July 2009 Book Challenge - Page 3

[fremontmama]

Originally Posted by kaliki_kila

58. Princess Academy by Shannon Hale

A group of girls from a mountain village are taken away to be trained in reading, diplomacy, history, and commerce and then after a year, the prince will select one girl to marry. Miri helps the people of her village by going back and teaching them what she has learned and they use that knowledge to help them in their trade. It wasn't cheesy at all like the title makes it out to be. I liked it just as much as The Goose Girl.

I just saw this book as a rec on Hathor's website. It's on my list

[principii]

I just purchased the Forgotten Garden today at Barnes & Noble for 50% off!!! (plus an extra 10% with my member discount )... just letting OP know, in case anybody wants to buy it! Can't wait to dig into it (but am trying to temper myself and finish the book I'm on first )

[Keeta]

Originally Posted by kofduke

Kiln People, David Brin
I was fascinated with the descriptions of the golems and their abilities, and Brin's ideas of where that would take us as a society capable of such technology. Parts of the end, TBH, were bit confusing to me; but the conclusion ended up being satifying if not what was expected.
[/SIZE]

Yay, I'm so glad you liked it! I really dug it, too. I totally get what you're saying about the near the end stuff - I kind of just skimmed over the quantum/metaphysics and tried to get back to the narrative - which was totally satisfying, as you said.

45. Sandry's Book (Circle of Magic, Book 1) - Tamora Pierce

I'm enjoying this series - about 4 misfits/orphans who come to find that they each possess a specific magic that lets them control natural phenomena. Interested to start the next in the series. I was a little wary of starting a Pierce book that doesn't take place in the same universe as the others I've read (Tortall) but this was just as interesting and I'm eager to learn more about this different setting. Glad there are at least 7 more books out there in this one.

46. Succubus Heat (Georgina Kincaid, #4) - Richelle Mead
I enjoyed this installment of Georgina, the succubus with a heart o' gold. I'm especially looking forward to the next installment, because Georgina just moved to my hood in West Seattle, and I'm looking forward to some good Alki references.

[Bufomander]

#71 maybe one: a case for smaller families by bill mckibben
good stuff
i have to admit that as i'm recovering from being hit by a car, i've been glad that there is only one little one around....

Originally Posted by principii

Oh! I liked that one. What did you think?

I like p.d. james. don't know if this is one of my favorites, but i enjoyed it.... have you read a lot of hers?

[principii]

I like p.d. james. don't know if this is one of my favorites, but i enjoyed it.... have you read a lot of hers?

Only a few... I found (of those I read) her themes got to be repetitive. Not as bad as say, Mary Higgins Clark, or Harlan Coben for that matter, but repetitive nonetheless. I gave her (James) a break and haven't gotten back in awhile - Michael Connolly is my new "rave fave" (as we term it around here).

[kbond]

I've been really busy lately so I haven't been by to update lately. I've actually been reading a fair amount lately.

#40 Lucky Man: A Memoir by Michael J. Fox
This memoir wasn't as enjoyable for me as his other memoir. Still engaging though, and he discussed Family Ties and Back to the Future a lot more in this book.


#41 Afterimage by Kathleen George
A mystery....the characters weren't that engaging and neither was the mystery really.


#42 The Scent of Shadows: The First Sign of the Zodiac by Vicki Pettersson

I loved this! Almost as much as I liked Succubus Blues.


#43 The Strain by Guillermo Del Torro
A vampire novel; the first in a triology. It was okay, and I'll try the next one, but I'm not expecting great things.

#44 Unbuttoned: Women Open Up About the Pleasures, Pains, and Politics of Breastfeeding

#45 Dead Beat (Dresden Files #7) by Jim Butcher
I think this was the best one yet.

#46 The Protector's War by S.M. Stirling
Not a great book, but I like the premise and the world.

[NewCrunchyDaddy]

Originally Posted by kbond

#43 The Strain by Guillermo Del Torro
A vampire novel; the first in a triology. It was okay, and I'll try the next one, but I'm not expecting great things.

That's too bad, because Del Torro is a brilliant director.

