My Best of 2010

By the Numbers:
Middle Grade Fiction: 68
YA Fiction: 60
Graphic Novels: 12
Non-Fiction: 15
Adult Fiction: 27
(Number of those that were fantasy books: 45)
Grand Total: 182

Abandoned: 7
Challenges Completed: 6

And yes, I have to do my awards (you've been waiting for this, haven't you?):

Best Adult Fiction: Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day

Best YA book: Marcelo in the Real World

Best Middle-grade book: Out of My Mind

Best Fantasy: Finnikin of the Rock

Best Sci-Fi/Distopian: Academy 7

Best Graphic Novel Amulet, Book 1: The Stonekeeper and Book 2: The Stonekeeper's Curse

Best Non-Fiction: Open: An Autobiography

Best Romance: A Song for Summer

Best Mystery: The Beekeeper's Apprentice

Best Jacket Flap: Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk


And in other categories...

Books I should have read AGES ago: Eat, Pray, Love; The Picture of Dorian Grey; The Wolves of Willoughby Chase

Favorite Reviews: It's not terribly clever, but I really enjoyed being part of the NerdsHeartYA tournament this year.

Theme(s) that inadvertently manifested themselves: books about the immigrant experience, fantasies that have a historical fiction feel, crazy parents

The Wink-Wink, Nudge-Nudge book: Sugar

Best *swoon* factor: Heist Society, The Demon's Lexicon/The Demon's Covenant

Best Interviewee: Varian Johnson (though Wendy Mass has the squee factor)

Favorite Challenge (that wasn't hosted by Carl): Flashback Challenge: It was fun rereading books this year!

Favorite reread: The Grey King

Woo-hoo, they're back!: Ring of Solomon, The Lost Hero

Books that I wanted the sequel for as soon as I read them: Incarceron, Starcrossed

Best main characters: Augie, TC and Ale (My Most Excellent Year)

Book for in-person book group I liked best: Girl in Hyacinth Blue

Book for on-line book group I liked best: The Elegance of the Hedgehog

Books I finished but didn't feel the love for: Hachiko Waits, I am Morgan le Fey, Countdown, The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance

Number of Shakespeare plays I read: 1 - Much Ado About Nothing (and watched two movie versions of it), and I only saw one (MacBeth, even though the interpretation -- the witches were actually space aliens -- didn't really work for me).

Best Sequel (by an Author Who Didn't Write the Original): Wishing for Tomorrow

Disappointing book by an author I love: The Candymakers (no review, as I chose not to put one up), by Wendy Mass

Books that made me laugh the most: Belly Up; Going Bovine; Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging

Best books with the worst parents: How I Nicky Flynn Get a Life (and a Dog); One Crazy Summer

Best quirky book: The Kneebone Boy

Authors everyone else loves that I discovered I liked: Diana Wynne Jones, Sarah Rees Brennan, Ally Carter

Best book from an author I previously didn't care for: Penny Dreadful by Laurel Snyder; Going Bovine, by Libba Bray; Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris

First-time authors I'd love to see more from: Rob Buyea (Because of Mr. Terupt),

Yay, a local author: Clare Vanderpool (Moon Over Manifest)

Book I read the fastest: Mockingjay

Favorite book from a series: I Shall Wear Midnight, A Conspiracy of Kings

Newbery Books I read: I didn't read a single one this year. Shame on me.

Books that made me want to go out and do something: Confections of a Closet Master Baker (bake, of course); French Milk, Under a Tuscan Sun, Eat, Pray Love (travel); The Cardturner (play bridge); Bamboo People (help the people in Burma)

What are some of your bests this past year?

December Jacket Flap-a-Thon

As the first round of the Cybils is coming to a close, I'm eagerly anticipating the release of the shortlists. (Ours is very interesting, to say the least.) As a teaser, I'm doing an all-Cybils edition of the Jacket Flap-a-thon this month. (That, and it's pretty much all I read!)

Mockingbird (Philomel): "In Caitlin's world, everything is black or white. Things are good or bad. Anything in between is confusing. That's the stuff Caitlin's older brother, Devon, has always explained. But now Devon's dead and Dad is no help at all. Caitlin wants to get over it, but as an eleven-year-old girl with Asperger's, she doesn't know how. When she reads the definition of closure, she realizes that is what she needs. In her search for it, Caitlin discovers that not everything is black and white--the world is full of colors--messy and beautiful. Kathryn Erskine has written a must-read gem, one of the most moving novels of the year."

It's simple, direct, and intriguing, doing everything a jacket flap should do: it makes you want to read the book.

Wildfire Run (HarperCollins): "The president's retreat, Camp David, is one of the safest places in the United States. So why can't the President's son, Luke, and his friends Theo and Callie stay there without Secret Service agents constantly hovering over them, watching their every move? And yet, when an earthquake sets off a raging wildfire, causing a chain reaction that wreaks havoc at Camp David, they are suddenly on their own. Now Luke needs a plan:

• To override the security systems
• To save those who were supposed to save him
• To get through an impassable gate
• To escape Camp David

Debut author Dee Garretson delivers a heart-pounding tween thriller—an action-packed adventure with undeniable suspense."

I like that the jacket flap is as intense as the book. How does he do it? What's the chain reaction? Tell me, please!

Penny Dreadful (Random House): "What if you were really bored with your life? What would you wish for? Penelope Grey wishes for something—anything!—interesting to happen, and here’s what she gets:

• Her father quits his job.
• Her family runs out of money.
• Her home becomes a pit of despair.

So Penelope makes another wish, and this time the Greys inherit a ramshackle old house in the middle of nowhere. Off they go, leaving the city and their problems behind them. Their new home is full of artists, tiny lions, unusual feasts, and true friends. Almost immediately, their lives are transformed. Penelope’s mother finds an unexpected job, her father discovers a hidden talent, and Penelope changes her name! Penny’s new life feels too magical to be real, too real to be magic. And it may be too good to last . . . unless she can find a way to make magic work just one more time—if it even was magic. Any Which Wall author Laurel Snyder introduces a quirky cast of characters as pleasantly strange as they are deeply real. Abigail Halpin adds to the charm with her distinctive line drawings. Fans of Polly Horvath’s My One Hundred Adventures, Ingrid Law’s Savvy, and Jeanne Birdsall’s The Penderwicks will be enchanted by Laurel Snyder’s alternatively humorous and poignant look at small-town life and what it really takes to become a happy family."
I promise that I really didn't copy the flap copy when I mentioned The Penderwicks in my review. Still, it's spot-on, in its book comparisons, and while I think it gives away more than it should (and makes it sound more magical than it is), it's still very good copy.

