Mamzel's 2010 titles

Charlas75 Books Challenge for 2010

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Mamzel's 2010 titles

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1mamzel
Ene 13, 2010, 3:57 pm

I am participating in challenges for the first time this year and looking forward to (hopefully) completing them. I have already joined Books off the Shelf and I thought it would be fun to join this group to include those and all of the other books I read. I work in a high school library and read YA books so I can recommend titles to our wonderful teens. I also suffer from the same condition as so many LTers - being unable to leave an interesting book on the library or book store shelf. If I have any resolution for this year, it is to read more books and make sure I include them in my LT library. I am getting better at posting reviews on LT but I also have a blog I have worked on - Library Buzz

Books I have completed so far this year:
1. A Land Beyond Ravens - received from Member Giveaway (thanks!) - takes place at time before Arthur becomes king

2. Her Fearful Symmetry - ghosts, London, twins, cool cemetery

I am currently reading two Pratchett books - Color of Magic at home and Nation at work. I don't know why I've never read his books before!
I also have The Master of all Desires in progress.

2Oregonreader
Ene 13, 2010, 4:32 pm

Hi Mamzel, I'm new the challenge as well. Good luck to you. I'm about where you are, reading my third book of the year. But I just saw on another thread people who are reading their 10th, 12th, even 25th book. Wow! Glad to know I'm not the only one at the slower pace! Happy reading.

3mamzel
Editado: Ene 13, 2010, 4:39 pm

I read close to 70 books last year and I can't guarantee I missed one or two so a concerted effort should get me to 75 this year. I'll watch how you're making out, too.
eta - What's the name of your thread?

4Oregonreader
Ene 13, 2010, 6:16 pm

My thread is 75 in 10! Oregonreader Takes the Plunge. I've never actually counted how many books I've read in a year so this could be an eye opener for me. But it sounds like I can check my pace by you.

5drneutron
Ene 13, 2010, 10:08 pm

Welcome!

6Whisper1
Ene 13, 2010, 10:14 pm

Welcome Mamzel and Oregonreader

Please don't think that this challenge is only about numbers. We love to interact and share comments!

7muddy21
Ene 13, 2010, 10:38 pm

What did you think of Her Fearful Symmetry? I'm hoping to get to it soon myself.

8alcottacre
Ene 14, 2010, 2:42 am

Welcome to the group Mamzel!

9Apolline
Ene 14, 2010, 3:22 am

Hi, lots of newcomers this year:) I had never heard of a reading challenge until late december last year and decided to join this one. A lot of supportive and nice people in this group, and you get many new and exciting reading tips if you read the threads. Good luck with your reading!

10mamzel
Ene 14, 2010, 10:38 am

>7 muddy21:, Muddy - I had not read nor seen the movie, The Traveler's Wife, so I didn't know what to expect of this author. I don't want to comment too much and give anything away but it was fun and I stayed up very late one night finishing it. I was a little put off with the portrayal of the twin girls. They are 21 when they go to London but they dress, talk, and act more like 13. It becomes particularly troublesome when they start to have relationships and it almost felt like child abuse. Otherwise, it's a fun ghost story.

11Whisper1
Ene 14, 2010, 11:18 am

I haven't read Her Fearful Symmetry but these discussions prompt me to do so.

12muddy21
Ene 14, 2010, 10:31 pm

>10 mamzel:, Hmmm, curious! My ex-husband's grandmother is buried at Highgate Cemetery but we never managed to visit when we were in London, though I always wanted to. I think that's what's drawing me in.

13mamzel
Ene 15, 2010, 3:35 pm

Muddy,
It just might be the nudge you need to go to London and take one of the tours that they talk about in the book!

14muddy21
Ene 15, 2010, 8:47 pm

Well, first I'll read the book, perhaps, then, who knows? The airlines are all running specials right now! ^-^

15bonniebooks
Ene 16, 2010, 12:43 am

I just got Her Fearful Symmetry from the library (an old request that finally came in) but now I'm not so sure I want to read it.

16mamzel
Ene 18, 2010, 2:26 pm

3. Nation by Terry Pratchett. Fantastic YA novel (no reason why it couldn't also be enjoyed by grades 7 and 8). A very timely question is raised in this book about two youngsters who find themselves together after a tsunami. A young Polynesian boy returns to his island and finds his entire community wiped out and a young English girl is the only survivor on her sailing ship, washed up on his island. The question that Mau has to deal with while trying to return his island to some state of normalcy and helping Daphne and others who make their way to his island, is why should he thank the gods who released such devastation to his people? Someone in Haiti was quoted asking the same question in this morning's paper.
Pratchett has a wonderful sense of humor I am just now discovering. One of the cute touches he writes into his story is the tree climbing octopus (a creature featured in his Discworld series). The only other place I have seen this creature featured was a hoax web site used for evaluation purposes.
see it here

My next read will be The Lacuna, loaned to me be a coworker.

17mamzel
Ene 24, 2010, 3:51 pm

4. Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld, illustrations by Keith Thompson. Imaginative alternate history where eastern Europeans, Clankers, have transportation and war machines built out of iron and powered by steam. Western Europeans, Darwinists, have fabricated their machines by melding animals together. The Leviathan is a whale with the ability to create sufficient hydrogen to take it aloft.
One of the main characters is Alek, the orphaned son of an assassinated Austrian duke and his wife is spirited away to a hideout in the Alps prepared for just such a necessity. Deryn, an English girl, disguises herself as a boy named Dylan and obtains a middie position on the Leviathan which abruptly departs on a secret mission to the Ottoman Empire. On the way they are attacked and they crash in (you guessed it) the Alps.
The drawings really bring the machines to life and the action is nonstop.

I am still reading The Lacuna and Show Me the Magic.

18alcottacre
Ene 25, 2010, 12:41 am

#17: That one is already in the BlackHole. Hopefully the local library will get a copy soon.

19mamzel
Ene 26, 2010, 12:34 pm

5. Refresh Refresh is a disturbing graphic novel about three teen boys trying to deal with life with their fathers in Iraq. Very disturbing and, like most books dealing with war, tragic. It takes only minutes to read but the emotions I feel will take much longer to go away.

"We didn't fully understand the reason our fathers were fighting. We only understood that they had to fight.
'It's all part of the game,' my grandfather said.
'It's just the way it is.'
We could only cross our fingers and wish on stars and hit refresh, refresh, hoping they would return to us."

20alcottacre
Ene 26, 2010, 11:57 pm

#19: That one looks good! Thank you for the recommendation.

21f_ing_kangaroo
Ene 27, 2010, 4:57 pm

#16 Nation has been sitting in the exact middle of my bookshelf staring at me for over a year. And I love Pratchett. Just haven't picked it up yet. Maybe I'll actually get to it this year.

How's Colour of Magic treating you? I haven't read it because I can only tolerate the wizards in small doses.