[kaliki_kila]

59. Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier

Inman is a Confederate soldier who lays wounded in a hospital, looking out the dreary grey window while soldiers around him die. His girlfriend Ada waits for him back home. She grew up wealthy and pampered and her dad bought a hobby farm and then died. She doesn't know how to work the farm and so she lets it go to waste - chickens wandering around and nesting in the trees while she reads some pretty good literature and paints the scenery around her. Inman decides to leave the hospital and the war and so he makes his way back home and meets some pretty interesting characters along the way (my favorite was the goat-woman). Ada gets help from a woman who comes along and kicks her butt into gear and shows her everything she needs to be doing to support herself on a farm. I liked it that Ada read The Odyssey out loud at night while Inman was kind of a present-day Odysseus, making his way home and getting thwarted. I thought the ending was vague/sad.

[kbond]

Originally Posted by NewCrunchyDaddy

That's too bad, because Del Torro is a brilliant director.

I know! I was really hoping that this would be good, and it's possible that the next book will be really good and that this one was lacking because it was, pretty much, all set-up. But, still, disappointing. A very quick read though.

[mammastar2]

#35 - Silas Marner by George Eliot
I liked this!

Short (less than 200 pages) novel about a middle-aged linen weaver who comes to a small village - the time is the cusp of industrialization - after having been cast out of his religious community in a small city as a result of having been wrongfully accused of theft. He lives as an outcast in the village for fifteen years, becoming a miser who lives only for the accumulation of gold. He is thrown into grief when the gold is stolen, but then finds love, acceptance and community after adopting a little girl he finds on his hearth one cold winter night, her mother frozen to death outside.

Satisfying, with a happy ending, and some really wonderful passages and interesting commentary on social relations. I've heard it described as 'fable-like', and definitely it's tied up with a bow, but the social commentary is still quite sharp.

[Jenifer76]

The Hindi-Bindi Club by Monica Pradhan

Certainly not a literary great but still an enjoyable read for me. I appreciated the struggle between mother and daughter - I think all women can relate to it regardless of their cultural background.

The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan

A memoir about dealing with breast cancer, parental illness and what it means to be an adult. I started this last night and devoured it. While I find Corrigan to be overwhelming and childish at times, I can still relate to her.

[fremontmama]

Originally Posted by kaliki_kila

59. Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier

Inman is a Confederate soldier who lays wounded in a hospital, looking out the dreary grey window while soldiers around him die. His girlfriend Ada waits for him back home. She grew up wealthy and pampered and her dad bought a hobby farm and then died. She doesn't know how to work the farm and so she lets it go to waste - chickens wandering around and nesting in the trees while she reads some pretty good literature and paints the scenery around her. Inman decides to leave the hospital and the war and so he makes his way back home and meets some pretty interesting characters along the way (my favorite was the goat-woman). Ada gets help from a woman who comes along and kicks her butt into gear and shows her everything she needs to be doing to support herself on a farm. I liked it that Ada read The Odyssey out loud at night while Inman was kind of a present-day Odysseus, making his way home and getting thwarted. I thought the ending was vague/sad.

I enjoyed this book too, but the end made me so angry. I agree with the Odyssey comparisons.

#37 You Can't Say You Can't Play by Vivian Gussin Paley

A kindergarten teacher recounts discussing and implementing the rule You Can't Say You Can't Play in her classroom. This is an effort to try and prevent children from being left out and make the classroom a bit more fair. The kids discuss the rule in her classroom and older classrooms. It's fascinating to hear how kids examine the rule and also to see what transpires as she implements the rule. It seems to actually work, albeit, takes some getting used to, but it really levels the playing field in her classroom.

I'm recommending this one to my daughter's teachers.

[kaliki_kila]

Originally Posted by mammastar2

#35 - Silas Marner by George Eliot
I liked this!

Short (less than 200 pages) novel about a middle-aged linen weaver who comes to a small village - the time is the cusp of industrialization - after having been cast out of his religious community in a small city as a result of having been wrongfully accused of theft. He lives as an outcast in the village for fifteen years, becoming a miser who lives only for the accumulation of gold. He is thrown into grief when the gold is stolen, but then finds love, acceptance and community after adopting a little girl he finds on his hearth one cold winter night, her mother frozen to death outside.

Satisfying, with a happy ending, and some really wonderful passages and interesting commentary on social relations. I've heard it described as 'fable-like', and definitely it's tied up with a bow, but the social commentary is still quite sharp.