Other Books Read This Month:
Crunch
Tortilla Sun
Betti on the High Wire
Moon Over Manifest
The Importance of Being Earnest
Joey Fly, Private Eye in Big Hairy Drama
Jellaby
Enola Holmes: The Case of the Gypsy Goodbye
The Ring of Solomon
Because of Mr. Terupt
Emily's Fortune
Happy Birthday, Sophie Hartley
When Molly Was a Harvey Girl
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe
A Short History of Tractors in Ukranian
The Earth, My Butt, and Other Round Things

The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things

by Carolyn Macker
ages: 14+
First sentence: "Froggy Welsh the Fourth is trying to get up my shirt."
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

Virginia Shreves is the black sheep in a perfect family. She's blonde, not brown-haired. She's chubby (well, fat), in a family that not only is tall and skinny, but that values tall, skinny people over short, not-skinny ones. She's not even good at French. She's spent her whole life (all 15 years of it) feeling like she's an outcast, while worshiping her older siblings, especially her brother Byron.

Then, one phone call sets events into motion, events which make Virginia stand up and reassess her relationship with her family, what she wants out of life, and get some chutzpah. It made me, as a reader, want to stand up and cheer: You go girl!

There were two things that ran through my mind while reading this: 1) if I'm ever a mom like her mom, I will shoot myself. Seriously. Sometimes I wonder if I get the best parenting advice by reading about horrid, awful parents. In this case, Virginia's mom only validates her efforts to lose weight. She punishes her, whether consciously or unconsciously, for being fat, and refuses to acknowledge her other -- scholastic and otherwise -- efforts. On top of that, her dad praises and admires skinny women, and only offers to take Virginia shopping for new clothes after she shows some effort at achieving a weight goal. I wanted to smack the parents: this is not the way to raise a healthy girl!

2) It's a great book on how to get out of being a doormat. It was wonderful seeing Virginia wake up and get a spine and discover what she, herself wants and not what she thinks her parents want. Yes, it takes a drastic event to tumble her family enough so that Virginia can see her family for what they are: manipulative and more than willing to push things under the carpet. But without that drastic event, Virginia might have gone through life letting other people push her around. It helps, I think, that Virginia also has a crew of people around her guiding her in healthy directions: her doctor, Dr. Love; a language arts teacher, Ms. Crowley; and her best friend, Shannon. Unfortunately, Shannon is across the country in Walla Walla, Washington with her parents, but she does come through when Virginia needs her most.

It's with their help that Virginia takes charge of her life, her weight, and her desires. And that's enough to make a reader stand up and cheer.

Challenge #6: 2010 Challenge

I squeaked in at the end of the Twenty Ten Challenge as well... I have to stop doing year-long challenges, because I always procrastinate until the end of the year!

Out of these, there were a lot of good books. I completely bombed on the Charity category; more proof that I'm absolutely horrid picking books for myself. As long as I don't do that, I'm okay!

Young Adult
1. Wintergirls, Laurie Halse Anderson
2. Marcelo in the Real World, Francisco X. Stork

T.B.R.
1. I am Morgan Le Fay: A Tale from Camelot, Nancy Springer
2. The English American, Alison Larkin

Shiny & New
1. Scarlett Fever, Maureen Johnson
2. Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins

Bad Bloggers
1. Heist Society, Ally Carter -- bad blogger, Liz B, A Chair, A Fireplace & a Tea Cozy.
2. Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson, Louise Rennison -- bad blogger, Corinne, The Book Nest

Charity
1. Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, by Rebecca Wells
2. A Short History of Tractors in Ukranian, by Marina Lewycka

New in 2010
1. The Girl Who Chased the Moon, Sarah Addison Allen
2. Saving Maddie, Varian Johnson

Older Than You
1. Howards End, E. M. Forester
2. Over Sea, Under Stone, Susan Cooper

Win! Win!
1. A Wrinkle in Time, Madeline L'Engle
2. Fried Green Tomatoes, Fanny Flagg

Who Are You Again?
1. The Street of a Thousand Blossoms, Gail Tsukiyama
2. Dream Factory, Brad Barkley and Heather Helper

Up to You! - I did People of Color
1. Mare's War, Tanita S. Davis
2. Bamboo People, Mitali Perkins

A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian

by Marina Lewycka
ages: adult
First sentence: "Two years after my mother died, my father fell in love with a glamorous blond Ukrainian divorcee."
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

I really wanted to like this book. I'd heard good things about it, or at the very least okayish things. I picked it up at a Friends of the Library sale back in June, I think, and it's been languishing on my TBR pile since then. I just really couldn't get excited by the cover. Or the title. Or the back blurb. In fact, if it hadn't have been one I'd chosen for the 2010 Challenge, I probably would have passed on it altogether.

As it turns out, I'm pretty much passing on it anyway. After one hundred pages, I was still wondering what the point was. I threw a feeler out on Twitter, and SuziQ at Whimpulsive bit: she said it was weird. And I had to agree.

The basic plot: two sisters, daughters of Ukrainian immigrants, are feuding after their mother's death. Then their 84-year-old father falls in love (or lust), with a blond, 36-year-old Ukrainian divorcee (perhaps; I never could quite figure out if she really was) who's using him to gain citizenship to the UK. This, of course, leads to tension between the dad and the daughters, which, interestingly enough, manages, in the end, to bring the family back together. Or, so I gathered.

See, I didn't finish it really. I read the first 100 pages or so, then flitted about a bit, and then read the last 50. And I wasn't impressed. I didn't like the characters, didn't sympathize with them (differing life situations, and I just wasn't interested in their whining and moaning), and I was bored by the book. I have wondered, off and on, if too much YA has spoiled me for adult fiction; the pace was glacially slow; I kept wondering how on earth Lerwycka was going to fill 300 pages. Was there really that much story? I'm not sure there was.