22mamzel
Ene 27, 2010, 5:05 pm

It's slow going since I read it before going to sleep and I can only get 4 or 5 pages read before my eyes won't stay open. I'm persevering, though.

23mamzel
Editado: Ene 29, 2010, 6:41 pm

6. Out of Orbit: the incredible true story of three astronauts who were hundreds of miles above earth when they lost their ride home (link here) by Chris Jones is an amazing view of life in a space station with all of the raw emotion three men, their families, ground crews, etc.experience when the astronauts are stuck in the International Space Station, a very small space, for six months, without a good idea of how they were getting home.

etf touchstone - being a pain

24iansales
Editado: Ene 30, 2010, 8:21 am

Sounds like an interesting read. I like books on that subject - see here.

25mamzel
Ene 30, 2010, 7:06 pm

Thanks. I bookmarked your blog. I read it because it came in a shipment of books that were recommended by ALA for college bound students. I'm not a big nonfiction reader but this one looked and was interesting and informative.

26mamzel
Feb 1, 2010, 12:50 pm

7. World Without End - I really only had to read the last third of the book. I didn't quite finish it the first time around and was reminded by the Group Read of the book. It truly is an amazing book that took me to a very rough time and place with huge characters that I felt I got to know very well. The size of the book (over 1,000 pages) is tempered by the fact that the characters speak modern English which, for me, allows the reader to concentrate on the action and characters.

27ronincats
Feb 2, 2010, 10:35 pm

Found you! I really enjoyed Nation as well. I'm a huge Pratchett fan. I like The Colour of Magic but it is an early book, a parody of the fantasy genre, without the connection you get in later Discworld books.

I have Leviathan on my wish list.

28mamzel
Feb 3, 2010, 2:09 pm

8. Red Glass by Laura Resau is a YA novel that is interesting but not extraordinary. A group of people, comprised of a teenaged girl (Sophie), her great aunt (Dika), her friend (Mr. Lorenzo), and his teenaged son (Angel), drive an orphaned boy named Pablo to his home village with adoption papers to be signed by any relatives they could find. Mr. Lorenzo and Angel continue on to Guatemala so see if there was any sign of their wife/mother in their village. Angel was attacked and their passports stolen. Sophie sneaks away with the copies of their passports they left behind in case of such an emergency. So, a blond, teenaged gringa is traveling alone through southern Mexico and Guatemala by bus and hitchhiking. Yeah, no problems there.

The look at the lives of the small poor villages in Mexico and Guatemala, meeting the warm and strong people, and learning of their travails make this book worthwhile.

FYI - If you read this book, try to remember that chicken coops stink and that sleeping on the ground next to them is not recommended!

29alcottacre
Feb 3, 2010, 4:33 pm

#28: I read Resau's What the Moon Saw last year and liked it, so I will give Red Glass a try, bearing in mind your warning about the chicken coops.

30Whisper1
Feb 3, 2010, 5:36 pm

Out of Orbit sounds like something I would really like. Are you familiar with the works of Robert Heinlein? In particular, I highly recommend The Green Hills of Earth

http://www.baen.com/green_hills_of_earth.htm

31mamzel
Feb 3, 2010, 6:05 pm

I stopped reading Heinlein because I got so bored with the conversations that went something like:

"You're the greatest."
"No, you're the greatest."
"You're too kind to say that, just the kindest."
"You're so nice to call me kind. You're the best."

And so on, ad nauseum. It may have been Strangers in a Strange Land. I was disappointed but luckily there were always other scifi authors.

32mamzel
Feb 4, 2010, 1:29 pm

9. Raven Summer by the amazing author, David Almond is about a young English man who learns hard truths about the pasts of his aquaintances; the town bully, a scarred foster child, and a young man from Liberia. He also learns a bit about himself (predictably) in the process. The book opens with Liam and Max finding an abandoned baby after following a persistent and noisy raven.

This is a very powerful YA novel and a worthwhile fast read.

33ronincats
Feb 4, 2010, 4:14 pm

You know, Skellig is the only Almond book I've read, and I really need to find some of his other books to read, because that one was amazing.

You have to read early Heinlein. Starting about 1970, he got all touchy-feeling. But his early stuff, especially the juveniles, like The Star Beast and Between Planets (the second science fiction book I ever read), and one of my very favorites,The Door into Summer and The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, those I still consider very good science fiction. The Door into Summer is dated now (although it wasn't when I first read it), but I love it because of the cat. ;-)

34mamzel
Feb 4, 2010, 4:22 pm

I guess I should give him a second look. I seem to remember The Moon is a Harsh Mistress but I can't remember if I actually read it or not. I'll keep my eyes open for it. Thanks for recs! 8)

35PamFamilyLibrary
Feb 5, 2010, 8:10 am

Ronincats, don't forget Have Spacesuit, Will Travel and Farnham's Freehold. Two other classics :)

36Whisper1
Feb 5, 2010, 8:56 am

Yes, yes to Have Spacesuit, Will Travel.

Anita (FAMultse) is the one who told me about David Almond and I've been reading his books ever since. Skellig was my favorite read of 2008. I recommend Kit's Wilderness, Heaven's Eyes, The Fireeaters and Secret Heart.

I haven't read Raven Summer and will do so very soon. Thanks for your recommendation.

37mamzel
Feb 6, 2010, 7:13 pm

10. The Color of Magic
What could I add about the humor and genius that is Terry Pratchett that has not already been said? Why could I not have found these books back when I was in high school or college? I have so much to catch up on now.

38alcottacre
Feb 6, 2010, 7:25 pm

#37: Why could I not have found these books back when I was in high school or college? I have so much to catch up on now.

Have that one home from the library to read now. I have the same problem you do - catching up on the entire body of Pratchett's work.

39mamzel
Feb 8, 2010, 12:31 pm

11. Stitches
If you are one of those people who believe that graphic novels are only fluff for kids, this would be one to show you the light. It reads like a movie, complete with zoom ins and close ups but without Foley sound effects or a sound track swelling at the end. David Small has shown us his life in painful miserable memories. I only hope that by sharing in this format he has found some peace.

40mamzel
Feb 8, 2010, 12:34 pm

12. The Elegance of the Hedgehog
This is one of those books that is best read when the house is totally quiet, like before anyone else wakes up, so that you can absorb every word. I love the characters and how they came together. This book will go back to my shelf to be reread another time.

41alcottacre
Feb 8, 2010, 1:06 pm

#39: I already have that one in the BlackHole and am hoping to get to it soon.

#40: I loved that book. Glad to see you enjoyed it, too!

42Whisper1
Feb 8, 2010, 1:36 pm

I very much like your comments regarding Stiches

43Copperskye
Feb 8, 2010, 11:21 pm

>39 mamzel: - I think Stitches was so much more effective as a graphic memoir than it would have been without the pictures. Sometimes a picture is indeed worth a thousand words.

