The Eye of the World.) This is an awesome series for both men and women. Too often, women are minor characters in fantasy. Not so in Jordan's books. Really, these books have the best of everything.

Here's a link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wheel_of_Time

[Bufomander]

Happy June, everybody. I started reading Nonviolent Communication by Marshall Rosenberg this weekend. I have a feeling that it's going to be one of those books that is so rich that it takes me a while to work through it!

[Jenifer76]

The Most Beautiful Girl in the World by Judy Doenges

After Robin's mother dies, she is left with her Dad, a junk and drug dealer, and her Grandma, a former Vegas showgirl who has an endless supply of male "friends". Even in a small, depressed town like Lilac, IL, her family stands out as particularly dysfunctional. Add to that Robin's almost obsessive like love for her best friend Lynn. A coming of age of sorts, I found the end to be lacking. I felt like the author never really invested herself into any one of the characters.

[Alyantavid]

I had a rough time last month.

I finished all the Harry Potter series except the last two which I will be picking up today. And I reread the Twilight series this weekend.

[dimibella]

Joining ya'll! I guess my first book will count as a May/June read though, as I started it on Sat. and haven't finished it yet. It's The Shack by William P. Young

[fremontmama]

Whoa! What's up with the new format? Yikes! ::::::

[friendtoall]

A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry

Wow. A wonderful book. The characters are so rich and the plot is delivered at a nice steady pace. But, this is not a cheery book. It tells the tale of four people living in India during "The Emergency" in the 1970's. We follow their lives before they meet, and while they know eachother, and what happens to them after they drift apart. It IS a fine balance between hope and despair.

[greeny]

May books (just because I feel like listing them!):

1. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
2. A Ship Made of Paper by Scott Spencer
3. Lost and Found by Carolyn Parkhurst
4. Atonement by Ian McEwan
5. Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson
6. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt
7. Kaaterskill Falls by Allegra Goodman
8. The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing by Melissa Bank
9. The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai

June is starting with me reading The Ladies' Auxiliary by Tova Mirvis, which so far I am really enjoying.

[NewCrunchyDaddy]

Originally Posted by fremontmama

Whoa! What's up with the new format? Yikes! ::::::

New format?

[Keeta]

Originally Posted by NewCrunchyDaddy

New format?

The Mothering.com new format. Doesn't the forum look different? I'm annoyed because none of the drop-down menus work for me anymore. I can't figure out how to fix it.

ANYWAY.

33. The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #1) - Rick Riordan

YA/Fantasy - 2.5 stars. Percy Jackson is a troubled kid at a school for troubled youth, suffering from dyslexia and has ADHD. On a field trip, his math teacher warps into an evil creature and tries to kill him, but he kills her first with a pen that changed into a sword...or did he? Percy finds out that he's a Half-Blood, meaning that one of his parents is a Greek God/Goddess. In this case it's his dad, because he knows his mom. When supernatural beings start trying to kill him in full force, it's up to Percy to save himself - and the world from World War III.

I found this to be kind of boring, derivative, and just unoriginal. Too many Harry Potter similarities to mention. The premise sounds kind of cool, but I don't know, the story just did not do it for me at all. Maybe 8-12 year old boys would really dig it? But since I'm a 30 year old woman (who loves YA, nonetheless) I won't be continuing this series unless I hear of drastic improvements.


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 8. Bone Crossed - Patricia Briggs 9. Impossible - Nancy Werlin 10. I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone - Stephanie Kuehnert 11. Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand - Carrie Vaughn 12. At Grave's End (Night Huntress, Book 3) - Jeaniene Frost 13. Beguilement (The Sharing Knife, Volume One) - Lois McMaster Bujold 14. Legacy (The Sharing Knife, Volume Two) - Lois McMaster Bujold 15. Passage (The Sharing Knife, Volume Three) - Lois McMaster Bujold 16. White Witch, Black Curse (The Hollows, Book 7) - Kim Harrison 17. The Official Ubuntu Book, 3rd Ed - Benjamin Mako Hill, et al 18. Graceling - Kristin Cashore 19. Holidays are Hell: "Two Ghosts for Sister Rachel" - Kim Harrison 20. Dates From Hell: "Undead in the Garden of Good and Evil" - Kim Harrison 21. Hunted (House of Night, Book 5) - P.C. and Kristin Cast 22. Hotter Than Hell: "Dirty Magic" - Kim Harrison 23. Greywalker - Kat Richardson 24. Horizon (The Sharing Knife, Volume 4) - Lois McMaster Bujold 25. Taking Charge of Your Fertility - Toni Weschler 26. The Girl Who Could Fly - Victoria Forester 27. Those Left Behind (Serenity, Vol. 1) - Joss Whedon, et al 28. Scent of Shadows(Signs of the Zodiac #1) - Vicki Petterson 29. Dead and Gone (Sookie Stackhouse #9) - Charlaine Harris 30. Crouching Vampire, Hidden Fang (Dark Ones) - Katie MacAlister 31. A Long Way from Chicago - Richard Peck 32. Alanna: The First Adventure - Tamora Pierce 33. The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1) - Rick Riordan

[fremontmama]

Originally Posted by NewCrunchyDaddy

New format?