But, obviously, I'm missing something here; it's one of those that was nominated for a Man Booker Prize. And, obviously, I have different expectations from books than those who are on the Man Booker Prize committee.

Can't say I'm too sorry about that.

From My Blog to Yours

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas!

2011 POC Challenge

My place for putting 2011's POC reading list. I'm aiming high: 25 or more books. Wish me luck...

Same Kind of Different as Me, by Ron Hall and Denver Moore
Forge, by Laurie Halse Anderson
Street Magic, by Tamora Pierce
The True Meaning of Smekday, by Adam Rex
King of Bollywood, by Anupama Chopra
India Calling, by Anand Giridharadas
Luv Ya Bunches, by Lauren Myracle
Violet in Bloom, by Lauren Myracle
Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston
Sweet 15, by Emily Adler and Alex Echevarria
Trash, by Andy Mulligan
The Throne of Fire, by Rick Riordan
A Gift From Childhood, by Baba Wague Diakite
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, by Alexander McCall Smith
The Heart of a Samurai, by Margi Preus
8th Grade Superzero, by Olugbemisola Rhuday Perkovich
How Lamar's Bad Prank Won a Bubba-Sized Trophy, by Crystal Allen
The Dressmaker of Khair Khana, by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon
What Momma Left Me, by Renee Watson
Inside Out and Back Again, by Thanhha Lai
Year of the Horse, by Justin Allen
The Demon's Surrender, by Sarah Rees Brennan
The Eternal Smile: Three Stories, by Gene Luen Yang and Derek Kirk Kim
Kendra, by Coe Booth
Zazoo, by Richard Mosher
Latasha and the Little Red Tornado, by Michael Scotto
The Latte Rebellion, by Sarah Jamila Stevenson
The Help, by Kathryn Stockett
Words in the Dust, by Trent Reedy

2010 Challenge #5: POC Challenge

I had a great time with the POC Reading Challenge. And because of the challenge, I was thinking more about choosing books with people of color, and I read more than I think I have in the past. I made it to level 5, with 22 books. I'm going to sign up again for next year's challenge, with the same goal: to reach 25 or more books.

My favorite among these? Probably Marcelo in the Real World. But I also thoroughly enjoyed Marching for Freedom and Shine, Coconut Moon and One Crazy Summer and Bamboo People and Shooting Kabul and... well, you get the point.

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, by Grace Lin
Peace, Locomotion, by Jacqueline Woodson
Shine, Coconut Moon, by Neesha Meminger
Sugar, by Bernice L. McFadden
Marching for Freedom, Elizabeth Partridge
Two Moon Princess, by Carmen Ferrerio-Esteban
Skunk Girl, by Sheba Karim
The Prince of Fenway Park, by Julianna Baggot
A Step from Heaven, by An Na
Mare's War, by Tanita S. Davis
Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice, by Phillip Hoose
Girl in Translation, by Jean Kwok
Marcelo in the Real World, by Francisco X. Stork
The Red Umbrella, by Christina Diaz Gonzales
One Crazy Summer, by Rita Williams-Garcia
Zora and Me, by Victoria Bond and T. R. Simon
Bamboo People, by Mitali Perkins
The Lost Hero, by Rick Riordan
Shooting Kabul, by N. H. Senzai
Out of My Mind, by Sharon Draper
Tortilla Sun, by Jennifer Cervantes

I also never thanked Ari for sending the prize I won: a copy of Good Fortune, by Noni Carter. I'm looking forward to reading it and counting it towards next year's challenge!

2010 Challenge #4: GLBT Challenge

So, just under the wire, I finished the GLBT Challenge. I managed to finish the Lambda leve, which is what I was aiming for. But, I almost made it to the Pink Triangle, reading three extra books. I think out of this list, though, my favorite was My Most Excellent Year, with Dorian Gray coming close behind. I'm glad I did this!

My final list:

1. Howards End, E.M. Forester
2. The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde
3. My Most Excellent Year: A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins & Fenway Park, Steve Kluger
4. Fried Green Tomatoes, Fanny Flagg
5. As You Wish, Jackson Pearce
6. Will Grayson, Will Grayson, David Levithan and John Green
7. The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde

Thanks for hosting, Amanda!

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe

by Fannie Flagg
ages: adult
First sentence: "The Whistle Stop Cafe opened up last week, right next door to me at the post office, and owners Idgie Threadgoode and Ruth Jamison said business has been good ever since."
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

I don't quite know where to start. Perhaps I should say that I saw the movie years and years ago, and while I liked it, I'm not sure it really stuck with me.

But when Cass said the book was one of her favorites, I figured I needed to give the story a second look. And I'm glad I did.

It's not a book for 20-somethings, though the mystery underlying the vignettes might have some appeal. But that's not what I got out of the story. In fact, I had a hard time picking out much of a story at all. That's not to say I didn't enjoy it. I did. But, it took me a while to realize that the book is a kind of fictionalized oral history. Once I accepted that, then I found I was able to enjoy the book more, taking the stories for what they were: reminiscences of a full life.

That I loved the characters helped as well. I looked as forward to visits with Mrs. Threadgoode as much as Evelyn did. I loved hearing about Whistle Stop, about all the characters -- even with all the 1930s area Southern racism -- and their antics. It's a cozy book and a welcoming, homey one, too, one that makes you feel like you are a part of the community. It shows both the positives of small towns (how everyone bonds together in a crisis, the support systems, the community building) and the negatives (nosiness, lack of privacy, prejudice). It doesn't sugarcoat anything, which, in turn, makes everything resonate more.

And then there's Evelyn. Ah, the quintessential doormat middle-aged wife and mother. I think I enjoyed her "awakening" most of all. Firstly, because it came through the stories. And secondly, because I think she needed it. To find fire and want and to stop being so dang selfless all the time. Sometimes, it's okay to do something for yourself, and to be angry at the injustice in the world.

It's a wonderful book and I'm glad I had a chance to visit with it.

A Bloggy Thank You

I love this time of year. Partially because I love giving (and getting) presents. And one of the few places I trust to give me books I'll like is the book blogger holiday swap, which is why I do this every year.

