October 2009 Book Challenge

[NewCrunchyDaddy]

I don't know if you are anything like me, but if you are, you are glad to see the backside of Summer as it heads out the door, and are ready to welcome Autumn with open arms. Fall has hit us full force now where I am in the beautiful PNW, and it has made me want to curl up with a good book mroe than ever, but I can't ... I'm a grad student teaching English 101. No such thing as my own time, any more ... though I do manage to sneak it in every so often.

So, as the days get shorter and shorter, the nights crisper and the leaves start to turn and fall from the trees, won't you join me in sharing your Autumn reads?

Or is that too cheesy?

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, allons-y and a happy reading October 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
June's Thread can be found HERE
July's Thread can be found HERE
August's Thread can be found HERE
September's Thread can be found HERE

[Jenifer76]

1. Sweet Love by Sarah Stohmeyer

Like other well-meaning mothers, Julie Mueller’'s believed she did the right thing when she secretly ended her teenage daughter’s crush on Michael Slayton, a wild older neighborhood heartthrob with a penchant for Shakespeare and the pedigree of trailer trash.

Twenty years later, Betty Mueller has come to realize that was a big mistake. Her daughter Julie – divorced and raising a teenage daughter alone –is a workaholic obsessed with her career. And Michael, the one man who could make her happy, is the one man to whom she won’t speak.

Now dying and determined to make amends, Betty stages her last great feat of motherhood by reuniting the couple in a dessert class where she hopes the sweetness of a chocolate almond Torta Caprese will erase the bitterness of a wretched misunderstanding.

I found this book to be very confusing -- plots and characters seemed to jump all around. Perhaps its just a reflection on life being is confusing. Perhaps its a case of an author trying to put too much in one novel.

[kofduke]

Unconditional Parenting, Kohn

Kohn expands upon the theme of what's wrong with our society's emphasis on punishments and rewards. Kohn, the father of young children, sprinkles his text with anecdotes that shore up his well-researched hypothesis that children do best with unconditional love, respect and the opportunity to make their own choices. Kohn questions why parents and parenting literature focus on compliance and quick fixes, and points out that docility and short-term obedience are not what most parents desire of their children in the long run.

Sepulchre, Mosse

I listened to this on audio and really enjoyed it. The book entertwines the story of Leonie Vernier, a young lady from the 1890's, with that of a contemporary American, Meredith Martin. Leonie is invited to visit her aunt at the Domain de la cade, in the middle of france. She discovers that the domaine has legends of a demon associated with the place; and that a deck of tarot cards is reported to summon it. Her investigations into the supernatural make her unaware of a more human threat stalking her beloved brother.

Meredith comes to the domaine 100 years later, researching the history of Debussy. In her research she hopes to uncover some of her family history, especially perhaps why her beautiful young mother committed suicide as a young woman. She meets Hal, a young englishman, and becomes herself interested in the tarot deck of Leonie's.

#1 Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker, #2 Moosewood Restaurant New Classics, #3 Autobiography of God, #4 The Ghost Orchid, #5 The Poe Shadow, #6 Knit One Kill Two, #7 Citizen Girl, #8 The Fourth Bear, #9 The Third Secret, #10 Change of Heart, #11 Guardian Angels, #12 The Gore, #13 The Undomestic Goddess, #14 From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil T. Frankweiler, #15 Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, #16 Blood Memory, #17 A Thousand Splendid Suns, #18 Then we Came to the End, #19 - Feed, #20 - Paper Towns, #21 - The Sparrow, #22 - Swim, Bike, Run, #23 Field Notes from a Catastrophe, #24 Pillars of the Earth, #25 The Geographer's Library, #26 Lady Killer, #27 Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, #28 The Abstinence Teacher, #29 Under the Banner of Heaven, #30 Duma Key, #31 The Portrait, #32 Dirty Blonde, #33 Death Gets a Time-Out, #34 Kiln People, #35 Baudolino, #36 Memories of my Melancholy Whores, #37 Sculpting Her Body Perfect,#38 Property Of, #39 A Brief History of the Dead, #40 Jane Austen in Scarsdale, #41 The Known World, #42 Disarming the Playground, #43 Little Bee, #44 The Sustainability Revolution, #45 Darling Jim, #46 Not Buying It, #47 Snow Crash, #48 What I talk about when I talk about running, #49 Needled to Death, #50 Unconditional Parenting, #51 Sepulchre, #52 Season of the Witch, #53 Seven Types of Ambiguity, #54 Poe Audio Collection, #55 There is No Me Without You