I liked this one, too It is a lot like a grown-up fable, isn't it?

[Turquesa]

Originally Posted by kaliki_kila

59. Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier

Inman is a Confederate soldier who lays wounded in a hospital, looking out the dreary grey window while soldiers around him die. His girlfriend Ada waits for him back home. She grew up wealthy and pampered and her dad bought a hobby farm and then died. She doesn't know how to work the farm and so she lets it go to waste - chickens wandering around and nesting in the trees while she reads some pretty good literature and paints the scenery around her. Inman decides to leave the hospital and the war and so he makes his way back home and meets some pretty interesting characters along the way (my favorite was the goat-woman). Ada gets help from a woman who comes along and kicks her butt into gear and shows her everything she needs to be doing to support herself on a farm. I liked it that Ada read The Odyssey out loud at night while Inman was kind of a present-day Odysseus, making his way home and getting thwarted. I thought the ending was vague/sad.

Really enjoyed this book!! The women were portrayed with the grit that the Civil War era gave them. I haven't read it for awhile but remember nitpicking it for historical inaccuracies. One that I remember is when Ruby finishes eating ice cream and returns the cone saying, "Here's your little horn back." Cute but.....the ice cream cone was yet invented!

[Turquesa]

Jumping in late. I just finished The Ginger Tree by Oswald Wynd and I'm staring into How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewelyn. Will post more later.

[NewCrunchyDaddy]

#35 The Ayatollah Begs to Differ: The Paradox of Modern Iran
by Hooman Majd

My review of The Ayatollah Begs to Differ can be found HERE

#1 The King in Yellow, #2 Ghost Story, #3 Twilight (Audio), #4 Nice Work, #5 The Poetry of Robert Frost: The Collected Poems, Complete and Unabridged, #6 Collected Poems 1909-1962 (T.S. Eliot), #7 New Moon (Audio), #8 Selected Poems (William Carlos Williams), #9 The Pearl, #10 The Blackwater Lightship, #11 100 Selected Poems (e.e. cummings), #12 The Grapes of Wrath, #13 Eclipse (Audio), #14 A Bit on the Side, #15 East of Eden, #16 As I Lay Dying: Redux, #17 Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Classic Regency Romance—Now with Ultraviolent Zombie Mayhem!, #18 Breaking Dawn (Audio), #19 A Streetcar Named Desire: 25th Anniversary Edition, #20 The Short Stories: The First Forty-Nine Stories with a Brief Preface by the Author, #21 New British Poetry, #22 Brick Lane, #23 Maps for Lost Lovers, #24 The Silence of the Lambs (Audio): Redux, #25 Pride and Prejudice, #26 Poe: A Life Cut Short, #27 Dark Banquet: Blood and the Curious Lives of Blood-Feeding Creatures, #28 The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obession in the Amazon (Audio), #29 Her Story: A Timeline of the Women Who Changed America, #30 The Bloody White Baron: The Extraordinary Story of the Russian Nobleman Who Became the Last Khan of Russia, #31 Good Book: The Bizarre, Hilarious, Disturbing, Marvelous, and Inspiring Things I Learned When I Read Every Single Word of the Bible, #32 The Composer is Dead, #33 Shakespeare's Kitchen: Renaissance Recipes for the Contemporary Cook, #34 Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned: Stories, #35 The Ayatollah Begs to Differ: The Paradox of Modern Iran

[NewCrunchyDaddy]

#36 The Book of Totally Irresponsible Science: 64 Daring Experiments for Young Scientists
by Sean Connolly