I got my package in the mail yesterday (squee!) and since it wasn't wrapped, I thought I'd throw out a thank you before Christmas to Amy at The House of the Seven Tails for the lovely present she sent.



I can't wait to read it! (And the penguin bookmark is very cute!)

Thank you!!!

When Molly Was a Harvey Girl

by Frances M. Wood
ages: 11+
First sentence: "By late summer, Molly could always smell the corn growing."
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Review copy sent to me by the publisher.

When I first picked up this book, I wasn't quite sure about it. It's an interesting premise: a couple of sisters, orphaned by their recently deceased father, decide that there is more opportunities for them out west than in Streator, Illinois. Actually, it's the older sister, Colleen, 19, who decides that. She signs up to be a Harvey Girl -- young women who worked the restaurants at the train depots on the Atchinson, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway -- and drags her younger sister Molly, 13, along. The problem is Molly isn't old enough to be a Harvey Girl, so (because she's tall for her age), they pass her off to be 18.

I thought to myself: this can't be a middle grade book. Really. A 13-year-old passing for an 18-year-old? But, you know, it worked. And it worked for middle grade readers (and up; I could see a teen liking this book, especially a history buff). There's so much to enjoy about the book. Mostly set in New Mexico, Wood writes with an affection for the landscape and the time period. It's a rich book, with many layers: there's the initial deception that the sisters pull off and all that entails, sure. But it also touches on race relations, the hunt for marriageable spouses at that time period, envy and jealousy and contention among the girls, and most of all, the hard work it took to be a Harvey Girl.

And then there was the food. It made my mouth water, the descriptions of the dishes that the Creole chef Gaston created. Heavenly stuff.

There's so much going on, it would seem weighted down. But, Wood remembers her audience (but doesn't talk down to them!), and keeps Molly grounded in the story. She's a great character to follow, and while the book does take a while to get started going, it's really worth the time put in. An excellent read.

(Just for the record: because this is a Cybils nominee, I've been asked to make sure y'all know this is my opinion only, and not that of the panel.)

Two Dynamic Girls

Emily's Fortune
by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
ages: 8+
First sentence: "When eight-year-old Emily found herself alone in the world, she didn't have much: a few dresses, a couple of books, and a small green turtle named Rufus."
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

Emily, who was perfectly happy living with her mother until the day she died in a freak carriage accident, is now an orphan. She has no idea what to do until a letter arrives from her distant Aunt Hilda, who is willing to take her in. However, that means two things: 1) Emily has to get there first. By herself. Which means avoiding the "child catchers": the people who want to take her and put her in an orphanage. And 2) her mean old Uncle Victor is going to everything he can to stop that from happening. Mostly because, as it turns out, Emily inherited a very large fortune.

It's a rollicking adventure, somewhat in the style of Lemony Snickett (except with a happy ending). Uncle Victor makes a great bad guy, channeling Snidely Wiplash as he poses and attempts to get Emily (and her fortune). Naylor captures the style of old fashioned serials perfectly, by ending each chapter with a HUGE (literally) question. That particular gimmick drove me bonkers after a bit, but I can see how it would really tickle a beginning chapter book reader.

In all, a fun little book.

Happy Birthday Sophie Hartley
by Stephanie Greene
ages: 9+
First sentence: "On the whole, Sophie felt that the conversation about her birthday present had gone very well."
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

It's almost Sophie's double-digit birthday. It's a very important birthday, because you only go from single to double digits once in your life. And all she wants is a baby gorilla. Really. Shouldn't be too hard, should it.

Well, except her family is crazy: her two older siblings are in the middle of their own dramas: sixteen-year-old Thad wants a car for his birthday, the week after Sophie; and 14-year-old Nora wants to move out of the room she and Sophie have shared for forever and into the attic. Plus she's into boys. Ew.

That, and one of Sophie's BFF is more into lacrosse than anything else, and maybe, just maybe that's changing their friendship. The more Sophie thinks about it, the less she's sure about this whole growing up thing.

It's a sweet little story, one that deals with change and siblings and expectations and friendships, and does it with humor and creativity. Sophie's a great character: full of life and color and excitement. And the fact that everything works out in the end is just a wonderful bonus. This is the third in the series, and if the other two are as good as this one, then it's a great little series for early middle grade readers.

(Just for the record: because these are Cybils nominees, I've been asked to make sure y'all know this is my opinion only, and not that of the panel.)

Penny Dreadful

by Laurel Snyder
ages: 10+
First sentence: "Penelope Grey knew she was lucky."
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

Charming.

I really don't know if I was expecting anything different from this. It's got the look of something that would be charming. And from the very first sentence, I knew I was going to like Penny.

Penelope Grey is the only daughter of The Greys: rich, well-connected, busy (you know the type: Dad always gone to work, Mom always gone to some society event or another). She's home alone with the staff, schooled by tutors. Her friends are social climbers. The only thing Penelope really has in her life are her books. And her life is nothing like those in her books. One day, she decides, almost on a whim, that what she needs is a Big Change, like those in books. So, she wishes. And her dad quits his job. Unfortunately, that makes life worse, not better. So, Penelope wishes again, and her family inherits a house in the country. They move there, and while there are still challenges, Penelope -- now Penny, because it seems to fit better -- finds that happily ever after doesn't necessarily mean perfect. And that's just fine.

See? Charming.

It has much of the same feel as The Penderwicks: old-fashioned and modern all at the same time. It espouses many of the same ideals: that kids need a place to run, that living in a small town, knowing all of ones neighbors, and having friends and exploring with them is so much better than having money and all the stuff that comes along with it. It's a humble little book: there isn't much of a plot (just enough to carry the story), and while there's conflict, it's really a character-driven book. But it works, and it works well because Penny is so earnest, so sweet and so winning. And because Snyder's writing is that perfect balance between elegant and accessible. It flows effortlessly off the page, engaging the reader, and making us want to get to know Penny and experience things with her. However, it is also a bookish book: Penny finds questions and answers and hope in the pages of her books, which helped endear her to me, particularly. Of course.

Wonderfully, perfectly charming.