44mamzel
Feb 9, 2010, 12:40 pm

It's interesting when graphic artists use movie methods like zooming in and extreme close ups. I think it makes the story more fluid than a choppy frame by frame read.

45mamzel
Feb 9, 2010, 5:16 pm

13. Angry Management by Chris Crutcher
This is one of my favorite YA authors. In this book he brings back characters from his other books and puts them together in an anger management class, all at the same age they were in their original books. We see how these damaged teens manage in spite of all the terrible things done to them. One does not need to have read the other books but the experience is enhanced by already being acquainted with the kids.

46verdelambton
Feb 9, 2010, 5:26 pm

#39 Thanks for giving your comments on Stitches. I read my first ever graphic novels last year and wasn't really sure where to look for recommendations for the next one. It looks like this will be it. Thanks again.

47mamzel
Feb 9, 2010, 6:14 pm

I have read several graphic novels that I would recommend, as much for the art as the story. One is Arrival which doesn't have a single word in it but tells a powerful story. Caliber: First Canon of Justice had amazing art and is a Western twist on the Arthur story. The Invention of Hugo Cabret has more text and marvelous pencil drawings.

48mamzel
Feb 10, 2010, 5:05 pm

14. Wringer by Jerry Spinelli
Luckily this was a juvenile fiction book so it read very quickly. I would not have finished it otherwise. It was full of things that turn my stomach: bullies, pigeons, kids that like to kill animals, pigeons, and wimpy parents. I know I am bucking the tide of opinion on this book - it almost won a Newberry - but it was not my cup of tea.

49alcottacre
Feb 10, 2010, 5:10 pm

#48: I do not think that one is for me at all. I read Linda's review and she made the book sound very good, but I do not like the idea of bullies, etc.

50mamzel
Feb 16, 2010, 12:18 pm

15. Thereby Hangs a Tail by Spencer Quinn
A fun and fast read continuing the partnership of Bernie, a PI, with Chet, a dog who did not complete police dog school. It is told from the dog's POV so there are no deep revelations or insights. Their relationship is endearing and deeply loyal. I didn't love it as much as the first, Dog On It, but I look forward to the next in the series.

51mamzel
Feb 16, 2010, 6:59 pm

16. Rainbow Boys by Alex Sanchez
Another red spined book for the TIOLI challenge, I have been meaning to read this book as it is a popular one here and I hoped to gain perspective on the lives of young men struggling with their sexuality. Each chapter is from the viewpoint of one of three different boys and we see what thoughts, fears, hopes, dreams, and feelings they experience. Powerful.

52Copperskye
Feb 16, 2010, 9:59 pm

I recently finshed Thereby Hangs a Tail, too. I thought I might get tired, by the second book, of the dog's POV, but once again, Chet absolutely charmed me!

53mamzel
Feb 20, 2010, 4:56 pm

17. Witch and Wizard by James Patterson
I started this book at 7:00 this morning and finished it at 10:30. In the meantime I fixed and ate breakfast, read the paper and did the crossword puzzle.
There are 307 pages and 104 chapters in total. It felt empty like reading a poor children's book with little description or development. A shame really, because there are interesting aspects of the story that beg to be developed in greater depth.
Whit and Wisty Allgood were arrested for being a warlock and witch respectively, even though they had not shown any signs and didn't even know it themselves. Here's an excerpt.

My eyes nearly falling out of my head in disbelief, I looked over at my sister and realized she had just hit Byron with a lightning bolt.
Lightning. A small bolt, sure, but lightning! From her fingertips!
"More proof!" Byron squeaked, his voice sounding extracrispy and his face almost purple. He was rubbing his chest, obviously horrified by the burn mark on his shirt. "You are a witch! You'll be locked up forever!" He got to unsteady feet and staggered from the interrogation room.
"You're throwing lightning at people now?" I asked Wisty. "I mean, whoa."

There will be more to follow in this series. Goody, goody. *said with distinct lack of enthusiasm*

54alcottacre
Feb 21, 2010, 12:41 am

#53: Sounds like one I can safely skip! I hope your next read is better for you.

55PamFamilyLibrary
Feb 21, 2010, 8:02 am

Wow, Mamzel. Read some of the other reviews and comments on this book and I'll definitely be letting it pass. Sounds horrible.

56mamzel
Feb 22, 2010, 12:14 pm

18. Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
I have enjoyed the series on HBO and knew that if I started the books, I would be hooked....and I am. The main character, Sookie, is tough, cute, sexy, hard working, loyal to her friends and family, and a fabulous heroine. She has a gift, an ability to read minds, that gives her an "in" with the society of vampires who use her to sniff out an embezzler. Vampire Bill Compton, who moves into the house nextdoor to Sookie, is a southern gentleman, suave, cultured, protective of Sookie and a blank hole to her (she can't read his mind). I really miss one of the characters in the TV series, her friend, Tara, who is not in the book series so far.

I think I will have to finish the series before I can return to other books waiting for me. It is too much fun!

57mamzel
Feb 26, 2010, 4:23 pm

19. Fire by Kristin Cashore
For some reason all the books I've been reading lately feature telepaths; Sookie Stackhouse, The Lace Reader and now Fire.

I'm so sorry but I found this book a mess, starting with the concept that there are regular beings (humans, cats, fish, etc.) and "monster" beings. Fire is half human and half monster. According to the book, the combination of a monster and any other being would result in a monster which according to Genetics 101 would mean that eventually there would be no regular beings left. Also, the "monsters" are brillantly colored and Fire is spectacularly beautiful, to the point that a male human can't be near her and think of anything but her. Hardly the definition of monster in my dictionary.

Fire not only can read others' minds but can influence them to do things and feel (or not feel) emotions and pain. She is used to interrogate prisoners and she uses her powers to ease the suffering of injured soldiers. When she was young, as an experiment, she made her father stick one of his hands in a fire. There's a role model for you.

I will admit I am not a big fantasy fan but I really forced myself to finish the book in the hope that things would come together in the end. They didn't.

58alcottacre
Feb 27, 2010, 12:51 am

I hope your next read is better for you!

59mamzel
Editado: Feb 28, 2010, 3:54 pm

Thanks. My other book was much better.

20. Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris
More adventures with Sookie and Vampire Bill. This time they go to Dallas to rescue a vampire from a sect of vampire haters. Still a fun series.

I've managed to find all but one of the series but I will try to stretch out the fun by reading other books in between.

60mamzel
Mar 2, 2010, 4:38 pm

21. The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry
Decent book but confusing since the main character had psychiatric problems and confused memories and fantasies with real life. The setting, Salem, Mass., means witches and history are involved. The information about lace reading was cool (an invention by the author).