You don't have a whole new format? My mdc used to be a beige and purple and kinda soft edged. Now it's blocky and all purple and white and green. I'm so confused! :

[kbond]

#29 Grave Peril by Jim Butcher
Book #3 of the Dresden Files is, I think, a stronger book than the first 2. I enjoyed the first 2, but this one had a little more heft to it and was more than just a "monster of the week" type book.

#30 Summer Knight by Jim Butcher
Also, enjoyable. Quick read though. Book 4 of the Dresden Files.

#31 Children of God by Mary Doria RussellThis is a sequel to The Sparrow, and it was just as good as the first. A little better stylistically even. I really enjoyed this book, and I hope that there is another one in this universe. Although, to be fair, I've enjoyed everything I've read that she's written, and really, I just hope that she continues to write more, period.

[NewCrunchyDaddy]

Originally Posted by Keeta

The Mothering.com new format. Doesn't the forum look different? I'm annoyed because none of the drop-down menus work for me anymore. I can't figure out how to fix it.

Originally Posted by fremontmama

You don't have a whole new format? My mdc used to be a beige and purple and kinda soft edged. Now it's blocky and all purple and white and green. I'm so confused! :

I don't go through mothering.com. I come straight to MDC through either the email links I get or www.mothering.com/discussions. That might explain it.

Also down at the bottom left corner is a box that lets you change the color of the MDC boards.

[Bufomander]

Originally Posted by Keeta

The Mothering.com new format. Doesn't the forum look different? I'm annoyed because none of the drop-down menus work for me anymore. I can't figure out how to fix it.

ANYWAY.

33. The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #1) - Rick Riordan

YA/Fantasy - 2.5 stars. Percy Jackson is a troubled kid at a school for troubled youth, suffering from dyslexia and has ADHD. On a field trip, his math teacher warps into an evil creature and tries to kill him, but he kills her first with a pen that changed into a sword...or did he? Percy finds out that he's a Half-Blood, meaning that one of his parents is a Greek God/Goddess. In this case it's his dad, because he knows his mom. When supernatural beings start trying to kill him in full force, it's up to Percy to save himself - and the world from World War III.

I found this to be kind of boring, derivative, and just unoriginal. Too many Harry Potter similarities to mention. The premise sounds kind of cool, but I don't know, the story just did not do it for me at all. Maybe 8-12 year old boys would really dig it? But since I'm a 30 year old woman (who loves YA, nonetheless) I won't be continuing this series unless I hear of drastic improvements.

I'm not having issues with MDC either....?
I actually really enjoy this series, I think something about the brand of humor in it really appeals to me -- I'm getting ready to read the most recent one. But yeah, I think DH feels much the way you do.

[greeny]

1. The Ladies Auxiliary by Tova Mirvis

I really liked this book! It took place in a very tight Orthodox Jewish community in Memphis. Everyone is very religious and most of the people have lived there for a very long time. Everything is shaken up when a single mother and her daughter come to live there. She is a Jewish convert and definitely more of a free spirit than everyone else.

I loved reading about the community, about their traditions, and about how someone who was different affected the way they interacted with her and with each other.

(Also, the name Tova is one of my favorite girl names ever! If dh liked it more, I'd name our baby that if it's a girl. )

[fremontmama]

Originally Posted by NewCrunchyDaddy

I don't go through mothering.com. I come straight to MDC through either the email links I get or www.mothering.com/discussions. That might explain it.

Also down at the bottom left corner is a box that lets you change the color of the MDC boards.

I usually come here from my email links too. And it was different when I arrived the other day. It's been a few days, so I'm a little more used to it now. It was a big surprise the other day though! It's not just the colors that look different, but the format is slightly different too, for me anyway.

#26 Just Do It, How One Couple Turned Off the TV and Turned On Their Sex Lives For 101 Days (No Excuses) by Douglas Brown

Kinda cute book, I liked it. Funny anecdotes about their living through what they called "the marathon". Kinda inspiring really for someone also with 2 kids and more than 7 years into a marriage.


Okay, so I went down to the design selection thing, and it looks like my format went automatically to the "new design". I used to use the "tan design". The new design is just a tad blockier I think?