(And as for all the "controversy" surrounding the gay characters that are married in the book... yes, I can see where you're coming from, but on the other hand, I feel that it's a bit silly. Use it as a discussion point, people. Don't get all up in arms about it. And I really don't see a need to ban the book. Please.)

(Just for the record: because this is a Cybils nominee, I've been asked to make sure y'all know this is my opinion only, and not that of the panel.)

Because of Mr. Terupt

by Rob Buyea
ages: 10+
First sentence: "It's our bad luck to have teachers in this world, but since we're stuck with them, the best we can do is hope to get a brand-new one instead of a mean old fart."
Support your local independent bookstore, buy it there!

Ever have your life and perceptions completely changed by the influecne of one person?

Ever have a teacher that made school amazing, that you will always remember as completely wonderful, no matter what? (Hopefully, the answer is yes.)

Mr. Terupt, a fifth grade teacher, is one of those people. New at teaching, he is not only enthusiastic, but wise and inspiring. Told through the eyes of seven of his students -- Jessica, Alexia, Peter, Luke, Danielle, Anna and Jeffrey --this is the story of the year they had with Mr. Terupt, and how his subtle influence changed their lives for the better.

It's a quiet book, the life-changing accident notwithstanding. The impact is local, the challenges small. What really impresses about this book was that Buyea juggled seven different narrators, giving each one a unique voice and role in this story. I'm sure this particular story could have been told another way, but it wouldn't have been nearly so effective. Because it's a small story, it's essential that the characters pull their weight, and Buyea makes sure that happens. It's not anything major or flashy; the beauty lies in the simplicity of the tale. It's accessible to kids, and yet packs a powerful punch for those older than fifth grade. There are things to think about, to talk about, to ponder on. But, perhaps best of all, it does all this without being preachy.

It's an excellent book, and Buyea is definitely an author to keep an eye out for.

(Just for the record: because this is a Cybils nominee, I've been asked to make sure y'all know this is my opinion only, and not that of the panel.)

Wildfire Run

by Dee Garretson
ages: 10+
First sentence: "The roar came from deep in the earth, growing louder as it raced toward the surface."
Support your independent bookstore: buy it there!
Review copy sent to me by the publisher.

Luke Brockett is the president's son. It's not too bad; he doesn't get to see his dad much, but he has really cool Secret Service agents hanging around. Not to mention a pretty cool best friend, Theo, who loves to work on robots as much as Luke does. They're up at Camp David, enjoying some quiet time, when an earthquake along the New Madrid fault wreaks havoc in much of Missouri.

They feel aftershocks in Maryland as well, and it's those aftershocks (as well as some terrible coincidences) that start a wildfire in the forest surrounding Camp David. Soon, the situation is dire, and by another string of terrible coincidences, Luke, Theo and the daughter of one of the chefs, Callie, are stranded on their own, with the fire closing in, and their lives depend on figuring out how to get out of Camp David.

This book read like an action movie: fast paced, maybe a little bit predictable, and incredibly tense. There wasn't much character development, though there was a bit for Luke; mostly it was the characters jumping through one hoop after another to solve the big problem of how to get to safety. Don't get me wrong: it was both a gripping concept and fascinating to watch the three kids problem solve. I'm not sure how plausible it all is, but I'm also not sure it really mattered. Implausable? So what? It's intense, it's fun, it's a page-turner.

Perfect for when you need something exciting.

(Just for the record: because this is a Cybils nominee, I've been asked to make sure y'all know this is my opinion only, and not that of the panel.)

Mockingbird

by Kathryn Erskine
ages: 10+
First sentence: "It looks like a one-winged bird crouching in the corner of our living room."
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

Caitlin is Working On Getting It. It's a daily process for her, since she has Asperger's syndrome, and certain things -- like figuring out how others are feeling, or reading facial expressions -- don't come easily to her. It used to be that her older brother, Devon, would explain things for her and help her cope with the strange and the difficult. But now, because of a horrible tragedy at his middle school, Devon is no longer around. Caitlin's father is a basket case, and the only person left to help Caitlin figure out everything -- though what she's looking for, mostly, is Closure -- is the counselor at school, Mrs. Brook.

I'm not especially well read in books about the autism spectrum, but I have read a few, and Erskine captured the experience of a high functioning autistic child extremely well. Caitlin's voice was the strongest thing about the book; in both her inner dialogue and experiences, as well as the way she related to other people, her personality and her challenges came through loud and clear. Erskine's use of capitals and all caps particularly jumped out at me. Instead of being distracting, it added to Caitlin's character.

If it were just that, I would have loved the book with absolutely no qualms. However -- and kudos to Erskine for being up front about this -- this is a book with a Message. Mind you, I don't disagree with the message: I anti-violence, and I am all for understanding one another. That said, books that are so message heavy, whatever the message, don't sit well with me. I was never able to get past the message hammer on my head: killing. people. ruins. lives. it's. hard. to. cope. after. a. loved. one. dies. understanding. others. helps. Yes, we know, thank you very much. I understand the need for conflict; and even understand the need to talk about violent tragedies. But I felt like the message came first in this case, and the story was only a vehicle to getting that message across. I think the book would have sat better with me if those two things were reversed.

Aside from the message hammer, it was a good read. There's a lot to think about, and I do hope that kids actually get around to picking this one up (and it's not just one that adults read and love and give awards to, but kids never crack open). Even if it's only to experience Caitlin as a character.

(Just for the record: because this is a Cybils nominee, I've been asked to make sure y'all know this is my opinion only, and not that of the panel.)

Sunday Salon: Pulling Back and Redefining

I have been feeling quite unsettled the last few weeks. Disconnected. Unhappy with my blog, with blogging, with what I've got going here. Part of it is my annual blogging blues; I do get this every year, and find a need to reassess. Part of it is all the crazy reading I've been doing for the Cybils. But, either way, I am thinking I need to find a new way to approach my blog.

For the past three years, I've read over 100 books. I think that has a lot to do with my dissatisfaction. If I'm spending so much time being obsessive about how many books I read, I can't spend the time sitting back and enjoying them. So, I'm going to consciously slow down in 2011. My goal is to read half as many books as I did this year, to savor them more, and to spend more time thinking about them and more time writing my reviews, so they're actually interesting instead of dashed off quickly.