61mamzel
Mar 9, 2010, 1:02 pm

22. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
From the author of Speak, comes this riveting book dealing with a young woman suffering from anorexia. Lia's parents are divorced, her father remarried and had another girl, her stepsister, Emma, and her best friend, Cassie, was found dead in a hotel room after leaving 33 messages on Lia's cell phone. Lia had been put in a clinic called New Seasons twice for her eating disorder. Her mother, a heart surgeon, sent her to her father's house because she couldn't handle Lia any more. From Lia's viewpoint we learn how she sees herself and others (she refers to her parents by their proper names) and how she manages to hide her weight loss (she sews quarters inside the pockets of her bathrobe for her weigh ins). Cassie's ghost haunts her and continues to abet her disease. Not even Emma's unconditional love is enough to swerve her off this path.
This is a must read for anyone (adult or teen) who has concerns for a young person going through this type of self-destructive syndrome.

62mamzel
Mar 12, 2010, 5:53 pm

23. Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke
This book is about an alien invasion but not a stripping-Earth-of-its-resources or enslaving-all-humans kind of invasion. The Overlords arrive and wait and watch. For over 80 years they wait and the people of Earth have to wait until the event the Overlords expected came to pass. My jaw dropped several times in surprise, awe, and realization while reading this book. Amazing!

One of the fun things about this book (published in 1953) was how many scientific advances Clarke talked about that were still in his future like paternity tests, reliable birth control, microwave ovens, and photograph quality cartoons.

This is an excerpt:
He felt no regrets as the work of a lifetime was swept away. He had labored to take man to the stars, and now the stars - the aloof, indifferent stars - had come to him.
This was the moment when history held its breath, and the present sheared asunder from the past as an iceberg splits from its parent cliffs, and goes sailing out to sea in lonely pride. All that the past ages had achieved was as nothing now; only one thought echoed and re-echoed through Mohan's brain:
The human race was no longer alone.


This book has joined my Best Ever list.

63alcottacre
Mar 13, 2010, 1:19 am

#62: On the Best Ever list, huh? I will definitely have to read that one. Thanks for the recommendation.

64mamzel
Mar 14, 2010, 8:27 pm

24. The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers
What a ride! Back and forth in history, gypsies, beggar kings, duplicate people chasing originals, and messages left to be found in the future. Halfway through this book I thought it would be a fun challenge to create a chart tracking everyone back and forth. It was truly a nonstop adventure with escapes through sewers, rips through time, serial murderer, werewolves, and at the heart of it all - a poet.

I read this for the Steampunk group read. I doubt I ever would have discovered this book otherwise and I'm glad I did.

65alcottacre
Mar 15, 2010, 2:48 am

#64: I discovered it a couple of years ago thanks to LT, so the group read was a re-read for me, but the book did not diminish at all upon reading again. I am glad you enjoyed it too.

66mamzel
Mar 15, 2010, 12:16 pm

I considered myself lucky to find it. There was only one copy in my public library system which covers two counties!

67alcottacre
Mar 15, 2010, 11:59 pm

#66: Wow! You were lucky to find it.

I liked the book so much after my first reading that I bought a copy for my personal library. Now I do not have to worry about getting it from the public library. Of course, sometimes finding books in my personal library gets to be a challenge since they are completely unorganized at the moment :)

68mamzel
Editado: Mar 16, 2010, 2:09 pm

25. Club Dead by Charlaine Harris
The third book of the series continues with Sookie holding her own while being surrounded by supernatural beings including vampires and shape shifters like werewolves and wereowls. I love the sense of humor Harris brings to her stories like when Sookie listens in to conversations of people thinking she is asleep and joins in with a single finger sign. A new character joins the cast, a vampire named Bubba. When alive he was a well known entertainer from Memphis and was revived by a vampire who worked in the morgue. Since he was under the influence of drugs when he died he is not the swiftest of intelligences but his turning explains why he is still being sighted.

69mamzel
Editado: Mar 19, 2010, 3:19 pm

26. The Forest of Teeth and Hands by Carrie Ryan
Mary lives in a small village surrounded by fences to keep out the Unconsecrated, people who were infected by carriers of a disease that turns them into flesh eating undead. She watches her mother voluntarily get infected so she would turn and be thrown out of the village to join her husband. When the pressure of the Unconsecrated gets too much for the fences, Mary flees with a handful of people including her brother, his wife, her betrothed, his brother, and a young boy. Driven by the need to get her band of healthy, race-continuing friends to a safe place and to find the ocean her mother told stories about, Mary leads them on a race which raises more questions about their peoples' origins.

This book is very highly reviewed but my problem was getting pictures of zombies from Night of the Living Dead out of my head. My library just purchased the companion book, The Dead-Tossed Waves, which I will read soon.

70mamzel
Mar 19, 2010, 4:01 pm

27. Britten and Brulightly by Hannah Berry
The noire mood of this graphic novel comes from the voice-over narration and the rainy, dark, brooding franes. Britten is a private eye who prefers the title of "researcher". Brulightly, his constant companion, sidekick, conscience, and partner comes in a most unusal form - a teabag. I kid you not!

I loved the language and the style of this story and I laughed out loud in spots. A worthy read.

71alcottacre
Mar 19, 2010, 5:12 pm

#70: I loved Britten and Brulightly. I am glad you enjoyed it too.

72souloftherose
Mar 20, 2010, 6:01 am

Sounds like you've had some good reading lately. Childhood's End and The Forest of Hands and Teeth have both gone on the wishlist.

I really enjoyed discovering The Anubis Gates for the steampunk read. I'm hoping to read more by Tim Powers at some point.

And Britten and Brulightly is already on the wishlist from Stasia's recommendation.

73mamzel
Mar 21, 2010, 2:21 pm

28. The Edith Wharton Murders by Lev Raphael
Another book that was fun to read. Nick Hoffman is a gay professor at the State University of Michigan who lives with Stefan, a writer and his lover. Nick has to take on the challenge of hosting an Edith Wharton conference since he badly wants tenure and job security. Part of his apprehension comes from the fact that Edith Wharton scholars are divided into two opposing groups and he fears the consequences of bringing the factions together.

The writing in this book is intelligent and clever without being overbearing and still maintaining a wonderful sense of humor. I loved it and will look for more Nick Hoffman mysteries.

74mamzel
Mar 25, 2010, 4:29 pm

29. The Van Alen Legacy by Melissa de la Cruz
The fourth installment of the Blue Bloods series explains more about the complicated history of modern day vampires and olden day angels. Our heroine, Schuyler Van Alen spends most of the book hiding in various parts of the world. Mimi Force is sent on a mission to find a missing child and Bliss Llewelyn is struggling with a dark being that is taking over her body. They all rejoin in New York for a major takeover attempt by the darkest of all angels, Lucifer.

This was quite exciting and now I have to wait for the next (last?) in the series.

