April Book Challenge

[cathe]

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 for how many books you want to read in 2011 ... or not 5) Have fun with books (This one, unfortunately, is MANDATORY) Happy reading everyone!

[cathe]

The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party by Alexander McCall Smith

The newest installment in the No. 1 Ladies Dectective Club Series . . . . pretty much the usual--enjoyable enough.

[cathe]

What Every Girl Except Me Knows by Nora Leigh Baskin

This was a great coming-of-age book about 12-year-old Gabby who has grown up without a mother and desperately wants one so she can know what all the other girls at school know. She seems to always say, do, and wear the wrong thing. This is a great story of friendship and growing up. Highly recommended for 5th grade and up,

[raksmama]

Dreaming in Cuban by Cristina Garcia

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/g/cristina-garcia/dreaming-in-cuban.htm

What a delight to not only find an author who I have never read before, but also discover that she has many more books for me to read! I can’t believe I  never read her works before! I feel like I uncovered a treasure chest! A rich lush story that was so captivating that once I finished it, I immediately reread it. And the best part, I read it while on vacation in Cuba.

The story follows the lives of 4 women; the grandmother who still lives in Cuba and believes in the revolution, her 2 daughters, one who stays in Cuba and involved in the Santera religion, the other who moved to New York, as well as her granddaughter who is a rebellious teenager into abstract painting and punk rock.

Although I enjoy many genre of literature, and the past 2 years I’ve discovered contemporary fantasy, Magical Realism is still and will always be my favourite.

Edited by raksmama - 4/5/11 at 10:38am

[kofduke]

Fablehaven, Mull

For centuries mystical creatures of all description were gathered into a hidden refuge called Fablehaven to prevent their extinction. The sanctuary survives today as one of the last strongholds of true magic. Enchanting? Absolutely. Exciting? You bet. Safe? Well, actually, quite the opposite.

Kendra and her brother, Seth, have no idea that their grandfather is the current caretaker of Fablehaven. Inside the gated woods, ancient laws keep relative order among greedy trolls, mischievous satyrs, plotting witches, spiteful imps, and jealous fairies. However, when the rules get broken -- Seth is a bit too curious and reckless for his own good -- powerful forces of evil are unleashed, and Kendra and her brother face the greatest challenge of their lives. To save their family, Fablehaven, and perhaps even the world, Kendra and Seth must find the courage to do what they fear most.

Great first book in the series!

[fremontmama]

Holy Mackerel!  April!!!!!!  I can't believe it's April already. 

I have a bunch of books to post, but super busy at the office today.  I'll come back soon :D

[kangamitroo]

Originally Posted by jalilah 

Dreaming in Cuban by Cristina Garcia

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/g/cristina-garcia/dreaming-in-cuban.htm

What a delight to not only find an author who I have never read before, but also discover that she has many more books for me to read! I can’t believe I  never read her works before! I feel like I uncovered a treasure chest! A rich lush story that was so captivating that once I finished it, I immediately reread it. And the best part, I read it while on vacation in Cuba.

i'm glad you found this one—definitely a favorite of mine.  i really enjoy stories of immigrants (or the children of immigrants), living with one foot in one home/culture and the other foot in another place.  & i'm envious of your travel to Cuba!  i hope it was enjoyable.

[zebra15]

January

1. Only Son - Kevin O'Brien

2. Planning To Live - Heather Wardell

3. The 7 Wonders That Will Change Your Life - Glenn Beck/ Keith Ablow

4. Life, Love and a Polar Bear Tatoo - Heather Wardell

5. Carved In Bone - Jefferson Bass

February

6. Thirteen Reasons Why- Jay Asher 

7. The Abstinence Teacher- Tom Perrotta

8. One Fine Day Your're Gonna Die- Gail Bowen  (90 pgs)

9. Term Limits - Vince Flynn

10. Scars - Cheryl Rainfield 

March

11. After- Amy Efaw

12. Hold Still- Nina LaCour

13. Pretty Little Things-Jilliane Hoffman 

14. Happen Every Day- Isabel Gilles

15. School Days- Robert B. Parker 

April

16.

Just posting so I dont get lost.