[fremontmama]

Oh, I can't wait to read Sepulchre, I loved Labyrinth by her. My parents and my younger sisters were in Carcassone over the summer, and my stepmom was reading Labyrinth while there. Said it was fun to be there while in the story

[kangamitroo]

on my nightstand for october:
The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant and Leo Africanus by Amin Maalouf, both recommendations from the "take me to the middle ages/renaissance" thread.

[cathe]

Well, I decided I was too stressed this week to try to wade through this other difficult book I'm supposed to review so I picked up Shopoholic and Sister and it was the perfect read for me right now. Fun, silly, light -- everything a stressed out mind needs.

My writers' conference starts today!!! I just picked up the keynoter Christian Moerk (Darling Jim author) from the airport last night . . . Lots of last minute emergencies but hopefully everything will go smoothly. Talk to you guys next week when it's over.

[mammastar2]

#58 - The Secret of Platform 13 by Eva Ibbotson

My kidlet said I 'had' to read this! It was a fun British fantasy read, I'd say for ages 7-11 or so. Apparently there's been a lot of talk about Harry Potter having basically cribbed many of the elements of the Ibbotson book. You can totally see it, but I've always felt Harry Potter is derivative of a number of British children's fantasy books (and in many cases not as good). This one isn't as good as, say, The Dark is Rising, but it's enjoyable.

[fremontmama]

Originally Posted by cathe

Well, I decided I was too stressed this week to try to wade through this other difficult book I'm supposed to review so I picked up Shopoholic and Sister and it was the perfect read for me right now. Fun, silly, light -- everything a stressed out mind needs.

My writers' conference starts today!!! I just picked up the keynoter Christian Moerk (Darling Jim author) from the airport last night . . . Lots of last minute emergencies but hopefully everything will go smoothly. Talk to you guys next week when it's over.

Have fun! And good luck with everything

Originally Posted by mammastar2

#58 - The Secret of Platform 13 by Eva Ibbotson

My kidlet said I 'had' to read this! It was a fun British fantasy read, I'd say for ages 7-11 or so. Apparently there's been a lot of talk about Harry Potter having basically cribbed many of the elements of the Ibbotson book. You can totally see it, but I've always felt Harry Potter is derivative of a number of British children's fantasy books (and in many cases not as good). This one isn't as good as, say, The Dark is Rising, but it's enjoyable.

Oh interesting, I didn't know that. That piques my curiosity.

[kaliki_kila]

Originally Posted by mammastar2

#58 - The Secret of Platform 13 by Eva Ibbotson

My kidlet said I 'had' to read this! It was a fun British fantasy read, I'd say for ages 7-11 or so. Apparently there's been a lot of talk about Harry Potter having basically cribbed many of the elements of the Ibbotson book. You can totally see it, but I've always felt Harry Potter is derivative of a number of British children's fantasy books (and in many cases not as good). This one isn't as good as, say, The Dark is Rising, but it's enjoyable.

Originally Posted by fremontmama

Oh interesting, I didn't know that. That piques my curiosity.

Me too!

Revenge of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz
Loved it.

[kbond]

I've been religiously reading everyone else's posts but haven't had time to do one of my own for a while. I'm doing a clinic this term and have been really busy almost looking like a real attorney.

Anywho, the books!

#69 Turn Coat (Dresden Files #11) by Jim Butcher
Well, I really like this series so as usual, I thought this book was good. I was a tad bit disappointed by the bad guy reveal because it seemed a little too simple and easy. But, still, good, escape reading.

#70 The Thorn Queen (Dark Swan #2) by Richelle Mead
In a rare move, I think that this, the SECOND book, was better than the first despite the very icky thing that happens towards the end.