75mamzel
Mar 27, 2010, 5:48 pm

30. Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett
My teen friend has loaned me the perfect Discworld book since he knows me so well. Many years ago I was in the first class of women accepted in a maritime college and so I have a soft spot in my heart for girls overcoming the gender barrier.

A dying wizard follows his staff to the home of a village smith just as his wife was giving birth. The smith was the eighth of eight boys and his wife had already given birth to seven boys. The baby cries, the wizard asks for the child to be brought down to him, he transfers his powers to her, dies, and then it is discovered ... the child is female. But there has never ever been a female wizard.

The village witch, Granny Weatherwax, helps Esk find her way to the Unknown University where wizards get their training, and helps her get into the University, but Esk has to get accepted by demonstrating her skill. She does this, ironically, not by showing her powers, but showing that she could use her powers.

Terry Pratchett gives us a delightful story demonstrating the age-old truth that one should never assume.

76swynn
Mar 27, 2010, 7:43 pm

#75: That was my first Discworld book, and still my favorite.

77mamzel
Mar 28, 2010, 4:51 pm

Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey
This book isn't counted because I couldn't finish it.

I have discovered something I like less than reading history books and that is reading a book about someone else reading history books. Maybe I am just jaded by all the action books and movies I have enjoyed, but a story about a man who spends the whole book in a hospital bed reading books brought to him by others, just doesn't get me going. I had expectations, too, from all the raves about this author's other book, Brat Farrar, read on LT. I think I gave up when it finally dawned on Inspector Grant that Sir Thomas More was a contemporary of Henry VIII, not Richard III. Even as lousy a history student as I can remember this fact from watching "A Lion in Winter".

78alcottacre
Mar 29, 2010, 1:20 am

#77: I am sorry you did not enjoy that one. It is my favorite of Tey's. I hope your next read is more to your liking!

79TadAD
Mar 29, 2010, 8:58 am

>77 mamzel:: I can remember this fact from watching "A Lion in Winter".

??? I'll have to rewatch that movie. I'm surprised Thomas More was even mentioned in a movie set 295 years before his birth. Did you perhaps mean "A Man for All Seasons"? ;-)

80mamzel
Mar 29, 2010, 7:02 pm

Yes, indeed. I get the titles mixed up.

81mamzel
Mar 30, 2010, 6:07 pm

31. Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris
This book is not like any storyline they have had on the TV series but there are many of the same characters. Sookie Stackhouse continues to get involved in the happenings between different factions of supernaturals. This time a coven of witches are trying to muscle in on Sheriff Eric's territory. Eric spends several nights hiding in Sookie's house because they cast a spell on him causing him to lose his memory. Bill has gone to work on his vampire database in Peru. Sookie is free to "enjoy" Eric's company without guilt. Her brother, Jason, is missing and the supes (supernaturals) help her find him.

I'm am continuing to enjoy this series. The books are fast reads, Sookie is a bright, brave, and sassy heroine, and I love reading about her adventures.

82mamzel
Mar 30, 2010, 6:46 pm

First Quarter Roundup

World Without End by Ken Follett
Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
Witch and Wizard by James Patterson
Stitches by David Small
The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry
A Land Beyond Ravens by Kathleen Cunningham Guler (Member Giveaway)
The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett
Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger
Nation by Terry Pratchett
Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
Refresh, Refresh by Benjamin Percy
Out of Orbit by Chris Jones
The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers
Red Glass by Laura Resau
Raven Summer by David Almond
Angry Management by Chris Crutcher
Wringer by Jerry Spinelli
Thereby Hangs a Tail by Spencer Quinn
Rainbow Boys by Alex Sanchez
Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
Fire by Kristin Cashore
The Edith Wharton Murders by Lev Raphael
Club Dead by Charlaine Harris
Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris
Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke
The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
Britten and Brulightly by Hannah Berry
The Van Alen Legacy by Melissa de la Cruz
Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett
Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris

Totals:
18 Adult, 12 YA, 1 Juvenile
15 fantasy, 6 realistic fiction, 3 graphic novels, 2 mysteries 2 historical fiction, 1 science fiction, 1 novella set, 1 nonfiction

83alcottacre
Mar 30, 2010, 11:08 pm

I like your roundup!

84mamzel
Mar 31, 2010, 3:00 pm

Thank you. I was pretty pleased with myself. It is interesting to see where one's preferences lie. When I was in high school and college, I read mostly historical fiction, then I was heavily into science fiction and now I seem to be leaning heavily into fantasy. It's all those vampire books, I guess.

32. When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
I borrowed this book from my friend's middle school library to read over spring break. I really enjoyed last year's Newbery award winner, The Graveyard Book and wondered what could top that. This book came close.

Miranda, a 12-year old girl living in New York City in the 70s, is given a copy of A Wrinkle in Time and ponders the complications and possibilities of going back in time as she finds mysterious notes seemingly predicting things before they happen.

I enjoyed the view of her life in New York City as the freedom and responsibility of a "latchkey kid" gives her a mature view of the people around her.

85alcottacre
Mar 31, 2010, 3:45 pm

#84: I loved both The Graveyard Book and When You Reach Me. Both very deserving Newbery winners IMHO. I am glad you liked the books too.

86mamzel
Abr 3, 2010, 1:47 pm

33. Shakespeare's Landlord by Charlaine Harris
I am having so much fun with the Sookie Stackhouse series that I decided to try the Lily Bard series. There is no supernatural aspect to the Shakespeare series but Lily is just as sharp and gutsy as Sookie. While she does not have Sookie's gift to read minds, Lily has a gift to read people. She is like a modern and younger Miss Marple in her ability to remember details that she overheard or observed as she goes about her job as a cleaning lady for different people in the town.

Another reason to admire Lily is that she refuses to be a victim. She had been kidnapped, raped, and knifed for 18 straight hours and bears scars inside and out. She left her family's home in Memphis to move to Shakespeare where she was not known. For four years she was able to keep her secret and build up her confidence and with the aid of a karate teacher, her strength and self image.

Two thumbs up for this book.

87TadAD
Abr 3, 2010, 6:46 pm

>86 mamzel:: It's my favorite of her series. I'm sorry that she seems to have abandoned it completely.

88alcottacre
Abr 4, 2010, 2:19 am

I am with Tad on the Lily Bard series. I really liked the series, I enjoyed the progression of Lily as a character and am sorry that Harris is not writing the books any more.

89mamzel
Abr 4, 2010, 5:07 pm

Maybe if HBO had decided to dramatize Lily instead of Sookie....

90alcottacre
Abr 5, 2010, 12:11 am

I do not have HBO so it would not have mattered all that much to me, but maybe inspired Harris to write more about Lily?

91mamzel
Abr 5, 2010, 4:51 pm

That's my point exactly.

92alcottacre
Abr 5, 2010, 11:46 pm

We can only wish!