Reading about 5 books now... hope I finish them sometimg. AND the 'sisterhood of the traveling pants' 3 set was $1 at the library today. Books look brand new. spines aren't even cracked.  Just add those to me 'to be read' pile  LOL

[kofduke]

Horns, Hill

Quote:

 a dark, funny exploration of love, grief, and the nature of good and evil. Ignatius William Perrish wakes up bleary and confused after a night of drinking and "doing terrible things" to find he has grown horns. In addition to being horribly unsightly, these inflamed protuberances give Ig an equally ugly power--if he thinks hard enough, he can make people admit things (intimate, embarrassing, I-can't-believe-you-just-said-that details). This bizarre affliction is of particular use to Ig, who is still grieving over the murder of his childhood sweetheart (a grisly act the entire town, including his family, believes he committed). Horns is a wickedly fun read, and reveals Hill's uncanny knack for creating alluring characters and a riveting plot. Ig's attempts to track down the killer result in hilariously inappropriate admissions from the community, heartbreaking confessions from his own family, and of course, one hell of a showdown.

[cathe]

Purple Daze by Sherry Shahan

YA novel written in verse about a group of teens in the year 1965. It's a mixture of history and novel; letters and journal entries, etc. Especially memorable for me were the letters from Phil who is in Vietnam (in the war)--which was based on actual letters from a friend of the author from when he was in Vietnam. Great read for both teens and adults--would be nicely paired with the book Countdown.

[raksmama]

The Aguero Sisters by Cristina Garcia

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/g/cristina-garcia/aguero-sisters.htm

Like her first novel Dreaming in Cuban, the Aguero Sisters also follows the lives of various Cubans; 2 sisters, one living in New York and Miami the other who is still in Cuba and their father, a scientist pre-revolution Cuba. I liked it slightly less than Dreaming in Cuba just because I did not love the characters  as much, but I still would highly recommend it.

[cathe]

The Night Season by Chelsea Cain

Another well-written thriller featuring Detective Archie Sheridan. This one was way less gory than the others--more of a mystery book--which was actually kind of nice. 

[fremontmama]

Thanks Cathe, for starting all the monthly threads

Have a big ol' list of books to post, can't remember what number any of these are though.  Oh well

#13 Viral Loop: From Facebook to Twitter, by Adam Penenberg

Reading for work.  Pretty interesting, just covers how and why certain things spread virally, like jokes, businesses, technology, websites, etc. 

#14 Facebook Marketing: An Hour a Day by Chris Treadaway

Also for work, has some good info in it.

#15 Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Reading with my daughter.  I figure if it's over 150pgs, I can count it.  This one took over a month of sporadic bedtime reading sessions.  A lovable classic.

#16 Untechnical Writing by Michael Bremer

Also for work, good basic info on technical writing.

#17 Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

Very good book that covers a tragic subject from a present day fictionalized account and also a historical character's perspective.  It's about a roundup of Jewish families that lived in Paris and were rounded up by the French Police, ordered to by the Nazis, and sent to a local stadium before shipped off to concentration camps.  Lots of tears, but very compelling story.

#18 Facebook Marketing for Dummies by Paul Dunay

Also for work, good info.

#19 The Social Media Marketing Book by Dan Zarella

For work, good resource.

#20 Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

Um, liked this book until the end, then I was angry at the author.  I won't go into why in case you are going to read it.  It's about a hostage situation in South America with lots of different International diplomats and an opera singer being held hostage by local guerrilla fighters at the local Vice President's palatial home.  The hostage situation drags on for months.....

Just started The Beekeeper's Apprentice and I really like it.  Also trying to finish up another 3 social media books for work.  They're all due back at the library Monday and Tuesday, so I better get on the stick!

Hope y'all had an awesome weekend!

Edited by fremontmama - 4/25/11 at 2:41pm

[kangamitroo]

maybe for me Russian novels belong in the winter?  i just can't get into The Brothers Karamazov.  wanted to but.... nope.

off to scour my lists and make library requests.  something uplifting, maybe even funny, definitely not fluffy.... we'll see.

living vicariously, i'd love any travel memoir/living abroad/pilgrimage suggestions.

happy reading everyone.