I'm still going to do a few of the challenges I like: the Once Upon a Time challenge, maybe the RIP challenge, the 48 hour challenge, and the book swap I've set up. But, that's it. I'm going to keep trying to push my reading boundaries, finding books by and about people of color and GLBTQ, but I'm also going sit in my comfort zone and enjoy those books. I've decided that there's enough people out there reading the new and hip books that I'm not needed for that, so I'm going to stop (or at least severely cut back) taking books from publishers. I'm going to clear off my bookshelves, finally getting to all those books that have been piling up for the last several years.

I'm going to visit blogs more often, actually read posts instead of skimming them (a very bad habit I've gotten in to) and comment more. I'm going to try and enjoy the conversation, and work harder at building relationships.

In short, I'm going to try and find what I liked about blogging six years ago when I started. Here's to pulling back!

The Ring of Solomon

by Jonathan Stroud
ages: 12+
First sentence: "Sunset above the olive groves."
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

Ah, Bartimaeus. I've missed you.

I've missed your snarky footnotes, your adventures, your soft spot for humans, your insights. I could go back and read the other three books, true, but I'm so happy to have you back in a new story.

Stroud re-imagines Solomon and his reign in Jerusalem, using the same world of magicians and spirits he created for the previous Bartimaeus books. The basic idea is this: what if Solomon had a ring, something which accesses magic more terrible, more powerful than any other magician. This allows him to create peace and prosperity. However, he also employs magicians, some of which are not too nice. It's one of these that summons Bartimaeus and keeps him in servitude. Of course, Bartimaeus being Bartimaeus, he tends to get into trouble a lot. As a punishment, he's off in the desert cleaning up bandits. Which is where he meets Asmira.

She's not any ordinary girl, but one of the personal guards of the Queen of Sheba. Sent to Jerusalem on a quest to assassinate Solomon and steal the ring, she's fairly single minded in her quest. She falls in with Bartimaeus and between the two of them, they attempt the impossible.

It's a great book for the same reason the rest of the trilogy is great. It's as fabulously imagined world, and Baritmaeus is a grand character. There's action and adventure, loathesome bad guys, and an undercurrent of intriguing and deep ideas to think about. It falls apart a bit at the end, but, mostly it lives up to the reputation of the Bartimaeus books.

And you can't beat that.

Enola Holmes: The Case of the Gypsy Goodbye

by Nancy Springer
ages: 11+
First sentence: "Mister Sherlock, I'm that glad to see you, I am, and that obliged."
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

I have heard of Enola for a while. I know Kerry at ShelfElf loves her, and has sung her praises often. I have meant to get to Enola before, even checked out previous books in the series once or twice, but I've never actually read any.

For the record: starting with the last book in the series is not suggested. That said, I adored Enola. The much younger sister of Mycroft and Sherlock Holmes, she's as talented and brilliant in her deductive reasoning as they are. She's 14 (nearly 15) years old, in hiding in London (from her brothers, especially Mycroft, who want to send her to a girls boarding school) since her mother disappeared a year ago. She finds missing persons, she's brilliant at disguises, and she's a winning character.

In this book, she takes on the case of the missing Lady Blanchefleur, who has suddenly disappeared. It turns out, however, that Sherlock is also working on this case, and after however long she's been avoiding them, they actually confront each other. As a subplot, there's a mysterious message from their mother, which Enola has to decipher. There's adventure and suspense, humor and mystery , and a fitting ending for what I assume was a good series.

Now to go back and read the rest of them in the right order.

(Just for the record: because this is a Cybils nominee, I've been asked to make sure y'all know this is my opinion only, and not that of the panel.)

Moon Over Manifest

by Clare Vanderpool
ages: 11+
First sentence: "The movement of the train rocked me like a lullaby."
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

First off: I've got a local author! YAY! I really had no idea (honestly, I get the book notes from our local independent bookstore, but I'm not always the best about reading it thoroughly, so I missed it when they announced her) when I started the book, but it's set in Southeast Kansas, so I flipped to the author blurb to see what credentials this author had for writing about Kansas. I was quite pleasantly surprised to find out that she's here in Wichita. Pleasantly surprised is too mild. I was quite excited!

I do have to admit that I was a bit anxious as well: what if I didn't like the book?

I shouldn't have worried.

Alternating between two time periods, the Great Depression in 1936 and World War I in 1918, Vanderpool tells the story of the small fictional town of Manifest in southeastern Kansas. Nominally, it's the story of 12-year-old Abilene Tucker who has spent her life traveling the rails with her father, Gideon. Then, soon after her 12th birthday, he up and sends her back to Manifest, a town he's never talked about but has some connection with, to live with an old friend of his so he can go work in Nebraska. Feeling abandoned, Abilene decides what she needs to do is figure out what connection her dad has with this town, and why he's sent her there. She ends up working for an old Hungarian fortune teller, and in return she tells Abilene stories, slowly unveiling the mystery of her father's past. And, by digging up the past, Abilene manages to pull a town that was slowly falling apart back together.

It's an excellent portrait of a time and a place, making Kansas come alive rather than just being an Everyplace like it usually is in novels. (We need someplace non committal. How about Kansas? ) I could tell that Vanderpool knows her stuff (well, she is a native Kansan; she says that this was based on memories of her grandparents), and loves the place and its small, rural towns. Additionally, she's created some winning characters; Abilene is a smart, fiesty girl, one with a nose for adventure. But it's not solely a "girl" book: the two main characters from 1918, Jinx and Ned, are just as engaging as the girls from 1936. Vanderpool manages to balance the two time periods, capturing the essence of each, and transitions seamlessly between them.

It's a captivating read. I'm really looking forward to Vanderpool's next work. And not just because she's a local author.

(Just for the record: because this is a Cybils nominee, I've been asked to make sure y'all know this is my opinion only, and not that of the panel.)

Jellaby

by Kean Soo
ages: 9+
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

This monster, this book, is very cute. I fell in love with Jellaby (it's the monster on the cover) as soon as it appeared in the book. It's charming, it's cute in a monsterish sort of way, and made me want to wrap it up and put it in my pocket.