93mamzel
Abr 9, 2010, 2:01 pm

34. The Dogs of Rome by Conor Fitzgerald
I received this book as an Early Reviewer.

The detective Eric Blume reminded me of the character Arkady Renko in Gorky Park. He was the same older, non-native loner with a sour and sarcastic view of his world that will never accept him, no matter how long he lives in Rome. Like many literary detectives, he knows the rules of interrogation and evidence, and either enforces them or ignores them as conditions warrant but he is always careful not to endanger the outcome of a case.

I was given a glimpse of the world of illegal dog fights and learned about the Italian dog breed known as Cane Corso, bred for fighting and consequently antisocial.

From the beginning of the story we know who the murderer is and we follow the story from his point of view as well as Blume's. What we learn from Blume's investigation is the motive for this and the series of murders that follow.

I found this a pretty decent read.

94mamzel
Abr 11, 2010, 12:33 am

35. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba

I bought this book to read and then donate to my library. It's such an inspiration to read about young people who value an education and make amazing use of their knowledge.

William lives in Malawi and his family was always one crop away from disaster. He completed his free primary education but was unable to pay for his secondary school and studied old donated books in his library to try and keep up in case he could eventually continue. He studied an old physics book and learned enough about electricity to put together collected pieces of junk and build a wind generator.

We get William's view of his day-to-day life, his family and community, and details of a devastating drought and subsequent national famine. He also leads us through his lessons and how he designed his mill and continued to improve its design to add a brake, a light switch, a battery backup, and even a circuit breaker.

I will get a copy of this book to give to my dad who is an engineer and has his own wind generator. He gets a kick out of watching his electrical meter running backwards.

95alcottacre
Abr 11, 2010, 1:35 am

#94: My local library has finally gotten a copy of that one, although it is still 'in processing.' I am looking forward to reading it.

96mamzel
Abr 16, 2010, 12:45 pm

36. Push by Saphhire
The book is told in the voice of a sixteen-year old girl who cannot read or write. She had two children by her father (the first when she was twelve) and her jealous mother also abused her. Precious shows amazing strength when she realizes that the only way out is to get her G.E.D. and be able to find work.

The language in this book is raw to say the least. This is a fast read but the content is very serious. Not everyone's cup of tea, but it is what the kids are reading. It made me think of the book, Sybil, which was the thing to read when I was in high school.

97mamzel
Abr 18, 2010, 3:08 pm

37. The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag by Alan Bradley
I am still charmed and amused by 11-year old Flavia deLuce as she helps solve the murder of a puppeteer.

A line in the book made me think of all of you megareaders - "Drusilla was a very great reader of English novels. She consumed books like a whale eats krill."

38. Forget Sorrow by Belle Yang
I received this ARC as an ER. It is a biographical search for one's ancestry in graphic novel format. A young woman makes peace with her father by listening to the stories of her great-grandfather, and her grandfather and his three brothers in Manchuria.

39. Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris
Sookie is trying to sort out her feelings for Bill, Eric, and Alcide and meets her protective fairy, Claudine. Someone is apparently out to rid the area of weres and shifters and she ends up in the middle. I'm still enjoying this series.

98alcottacre
Editado: Abr 19, 2010, 1:12 am

#97: I have started the first Flavia book, but not gotten very far - I keep getting off track because of library books. I will get around to both of the books one of these days.

Forget Sorrow looks like one I would enjoy. I will have to see if I can locate a copy. Thanks for the mention!

99mamzel
Abr 19, 2010, 1:11 pm

40. Revolver by Marcus Sedgwick
Excellent YA historical fiction! Taking place in Alaska during the gold rush, a boy and his sister have to rely on lessons they have learned from their parents and trust that they will work.

This is a fast read and well worth the time. It made me think of one of my favorite read aloud poems The Cremation of Sam McGee. If you have never read this poem, read it when you've finished this book.

100jadebird
Abr 19, 2010, 1:17 pm

You've been reading some very interesting books, mamzel! Glad I found your thread. :)

101alcottacre
Abr 19, 2010, 1:28 pm

#99: Well rats, the library does not have that one. I will have to look further afield.

102mamzel
Abr 19, 2010, 2:04 pm

jade - Thanks. I've been rather lucky lately. My home reading will slow down a little since I picked up Pulitzer winner, The Known World.

Stasia - Revolver is new. We just received it in the h.s. library where I work. Tell your library to get it.

103markon
Abr 19, 2010, 6:28 pm

The boy who harnessed the wind is on my to read list. I'll have to check out When you reach me - sounds interesting.

104alcottacre
Abr 20, 2010, 2:25 am

#102: I will tell them, not that they will listen to me :)

105mamzel
Abr 21, 2010, 6:40 pm

>104 alcottacre: But, but, but, surely you are one of their best patrons!!! After I raved about the book I checked and it received 4 starred reviews from Booklist, Horn Book and others. I'm sure they will get it eventually.

106mamzel
Abr 21, 2010, 6:44 pm

41. The Last Summer of the Death Warriors by Francisco X. Stork

When I started reading this book and realized it was a about a boy with cancer, I was sure I would end up with wadded up tissues and red eyes. Against my better judgement I continued and was surprised that it did not end the way I thought it would.

Boys going through bad stuff together. Good stuff to read.

107alcottacre
Abr 22, 2010, 3:30 am

#105: I am going to mention it to the new children's librarian and see if I can get her to order it. We shall see.

#106: Adding it to the BlackHole - and no, my local library does not have that one either *sigh*

108mamzel
Abr 22, 2010, 12:43 pm

We subscribe to the Junior Library Guild (kind of a kid's book of the month club) which sells very high quality books, generally as soon as they are released. Since we don't get very many new books these days (gotta love the California state budget) I process and make available these books as soon as we receive them. I like to read them so I can recommend them to students. It frequently happens that a student will comment on a book I am reading and I will leave a sticky note where I was reading and check it out to them. They are the students' books after all!

My point to all of this is to say that your library very well may have these books on order and will be receiving them soon. (One can hope!)

109alcottacre
Abr 22, 2010, 11:22 pm

#108: Even with adult books, my local library runs at least 1-2 years behind, and young adult and juvenile books tend to run even further behind than that.

110mamzel
Abr 25, 2010, 3:26 pm

42. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

Expectations met! A page turner in the truest sense.

I was slightly distracted and amused by the number of times coffee appears. Every four or five pages (out of 644) someone is cleaning a coffee pot, making coffee, offering to make coffee, drinking coffee, or choking on coffee. Is Sweden as obsessed with coffee as this book makes it seem? Thankfully there wasn't a single Starbucks mentioned!

This book was loaned to me by a friend. To reciprocate, I bought the second one in the series and loaned it to her. Hopefully, she finishes it quickly.

