May 2010 Book Challenge Thread - Page 5

[A&A]

Originally Posted by *bejeweled*

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. A fantastic book about circus life during the Depression era.

I love this book.

[*bejeweled*]

Me too. It has really stuck with me. I especially liked that most of the story takes place on the train.

Quote:
Originally Posted by *bejeweled*
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. A fantastic book about circus life during the Depression era.

Quote:
I love this book.
__________________
"Even in chains, we must complete that circle which the gods have inscribed for us." --Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

[mammastar2]

#28 - The Friendly Young Ladies by Mary Renault

This was interesting! Written in the 1940s - a naive teenager runs away to join her older sister, who left home in a cloud of disgrace ten years before and is now living on a houseboat with her female partner, writing Westerns. There's also a young, arrogant daughter the teenager has a crush on, who has a habit of trying to use his masculine charms to cure women's psychological troubles, as diagnosed by him. Great reading, and some intriguing stuff.

#29 - Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee

I'd never read any Coetzee before. I'm still not sure if I 'liked' this, but it was a compulsive, difficult and thought-provoking read. It centres on a university prof in post-apartheird South Africa, who is forced out of his position after an affair with a student. He goes to stay with his daughter, who owns a small farm, and then rather awful things happen. Couldn't stop thinking about it!

[cathe]

The People of Sparks by Jeanne DuPrau

This the the sequel to The City of Ember which I read a few years ago. In this one, the people of Ember have escaped to the land above ground--which is pretty desolate because of wars and plagues that destroyed most of the land and people. The residents of Sparks try to help the Emberites but they aren't doing all that well themselves and before long, resentment builds on both sides. I found the book enjoyable, though not rave-worthy.

[kaliki_kila]

32. The Maze Runner by James Dashner

A teenage boy wakes up to find himself trapped in a maze with other teenagers and he can't remember anything about his past. They have to work together to find their way out of the maze. I thought it was an interesting read but don't know if I will be reading the sequels.

33. Notes From a Big Country by Bill Bryson

British guy moves to the United States and writes a newspaper column for an English newspaper about our country. This book compiles all those columns together. It was funny in some parts... but I was also irritated that he painted Americans with such a broad stroke and probably people reading his column began to believe all kinds of outlandish things about us - we drive to our neighbor's house, we never go outside, we have no sense of humor, etc.

34. The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen

One of my favorite authors! This is her third book. Her writing style is fiction set in the present-day world, but always with a few magical elements - like the apple tree that throws apples at people in her first book, Garden Spells. I think I liked this book least of the three, but I still really enjoyed it. It's just that it had a lot of elements in it that seemed to be pulled straight out of Twilight.

35. The Silver Sword by Ian Serraillier

Four children separated from their parents during WWII travel across Europe to Switzerland to find their parents. This is based on a true story! It's amazing how they all come out ok in the end, after all the odds being against them.

[triscuitsmom]

I usually update on Sundays but last night I got totally sidetracked...


41-44. The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe; A Horse and His Boy; Prince Caspian; and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis

*I've read these ones before and I loved them once again. I love the characters and the story and I'm glad I read it again

45. Trials of Labour by Brian Burtch

*I found this book hard to read because it was a lot of facts and the writing was stiff at times. However it covers a lot of good information on the history of midwifery within Canada up until the early '90s when the book was written. I read it for school and got a lot out of it for that. As a personal read I probably wouldn't read it again, but I may reference it in the future in assignments.

46. The World Needs Your Kid by Craig Kielburger, Marc Kielburger, and Shelley Page

*Very interesting read full of inspirational stories about kids who've made a difference on a small or large scale to help other kids. Includes lots of information on how to get your own kids involved in their communities and how to encourage them to find what causes they feel drawn to.

47. The Explosive Child by Ross W. Greene, Ph.D.

*WOW I am glad I read this book. My oldest fits into the picture portrayed in this book perfectly. He is chronically inflexible and explosive... and also sweet and amazingly smart and loving. I really loved reading a book that not only gave great insight into the what and why's of living with a child who fits this mold, but also solutions that would fit into gentle discipline. Not just punish them severely and make them understand (which wouldn't work anyway and just leave everyone more upset). It will be read again and again here I have a feeling. My husband is going to read it starting tonight.

48. Labor of Love by Cara Muhlhahn

*The memoir of the midwife that was featured in the documentary The Business of Being Born which I saw and wasn't a 100% fan of. I read this book because it was the reading discussion book for May-June for school. It was an easy read and interesting although there were parts that drove me nuts. All in all not great but I certainly don't regret reading it either.

[Bufomander]

#93 An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
This one was fun. YA. I'm enough of a goof that I like footnotes in fiction books.

Originally Posted by kaliki_kila

[B]

35. The Silver Sword by Ian Serraillier

Four children separated from their parents during WWII travel across Europe to Switzerland to find their parents. This is based on a true story! It's amazing how they all come out ok in the end, after all the odds being against them.

This author was just recommended in another book I was reading. Definitely need to check him out!

[raksmama]

The Serpents Shadow by Mercedes Lackey
I enjoyed it but it won't be my favorite book.

[kaliki_kila]

36. Z for Zachariah by Robert C. O'Brien

A nuclear holocaust seems to have wiped out the rest of the world and a teenage girl lives alone in a green valley that was in a weather pocket protected from the radiation. She makes her living raising livestock, farming, gardening, and living off the supplies stocked at the nearby Amish store. It turned into some kind of psychological thriller halfway through. I was very surprised by this book because it was shelved in Juvenile fiction but it is such a page-turner and has some very adult themes!

[cathe]

How to Steal A Dog by Barbara O'Connor

What a great middle-grade novel -- good for third/fourth grade I'd say -- about a girl who's Dad abandoned the family and she and her little brother and mom have to live in their car. Mom works 2 jobs and is trying to save enough to get an apartment. The girl gets the idea to steal a dog and then return the dog to get the reward money. She does this but it doesn't turn out like she thought. This was so touching and great.

[NewCrunchyDaddy]

Just realized it is the 1st. I'll get the June Thread up by the end of the day.

[Bufomander]

#94 The Journal Keeper: A Memoir by Phyllis Theroux

I'll put this in the May thread though I'm not quite half done with it. I'm finding it very very rich with words and ideas. Journal entries from 2000 - 2005. From the book flap

...Theroux's stride is long and her eyes sharp, and she swings easily between subjects that occupy us all: love, loneliness, growing old, financial worries, spiritual growth, and watching her remarkable mother prepare for death. As Theroux invites us to walk along with her, the path brings new friends, worries, and revelations.

[NewCrunchyDaddy]

June's Thread is here: http://mothering.com/discussions/sho...php?p=15471697