It's just the beginning of a story -- I need to find the next part; I want to know what happens! -- but it's a good beginning. Portia is a girl who's father is missing (did he die? did he disappear?), and she's not adapting to that well. She's struggling in school, her mother leaves her alone a lot. And then she finds Jellaby. It's a friend (she makes another friend in the bullied kid, Jason Tham), someone to keep her company. And then, by random chance, she discovers that Jellaby is a lost soul, too. Together her and Jason concoct a plan to get Jellaby back to his home.

That plan is just put in motion in this book. It's really mostly background and set up, though it's done incredibly well. There's something deep going on in the book, even if I can't quite figure out what it is. Which means, I'm definitely curious as to where the story is going, and the adventures Portia, Jason and Jellaby will have.

Joey Fly, Private Eye in Big Hairy Drama

by Aaron Reynolds/Illus. by Neil Numberman
ages: 9+
First sentence: "Life in the bug city."
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Review copy sent by the author

Joey Fly and his sidekick, Sammy Stingtail are on the case. Again. This time, a big-time (and big) theater owner is asking him to find his main star, the four-winged, long-legged Greta Divawing. Joey and Sammy are up to it of course (they're up to anything). It's just a matter of tracking down the bug who did it.

The question is: which bug would that be?

This book is much like the first in the series: smart and fun and interesting. It's well-written and funny, and has elements that will appeal to both boys and girls (mine were very excited to see it when it came in the mail!). The story has some great twists and turns, plus sliding a bit of educational information in there. There's a little bit for everyone, but nothing feels shortchanged or slighted. And visually, it's quite engrossing: it's worth stopping and poring over the frames to find all the little things Numberman has hidden in there.

In short, it's a great little series.

As an added bonus, the author/illustrator are offering up these ornaments to print off and cut out. Click to embiggen, and enjoy!

The Great Book Swap of 2011

I've seen this idea of swapping book lists floating around for a couple of weeks now, and (since I think I'm going to forgo most challenges next year) I got to thinking that it might be a fun idea to throw my towel in the ring. So I rounded up two of my bookish friends from my online book group, Corinne and Tricia, and we all swapped lists.

Here they are:

Corinne's for me:
On Fortune's Wheel by Cynthia Voigt
Precious Bane by Mary Webb
either The Zookeeper's Wife or The Natural History of the Senses by Diane Ackerman
Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns
Pastwatch or Wyrms by Orson Scott Card
Bonus: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, by Betty Smith

Tricia's for me:
The Lincolns ~ Candace Fleming
Unwind ~ Neal Shusterman
Crossing to Safety ~ Wallace Stegner
Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie ~ Jordan Sonnenblick
The Power of One ~ Bryce Courtenay

Corinne's for Tricia:
Davita's Harp by Chaim Potok
A Room with a View by E. M. Forster
A Woman in Berlin by anonymous (okay, this is an intense book, it floored me and sickened me and made me think about a lot of things) or Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place by Terry Tempest Williams
Summers at Castle Auburn by Sharon Shinn
Quest for a Maid by Frances Mary Hendry

I've read the first two and Refuge, but it's been a very long time, so I think I'm going to reread them as well.

Tricia's for Corinne:
The Only Alien on the Planet ~ Kristen D. Randle
The Wednesday Wars ~ Gary D. Schmidt
Sabriel ~ Garth Nix
The Shadow of the Wind ~ Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Letters to a Young Poet ~ Rainer Maria Rilke

I'm excited to read all of these!

Advent Tour: O Tannenbaum

I haven't thought to talk about our Christmas tree before, because usually we wait to put it up after A's birthday. Which means, if I generally choose the first Sunday in December (and I do), then I don't think about my tree as a viable advent calendar topic.

But this year, because my husband is off to Hong Kong, we put the tree up early. And I realized, that there's a story I could tell.

This is our tree:

I don't know if it shows, but my tree is not what you'd call elegant. Or put together. It's a hand-me over, 9 feet tall, and leans slightly to the left; in fact, we've warned the kids that if they do too much bouncing around, the tree will fall over (we know this from experience). It's not color coordinated, and I'm sure Martha Stewart would not approve. However, what my tree has going for it is that each ornament (or at least most) have a story behind them. I can tell you where we got each and every ornament and why it's hanging on the tree. Okay, sure, I'm getting older, and some of the stories are a bit fuzzy. But it's one of the things I like most about our tree: it's got stories.

Let me tell you a few.

This one was the first one Hubby and I purchased, on our honeymoon to San Francisco. We saw it sitting in the gift shop of the San Francisco Botanical Gardens, and knew we had to get it.

This one is another early one: I cross-stitched it because of Hubby's love of cows. I think there should be more cows at Christmas, personally.


While we're talking old ornaments, this is one of the oldest on the tree. It's a shrinky dink, made in 1973, when I was one. I'm constantly amazed that it's still in one piece (though the words "Merry Christmas 1973" on it are are fading). I do still love seeing it on the tree, though.


Another homemade one... if I had a chance and the money to collect anything, I would probably collect Santas/Father Christmases. I'm quite enamored with the whole mythology of Santa, and how he's represented in different cultures. (There are a lot of Santas on our tree, in various forms, as a result.)


One of the other things we've done is get each one of the girls their own ornament for each year. We're doing it so they have something to take with them when they move out, but, like everything else on the tree, they have their own stories, too.

This one of M's we bought when we stopped over in Salt Lake City the Christmas of 2000. I was so excited by the stopover that I took her to see Ballet West's Nutcracker, which happens to be my favorite. They had a gift shop, and so we had to pick out an ornament. She got the Sugar Plum Fairy. (We also have a Nutcracker ornament from the same place, but he was bought much earlier, and is a bit worse for the wear these days.)


This one of C's was one that I painted (not well, but there it is) the Christmas she adored The Snowman. She was 20 months old, and it was her favorite movie and favorite book. We wanted to remember that.


This one of A's was a pair of baby shoes that her grandma sent her the year she was born. (She's our December baby, if you haven't figured that out yet.) They were much, much too nice to wear, so we tied the laces together and threw them on the tree. Perfect.