#71 Hungry Monkey: A Food-Loving Father's Quest to Raise an Adventurous Eater by Matthew Amster-Burton
I have a loose connection to the family in this book. (Went to college and was friends with his sister-in-law.) And, I adore his blog. The book was usually funny and had some good stuff in it, but it didn't hang together very well. I think it needed some tighter editing to make it flow better.


#72 Open: Love, Sex, and Life in an Open Marriage by Jenny Block
Another book that could have benefited from editing. Whole swaths of this book did not flow very well, and it got very repetitive at points. I think she had a good essay or maybe novella idea, and then, she tried to turn it into a novel with uneven results.

#73 One Big Happy Family: 18 Writers Talk About Polyamory, Open Adoption, Mixed Marriage, Househusbandry, Single Motherhood, and Other Realities of Modern Love edited by Rebecca Walker
This was a joy to read. All of the essays were well-written and edited! Jenny Block's bit on open marriage in this book was so much better than her book that I'm sorry I read this second. All of the essays gave me a lot of food for thought as well. I'm actually planning on purchasing this book as soon as it comes out in paperback 'cause I know that I want to re-read it.

#74 The Promised World: A Novel by Lisa Tucker
This novel was enjoyable. Not deep literature, but enjoyable.

#75 Vanished (Greywalker #4) by Kat Richardson
And, I can't believe that I have to wait another year for the next installment. This one definitely ends on a cliff-hanger.

[Jenifer76]

2. A Little Trouble With the Facts by Nina Siegal

Valerie Vane was an up-and-coming lifestyle reporter at a prominent New York City daily. Then she stumbled, rather publicly, and lost it all—her column, her fiancé, her access behind the city's velvet ropes. Now she's on the obituary desk writing death notices, and it feels like a dead end.

However, when she writes about a recently deceased once-famous graffiti artist, the phone calls start. A mysterious voice on the other end of the line tells her the artist's death was a murder—and if she were a real reporter, she'd investigate.

I found the main character's voice to be a little contrived. The book got a little stale about midway through.

[cathe]

The writers' conference is over -- great year, great presenters. Christian Moerk, author of Darling Jim, was an amazing keynoter. If you ever have a chance to hear him speak/read, don't miss it!

[cathe]

New World Monkeys by Nancy Mauro

I picked this book to review because it had gotten such rave reviews, however I found it a bit slow . . . not sure if it was me mindset last week with all of the conference stuff going on or what so I'll be interested to hear from anyone else who reads it. However, the writing is AMAZING. So here's the review I wrote on amazon:

Duncan and Lily, leave Manhattan to spend the summer in a small rural town in their recently inherited Victorian home. On the drive over, they hit a boar who runs in front of their car and it is so injured that they must kill it to put it out of its misery. They later find out, it was the beloved pet of one of locals and the town mascot. As they try to hide what happened another mystery arises when they discover a body has been buried in their yard. Add to this a marriage in trouble, a town pervert, and the cutthroat ad agency where Duncan works.

All of these elements together sound like quite a page turner -- however, for me, it was a rather slow book. In fact it was until the last hundred pages that things really started getting exciting. So why did I stick with this book? The WRITING! This is the freshest, most original writing I've ever read. There are no cliches -- though I bet many of her original descriptions will be copied from this book. Like this one "Words are a tangle of bicycle locks in her mouth."

To sum up, if you want an quick, easy read, this is probably not for you--but if you want to read some really great writing go for this book.

[panamama]

i haven't follwed/posted in the book challenge threads for a couple months b/c summer got too crazy and i lost track, but i just had to come here and say that i was actually @ the SEATTLE LIBRARY BOOK SALE a couple of weeks ago and it was AWESOME!!! i remember NCD and a couple of other posters mentioning it several times, and could not believe the coincidence that i was actually there on a trip the very same weekend of the sale. my first time to seattle too (beautiful!). i bought so many books we had to mail them home. great deals, great books.

[NewCrunchyDaddy]

Originally Posted by panamama

i haven't follwed/posted in the book challenge threads for a couple months b/c summer got too crazy and i lost track, but i just had to come here and say that i was actually @ the SEATTLE LIBRARY BOOK SALE a couple of weeks ago and it was AWESOME!!! i remember NCD and a couple of other posters mentioning it several times, and could not believe the coincidence that i was actually there on a trip the very same weekend of the sale. my first time to seattle too (beautiful!). i bought so many books we had to mail them home. great deals, great books.