111alcottacre
Abr 26, 2010, 12:05 am

#110: I really like the Millennium trilogy and will be re-reading the first two over the summer so I can finally get the third one read! I am glad you enjoyed the first book.

112bonniebooks
Abr 26, 2010, 11:37 am

Yuk! I hate coffee, so I wonder if that will annoy me. More importantly, it makes it sound like mediocre writing--like when authors spend so much time describing what someone is wearing or eating. Still, there's been enough hype about these books that I'll eventually read them.

113mamzel
Abr 26, 2010, 12:47 pm

Stasia - I hope my friend finishes the second one soon. I'll start looking for the third one.

Bonnie - If I hadn't pointed it out you may not have even noticed the coffee mentions. They do also drink beer, aquavit, tea, and Coke. They don't spend a lot of time describing the imbibing (!), just mention it in passing.

114alcottacre
Abr 26, 2010, 12:50 pm

#113: I do not think the third one is available in the States yet. I ordered my copy from www.bookdepository.com last year. Of course, I still have not managed to read it yet :)

115mamzel
Editado: Abr 26, 2010, 1:05 pm

Stasia - I should have realized that. I was looking at the best sellers lists and noticed that #1 and #2 had the top two spots on the paperback lists but the third wasn't anywhere to be found.

Thanks to nittnut for the quiz!

What Kind of Reader Are You? Your Result: Literate Good Citizen

You read to inform or entertain yourself, but you're not nerdy about it. You've read most major classics (in school) and you have a favorite genre or two.

Dedicated Reader Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm Book Snob Fad Reader Non-Reader What Kind of Reader Are You?
Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

116mamzel
Abr 27, 2010, 5:51 pm

43. Going Bovine by Libba Bray

There is no mystery why this book won the Printz Award.

Cameron visits a doctor because he is suffering from occasional weakness. The diagnosis is devastating. He has mad cow disease and is immediately checked into the hospital. His roommate is a dwarf named Gonzo and Cameron talks him into leaving the hospital to help him search for a Dr. X who has a cure for mad cow. This is the start of a fantastic road trip adventure through Texas and on to Florida. Oddly enough, he occasionally sees and hears the nurse from the hospital.

This twist on the story of Don Quixote is a true pleasure to read. For you LTers who haven't had the pleasure of reading a YA book yet, this is one to seek out!

117Whisper1
Abr 27, 2010, 10:16 pm

I'm adding Going Bovine to the list. It sounds wonderful! Thanks for your description and recommendation!

118alcottacre
Editado: Abr 28, 2010, 3:00 am

#116: I already had Going Bovine in the BlackHole. I sure hope my local library gets a copy soon.

ETA: I just checked for the book again and they have it now. I have put it on hold. Woot!

119mamzel
mayo 3, 2010, 2:51 pm

44. Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris

I'm still getting a real kick out of this series. In this episode, Charlaine is still mad at Bill, hot for Eric and Alcide, and now attracted to Quinn, a were who changes into a tiger. She is summoned to New Orleans by the Queen of Louisiana who is going to partner with the King of Arkansas. While she is there she clears out the apartment of her vampire cousin, Hadley with the help of a witch, Amelia who lives down stairs.

In her forward, Ms. Harris tells us that this book was published the year of Katrina but since it takes place in the spring, did not change the story.

What will Sookie be up to in her next adventure? I can't wait to find out.

120mamzel
mayo 9, 2010, 4:10 pm

45. The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson

As gripping as the first of the series, I tore through this book. Larsson has invented an amazing character named Lisbeth Salander and a violent, cruel world that formed her. I look forward to reading the third.

It may be because this book was so fascinating that I was quit two other books: Citizen of the Galaxy by Robert Heinlein and Changing Planes by Ursula Le Guin. It seemed to me that they were both written to incorporate worlds that the authors invented, couldn't create a book for them, but didn't want to waste the good ideas. Maybe I just took them on at the wrong time to give them justice.

121Whisper1
mayo 9, 2010, 4:37 pm

I just returned from Barnes and Noble where I noticed a huge display of books written by Charlaine Harris. She is a very popular author.

122mamzel
mayo 9, 2010, 6:12 pm

You might try them. I picked them up because I loved the HBO series and found them fun, fast reads. Sookie Stackhouse is bright and sassy and stands her own ground in her home town of Bon Temps, LA. I was also led to another Harris series (only 5 books) starring Lily Bard. If you need a new addiction, look no further.

123Whisper1
mayo 9, 2010, 8:03 pm

I read Grave Sight, Grave Surprise and An Ice Cold Grave. I liked all of them.

124mamzel
mayo 10, 2010, 12:32 pm

They will be next up! Thanks for the recommendation.

125mamzel
mayo 19, 2010, 6:40 pm

46. The Ship Who Sang by Anne McCaffrey

Since I abandoned two books, I was determined to finish this one. Unfortunately, I probably should have abandoned this one, too.

Helva was born human; intelligent but severely deformed and put into a program where her body is encapsulated into the structure of a space ship. We follow her on several of her missions like one where she took a troupe of actors to another world to put on Romeo and Juliet. We meet the people who support her back at her base and "brawns" who accompany her on her trips.

I wish the book would have focused on one of the stories and expanded on that instead of ramble on like a travel log. More than half way through the book we learn that several other ships like her had disappeared. "Aha!" I thought. Finally, a juicy plot. It, however, was resolved too quickly.

126alcottacre
mayo 20, 2010, 2:26 am

Sounds like you are having a terrible streak right now. I hope your next read is much better.

127LibraryLover23
mayo 20, 2010, 7:44 pm

I second Whisper's recommendation of the Grave Sight series. I've actually only read the first one but if you like Lily and Sookie, you'll probably like Harper too--another strong female lead!

128mamzel
mayo 21, 2010, 12:27 pm

It is interesting that I am finding pairs of books with major similarities. First the books with the introduction to civilizations and life forms and now I am reading two books which feature a city surrounded by a wall with the misfits (?) outside and the important (?) people inside. Both my ER, Flight of Shadows and a new YA book I'm reading at work, Birth Marked have heroines trying to sneak into the city to accomplish something. There is a major difference in their motives, though. I didn't seek out these books, it just happened!

129alcottacre
mayo 21, 2010, 11:39 pm

#128: It is kind of a double-edged sword sometimes though when you pair books like that, don't you find?

130mamzel
mayo 22, 2010, 4:51 pm

Stasia,
Indeed. One can't help compare one to the other. The pairings were completely accidental. Serendipitous.

131mamzel
Editado: mayo 22, 2010, 5:01 pm

47. The Double Comfort Safari Club by Alexander McCall Smith
What I love about this series almost made me not like this book as much as the rest. There are only 211 pages but it seemed like the first 130 were spent reading about Mma Ramotswe drinking her favorite red bush tea and pondering about life in Botswana. Once we are reminded that Botswana is full of traditional and respectful people, she gets going and resolves the problems brought to her.