K, being the youngest, only has a few ornaments (she wanted to know why she didn't have very many). This one we picked up at a craft fair in Coeur d'Alene a couple years back. It's sculpted out of candle wax. I'm not sure she picked this design out; it may have been picked out for her. Still, the detail is amazing.


And being parents of school-aged children, there's a handful of odd little school ornaments. Things they make in class, and then bring home to throw on the tree. The girls love seeing them as they come out of the box, and so I don't have the heart to throw them away.


And finally, our tree wouldn't be our tree without our fireman. He was sent to us by Hubby's older sister, many years ago. I have no idea why she sent him, but we immediately fell in love: what tree shouldn't have a guardian fireman? We stick him near the top so he can keep an eye on all the other ornaments, and protect the tree from any danger.


Merry Christmas!

Be sure to check out the other stops on today's tour:

Iris @ Iris on Books

Lesley @ Mysterious Adventures

Veronica @ The First Draft

Betti on the High Wire

by Lisa Railsback
ages: 10+
First sentence: "A bright light shines on the beautiful girl."
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

Babo is a leftover child. In her unnamed war-torn country -- unnamed on purpose, to give her a sense of universality, which I found both interesting and disconcerting; I wanted something more concrete as a reader -- she lives with other orphaned children in an abandoned circus camp. It's not an easy life; there's not much food, and there's always the danger of soldiers and bombs. And yet, she's happy. She tells stories to the other children, she pretends that her parents will come back and get her.

And then, one day, an American couple come to the camp and want to adopt Babo. Although she tries desperately to get them to change their mind, the next thing she knows her name is Betti and she is on a plane (with her friend and fellow leftover child, George) to America. The book is mostly about her struggles to, and against, adjusting to her new life.

It's a heartbreaking story; Babo/Betti is a fighter and a survivor, and she feels guilty about having comforts when her friends are still stuck with a lousy life. She's been struggling her whole life, and she's afraid about what it might do to her. In a couple of very telling scenes -- it's one of the best books I've read lately that shows rather than tells -- you get the sense of Babo/Betti's desperation and fear. Her adoptive parents are complex as well; on the one hand, they're overly generous and kind of clueless Americans, but there's a real love for lost souls, and a genuine concern for Babo/Betti's well-being. Railsback doesn't paint everything in black and white, though Babo/Betti tries to make things that way, and as a result, the book is a complex, and yet accessible, look at war, refugees and adoption.

(Just for the record: because this is a Cybils nominee, I've been asked to make sure y'all know this is my opinion only, and not that of the panel.)

2010 Challenge #3: The Flashback Challenge

It has come to my attention (aka: I realized today) that I'm not going to read anything more for the Flashback Challenge this year. I've got too much on my plate with the Cybils and other reading (I WILL read Fried Green Tomatoes. I promise!) to actually reread any more.

That said, I still accomplished my goal of rereading six books, though half weren't on my original list.

1. The Wrinkle in Time series, Madeline L'Engle (childhood)
A Wrinkle in Time
Wind in the Door
A Swiftly Tilting Planet
2. The Dark is Rising series, Susan Cooper (adult)
Over Sea, Under Stone
The Dark is Rising
Greenwitch
The Grey King
Silver on the Tree
3. Howards End, E. M. Forester
4. The Girl in Hyacinth Blue, by Susan Vreeland
5. Under the Tuscan Sun, by Frances Mayes
6. Nine Parts of Desire, by Geraldine Brooks
7. The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman

It was fun to reread books I haven't in years. I'll have to do this more often.

Tortilla Sun

by Jennifer Cervantes
ages: 10+
First sentence: "I stared at the glossy image."
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

Izzy has just moved, again, and is looking forward to a summer getting to know people in her neighborhood so she's not the new kid at school. Again. But then her mom drops a bombshell: she's off to Costa Rica to finish research for her dissertation, which means Izzy has to spend the summer with her Nana in a small village outside of Albuquerque. This is not what Izzy wants. At all.

And yet, once she's there she discovers that learning her heritage is much more interesting than she gave it credit for. Her nana is interesting, fun, full of life. Her neighbor, Mateo, is intriguing. But more than that, she slowly learns the story of her father who died before she was born, something which her mother hasn't been willing to share. And that may be the greatest gift of all.

It's a sweet story, one that's full of vibrant color and life. Even though it was a parent dying book -- in fact, there was quite a bit of death and trauma in this book -- much like Milo, it focused on healing and understanding and celebrating the life of the one who's dead, rather than mourning. It felt natural and celebratory rather than depressing. There was a bit of magical realism, but only a touch and that added to the healing tone of the book. Yes, there was conflict, and Izzy needed to learn lessons and grow a bit (and there was a few tense moments near the end), but it was a happy book, one that celebrates life and family and traditions.

A great first novel; I'll be quite interested to see what Cervantes comes up with next.

The Importance of Being Earnest

by Oscar Wilde
ages: adult
First sentence: "Did you hear what I was playing, Lane?"
I'd tell you to go buy it, but you can get this one online for free.

I really don't have much idea what to say here. I've been a fan of the play for ages: my mom had a copy of a BBC production while I was growing up, and I remember watching and finding it hilarious. And I own the Colin Firth/Rupert Everett version which still makes me laugh. Judi Dench is so fabulous as Lady Bracknell.

So, I don't really know what I expected to get out of reading the play, if I expected anything. I guess I was kind of curious to see how the movie version held up to the actual play, and I also figured since I loved it so much I should actually read the play. That, and I have decided that I really like Wilde's writing. So, I wanted to read more of him.

And, the long and short of it: I like it better performed. That shouldn't have come as a surprise; I have a terrible track record reading Shakespeare, and I don't see why any play should be different. The lines weren't as funny, the silliness of it all came off as banal rather than hilarious. I'm terrible at reading inflection and timing; I need narration. And while I enjoyed it, I didn't love it like I love the movie. I did find out (and it's to be expected) that the movie does take some liberties with the play, giving Lady Bracknell a past, and switching the ages of Jack and Algy around as examples, it's really quite faithful to the original.

The play itself is a delightful spoof on Victorian England, on class restrictions, and on love in general. No matter how you get it, whether reading or watching, it's quite worth your time.