Sweet!

[fremontmama]

Originally Posted by kbond

#71 Hungry Monkey: A Food-Loving Father's Quest to Raise an Adventurous Eater by Matthew Amster-Burton
I have a loose connection to the family in this book. (Went to college and was friends with his sister-in-law.) And, I adore his blog. The book was usually funny and had some good stuff in it, but it didn't hang together very well. I think it needed some tighter editing to make it flow better.

Catchy title Sounds interesting enough to request from the library

Originally Posted by cathe

The writers' conference is over -- great year, great presenters. Christian Moerk, author of Darling Jim, was an amazing keynoter. If you ever have a chance to hear him speak/read, don't miss it!

I keep thinking Darling Jim is the same book as My Jim for some reason. I'll have to check out Darling Jim just to start differentiating it in my mind I think!

Also, yes the New World Monkeys does sound like it should be a page turner! What a plot!

Originally Posted by panamama

i haven't follwed/posted in the book challenge threads for a couple months b/c summer got too crazy and i lost track, but i just had to come here and say that i was actually @ the SEATTLE LIBRARY BOOK SALE a couple of weeks ago and it was AWESOME!!! i remember NCD and a couple of other posters mentioning it several times, and could not believe the coincidence that i was actually there on a trip the very same weekend of the sale. my first time to seattle too (beautiful!). i bought so many books we had to mail them home. great deals, great books.

That book sale does rock doesn't it? I haven't been going b/c we just don't have enough room in our house for more books And I have no willpower, I always end up with a huge pile when I go to the sale. Especially on Sunday when everything is under a $1

[NewCrunchyDaddy]

Originally Posted by fremontmama

That book sale does rock doesn't it? I haven't been going b/c we just don't have enough room in our house for more books And I have no willpower, I always end up with a huge pile when I go to the sale. Especially on Sunday when everything is under a $1

I'm glad I didn't know it was happening because I probably would have dragged everyone down from Bellingham and spent money that we don't have on books that we don't have room for.

[Jenifer76]

Girl Most Likely To by Poonam Sharma

With meticulous career planning and a couple of dirty martinis, there is very little that New York City investment banker Vina Chopra can't do. And now that sh's decided to get serious about if nding her mate, there is very little that Vina won't try—even if it means letting her parents get involved. After all, what does she have to lose? Amid a series of dates with 'the nice Indian doctor' and an office scandal that could permanently end her career, Vina starts to question everything she's been working for.

Blah blah blah typical chick lit with the Indian-American twist of "my parents want me to marry a nice Indian doctor before I turn 30". Not a bad read but nothing earth shattering or particularly thought provoking.

[Bufomander]

Originally Posted by cathe

The writers' conference is over -- great year, great presenters. Christian Moerk, author of Darling Jim, was an amazing keynoter. If you ever have a chance to hear him speak/read, don't miss it!

Yippee! I'm glad it went well!

#107 A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle
book club book for october. fun to read aloud to my family, much more enjoyable than simply reading through it myself.

#108 Waiting for Columbus by Thomas Trofimuk
not as absorbing as i thought it would be. interesting premise -- a man is brought to an insane asylum because he was found washed up on shore near the Strait of Gibralter and says he is Christopher Columbus. a nurse begins to develop a friendship with him.

#109 The Day the Falls Stood Still by Cathy Marie Buchanan
this was just reviewed last month. It was interesting to think about what Niagara Falls used to be like -- I've never been there and I think if I ever go, this book will definitely be in my head. I also often find the separation of social classes an interesting thing to think about.

[kangamitroo]

Taking Back Islam: American Muslims reclaim their faith
this is a collection of essays put out by Rodale and Beliefnet, edited by Michael Wolfe of the latter. the essays cover several areas of Islam that are often misunderstood or poorly conveyed by the media (e.g. violence in Islam, pluralism, the role/view of women). there is a good description here. this is a highly readable introduction to these topics. you don't have to be a compulsive reader of books on Islam (or, as dh says of me, "obsessed") to enjoy it.