My review of Totally Irresponsible Science can be found HERE


#37 The Road
by Cormac McCarthy

My review of The Road can be found HERE


#1 The King in Yellow, #2 Ghost Story, #3 Twilight (Audio), #4 Nice Work, #5 The Poetry of Robert Frost: The Collected Poems, Complete and Unabridged, #6 Collected Poems 1909-1962 (T.S. Eliot), #7 New Moon (Audio), #8 Selected Poems (William Carlos Williams), #9 The Pearl, #10 The Blackwater Lightship, #11 100 Selected Poems (e.e. cummings), #12 The Grapes of Wrath, #13 Eclipse (Audio), #14 A Bit on the Side, #15 East of Eden, #16 As I Lay Dying: Redux, #17 Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Classic Regency Romance—Now with Ultraviolent Zombie Mayhem!, #18 Breaking Dawn (Audio), #19 A Streetcar Named Desire: 25th Anniversary Edition, #20 The Short Stories: The First Forty-Nine Stories with a Brief Preface by the Author, #21 New British Poetry, #22 Brick Lane, #23 Maps for Lost Lovers, #24 The Silence of the Lambs (Audio): Redux, #25 Pride and Prejudice, #26 Poe: A Life Cut Short, #27 Dark Banquet: Blood and the Curious Lives of Blood-Feeding Creatures, #28 The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obession in the Amazon (Audio), #29 Her Story: A Timeline of the Women Who Changed America, #30 The Bloody White Baron: The Extraordinary Story of the Russian Nobleman Who Became the Last Khan of Russia, #31 Good Book: The Bizarre, Hilarious, Disturbing, Marvelous, and Inspiring Things I Learned When I Read Every Single Word of the Bible (Audio), #32 The Composer is Dead, #33 Shakespeare's Kitchen: Renaissance Recipes for the Contemporary Cook, #34 Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned: Stories, #35 The Ayatollah Begs to Differ: The Paradox of Modern Iran, #36 The Book of Totally Irresponsible Science: 64 Daring Experiments for Young Scientists, #37 The Road

[fremontmama]

#38 Stephanie Pearl-McPhee Casts Off: The Yarn Harlot's Guide to the Land of Knitting

Another fun one by the Yarn Harlot. She is funny. Just a series of funny little bits of knitting opinion, observation and trivia etc. Would probably be a good gift for a knitter.

[Fiestabeth]

Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer

Not too impressed. I felt like the book could have been a third of the length that it was. It was a ton of build-up and then somewhat anti-climactic. I'll still read Breaking Dawn just to see what happens, though.

[NewCrunchyDaddy]

#38 Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
by Judi Barrett
illustrated by Ron Barrett

My review can be found HERE


#39 How to Draw Washington's Sights and Symbols
by Aileen Weintraub

My review can be found HERE


#40 My Hippie Grandmother
by Reeve Lindbergh
illustrated by Abby Carter

My review can be found HERE


#1 The King in Yellow, #2 Ghost Story, #3 Twilight (Audio), #4 Nice Work, #5 The Poetry of Robert Frost: The Collected Poems, Complete and Unabridged, #6 Collected Poems 1909-1962 (T.S. Eliot), #7 New Moon (Audio), #8 Selected Poems (William Carlos Williams), #9 The Pearl, #10 The Blackwater Lightship, #11 100 Selected Poems (e.e. cummings), #12 The Grapes of Wrath, #13 Eclipse (Audio), #14 A Bit on the Side, #15 East of Eden, #16 As I Lay Dying: Redux, #17 Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Classic Regency Romance—Now with Ultraviolent Zombie Mayhem!, #18 Breaking Dawn (Audio), #19 A Streetcar Named Desire: 25th Anniversary Edition, #20 The Short Stories: The First Forty-Nine Stories with a Brief Preface by the Author, #21 New British Poetry, #22 Brick Lane, #23 Maps for Lost Lovers, #24 The Silence of the Lambs (Audio): Redux, #25 Pride and Prejudice, #26 Poe: A Life Cut Short, #27 Dark Banquet: Blood and the Curious Lives of Blood-Feeding Creatures, #28 The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obession in the Amazon (Audio), #29 Her Story: A Timeline of the Women Who Changed America, #30 The Bloody White Baron: The Extraordinary Story of the Russian Nobleman Who Became the Last Khan of Russia, #31 Good Book: The Bizarre, Hilarious, Disturbing, Marvelous, and Inspiring Things I Learned When I Read Every Single Word of the Bible (Audio), #32 The Composer is Dead, #33 Shakespeare's Kitchen: Renaissance Recipes for the Contemporary Cook, #34 Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned: Stories, #35 The Ayatollah Begs to Differ: The Paradox of Modern Iran, #36 The Book of Totally Irresponsible Science: 64 Daring Experiments for Young Scientists, #37 The Road, #38 Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, #39 How to Draw Washington's Sights and Symbols, #40 My Hippie Grandmother