[Bufomander]

Originally Posted by fremontmama 

Thanks Cathe, for starting all the monthly threads

Just started The Beekeeper's Apprentice and I really like it.  Also trying to finish up another 3 social media books for work.  They're all due back at the library Monday and Tuesday, so I better get on the stick!

Hope y'all had an awesome weekend!

Beekeeper's Assistant is Mary Russell, yes?  The first one?  I like them a lot.

47. The Hollow Bettle  by Susannah Appelbaum
48. Left Neglected by Lisa Genova

[fremontmama]

Originally Posted by Bufomander 

Beekeeper's Assistant is Mary Russell, yes?  The first one?  I like them a lot.

47. The Hollow Bettle  by Susannah Appelbaum
48. Left Neglected by Lisa Genova

That's right :)  I can't wait to read more of them.  I'm really enjoying it.  Do you know how many there are?

[kofduke]

Fast Food Nation

history of the development of American fast food indicts the industry for some shocking crimes against humanity, including systematically destroying the American diet and landscape, and undermining our values and our economy. The first part of the book details the postwar ascendance of fast food from Southern California, assessing the impact on people in the West in general. The second half looks at the product itself: where it is manufactured (in a handful of enormous factories), what goes into it (chemicals, feces) and who is responsible (monopolistic corporate executives). In harrowing detail, the book explains the process of beef slaughter and confirms almost every urban myth about what in fact "lurks between those sesame seed buns." Given the estimate that the typical American eats three hamburgers and four orders of french fries each week, and one in eight will work for McDonald's in the course of their lives, few are exempt from the insidious impact of fast food. Throughout, Schlosser fires these and a dozen other hair-raising statistical bullets into the heart of the matter.

I really, truly think that there's something wrong with me for wanting a burger while reading this book.  Seriously, I'm an out-of-sight person, and this put it all right out there.  Sigh.

Square Foot Gardening

When he created the "square foot gardening" method, Mel Bartholomew, a retired engineer and efficiency expert, found the solution to the frustrations of most gardeners. His revolutionary system is simple: it's an ingenious planting method based on using square foot blocks of garden space instead of rows. Gardeners build up, not down, so there's no digging and no tilling after the first year. And the method requires less thinning, less weeding, and less watering.

 

Hoping to start my first veggie garden this year, got a bunch of ideas for getting started.

[zebra15]

January

1. Only Son - Kevin O'Brien

2. Planning To Live - Heather Wardell

3. The 7 Wonders That Will Change Your Life - Glenn Beck/ Keith Ablow

4. Life, Love and a Polar Bear Tatoo - Heather Wardell

5. Carved In Bone - Jefferson Bass

February

6. Thirteen Reasons Why- Jay Asher 

7. The Abstinence Teacher- Tom Perrotta

8. One Fine Day Your're Gonna Die- Gail Bowen  (90 pgs)

9. Term Limits - Vince Flynn

10. Scars - Cheryl Rainfield 

March

11. After- Amy Efaw

12. Hold Still- Nina LaCour

13. Pretty Little Things-Jilliane Hoffman 

14. Happen Every Day- Isabel Gilles

15. School Days- Robert B. Parker 

April 

16. I Am Emotional Creature: The Secret Life of Girls Around the World  - Eve Ensler

17. Plea of Insanity- Jilliane Hoffman

18. Unsweetined- Jodie Sweetin

Edited by zebra15 - 4/13/11 at 7:20pm

[cathe]

My Stroke of Insight by Jill Bolte Taylor, Ph.D.

An account of a brain scientist who experiences and recovers from a stroke and how it changed her way of thinking about the brain. Somewhat interesting . . .

[raksmama]

Monkey Hunting by Cristina Garcia

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/g/cristina-garcia/monkey-hunting.htm

Having really loved Garcia’s Dreaming in Cuban, and also enjoyed the Aguero Sisters, I looked forward to this novel. Unfortunately I liked it a lot less. It is interesting. I did not know that many Chinese were brought to Cuba in the 1800s to work in the sugar plantations. This book follows a family from that time period until the 1970s. Because Garcia goes over such a long time period, you  feel like she is skimming over everything quickly, and you never really get to know any of the characters really well.  If you have never read Cristina Garcia’s works before, I would not suggest starting with this book. Dreaming in Cuban is still the best for me, although I have not read her other novels yet.