I still love this series. The problems are no less serious to the sufferers for not having any of the modern trappings of more civilized (?) countries. The people of Botswana are presented with dignity and respect and I would love to meet them.

132mamzel
mayo 25, 2010, 2:37 pm

48. Flight of Shadows by Sigmund Brouwer

I can't really recommend this. I think it's meant to be a YA book. It's a dystopia setting with a survivor of genetic engineering being chased by bounty hunters and others with nefarious motives. It was dark and the evil characters were truly despicable and the good characters were not totally likable. I never read the Maximum Ride series by Patterson, but this book looks a lot like them.

133mamzel
mayo 31, 2010, 10:36 pm

49. All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris

Not my favorite of the series. Sookie risks revealing her special talent to the world of the living after events that could have killed all the head vampires of the south.

134mamzel
mayo 31, 2010, 10:48 pm

50. Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann

Two-thirds through the challenge!

The bad news is that the power supply of my computer died so I was unable to read the thread of the group read of this book. The good news is that, without a computer to distract me, I had more time this weekend to read this book. And my guru replaced my power supply so now I can catch up with the thread.

I almost didn't finish the first chapter. Starting with two brothers from Ireland, one a heavy drinker, the other deeply religious and devoted to caring for his fellow man, I was not drawn in. This is where the comments and support of a book by LTers came in. I figured that so many people couldn't be wrong so I continued, and I am so happy I did.

I actually started college in the Bronx the same month this book takes place so that gave me a rare connection and commitment. (Alas, I do not remember anything about the walker.)

I see the paperback version of this book is on the best seller lists, so if you haven't already read it, here's your chance.

135alcottacre
Jun 1, 2010, 4:41 am

Congratulations on hitting the 50 book point!

136mamzel
Jun 9, 2010, 6:19 pm

51. Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien

Another distopia story featuring a walled city. Gaia helps her mother, who is a midwife, and learns about delivering babies. The first three babies born each month are delivered to the Enclave, the city inside the wall. They were aware of genetic problems arising from inbreading and used these unwilling immigrants to try and solve a particularly bad bleeding syndrome. Her mother and father were forcibly taken inside the Enclave and Gaia depends on her wits to try and release them.

Too many walled cities in my reading lately. This was just OK. Gaia was a typically smart and brave young girl trying to get her family back.

137alcottacre
Jun 9, 2010, 11:46 pm

Glad to see you back! It has been a few days.

138Whisper1
Jun 11, 2010, 11:59 pm

Stopping by to wave hi.

139mamzel
Jun 13, 2010, 3:58 pm

Thanks. It's been a very busy couple of weeks for me at work. We have been collecting and barcoding textbooks for the core classes. As of Friday, we had done 10,400 books! These are very heavy textbooks, at least 2 pounds each). That's ten tons of books! To say I've been exhausted when I get home is an understatement! I've only had minutes to read books and LT so I am way behind. I will catch up on what I have been able to read now.

140mamzel
Editado: Jun 13, 2010, 4:23 pm

52. The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood

This was a short book that brought me back to 4th grade when our obsessed teacher had us read the Iliad and the Odyssey (not the originals) and Edith Hamilton's Mythology. We even put on a play called The Wrath of Achilles. We painted our own shields and sewed our own togas. Ah, memories.

It was very interesting to read the story from Penelope's point of view. It made me think more about myths and the logic of the stories. I actually read about half of it aloud to my daughter who was ailing to try and distract her.

141mamzel
Editado: Jun 14, 2010, 12:04 am

Second Quarter Roundup

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
Shakespeare's Landlord by Charlaine Harris
The Dogs of Rome by Conor Fitzgerald - ER
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba
Push by Saphhire
The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag by Alan Bradley
Forget Sorrow by Belle Yang - ER
Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris
Revolver by Marcus Sedgwick
The Last Summer of the Death Warriors by Francisco X. Stork
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
Going Bovine by Libba Bray
Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris
The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
The Ship Who Sang by Anne McCaffrey
The Double Comfort Safari Club by Alexander McCall Smith
Flight of Shadows by Sigmund Brouwer - ER
All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris
Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann
Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien
The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood

15 adult, 5 young adult, 1 juvenile
6 mystery, 6 fantasy, 3 realistic fiction, 1 science fiction, 1 graphic novel, 1 historical fiction, 1 nonfiction, 1 mythological fiction
and one I could not categorize since most of it was hallucination

142mamzel
Jun 13, 2010, 11:55 pm

53. Little Bee by Chris Cleave

This is a marvelous book about how two women from completely different parts of the world meet and try to help each other. It's not a happy book since there are so many tragedies surrounding them, but it was definitely worth reading.

143alcottacre
Jun 14, 2010, 2:14 am

#139: That's a lot of books to barcode! It is a wonder you got any reading done at all!

144Whisper1
Jun 14, 2010, 3:57 pm

I obtained a copy of Little Bee at a library sale. I think I paid $1.00 for it. Your comments prompt me to read it soon.

145PamFamilyLibrary
Jun 16, 2010, 1:21 pm

Wow, great list, Mamzel. Lots of good reading there.

146mamzel
Jun 25, 2010, 12:14 am

Update on the barcoding. We finished with a total of 11,500. I felt like I had been living in a gym for three weeks lifting weights! I am now on summer break and I am doing some serious housecleaning while the weather is still cool. At the end of the month my daughter and I are visiting my dad in St. Thomas for two weeks. I'll try and post some pics from there.

#144 - I hope you enjoy it!

#145 - It's so cool to look back at what I've finished. Thanks for your encouragement.

As far as reading, I am in somewhat of a slump at the moment. I've started no less than four books and I don't have much desire to return to any of them but I feel guilty about starting another one. I think I must be distracted with my upcoming trip. We are taking books that both of us want to read so we can take half the number of books. I am taking The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest on the plane and the other two of the Millennium series to give my dad the whole set.

147alcottacre
Jun 25, 2010, 12:23 am

Have a wonderful trip! Hopefully when you get back the reading slump will be gone.

148dk_phoenix
Jun 25, 2010, 9:43 am

After reading the cover copy on Little Bee I found myself so intrigued that I added it to the TBR list... the only reason I didn't buy it right there was that I had a handful of other books I'd already decided on buying, but maybe next time! Or if I find it at the library first, I'll get it there. Either way, definitely looking forward to reading it.

149mamzel
Jul 2, 2010, 9:54 am

54. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson

from the Virgin Islands

I saved this book for the plane trip knowing that it would be gripping enough to distract me without requiring careful attention. It fit the bill and I finished almost half before reaching my destination.

The first half was taken up with the building of Lizbeth's defense. We are introduced to new characters such as Mikael's sister who takes on Lizbeth's defense and a woman who takes on protecting Mikael and his magazine, Millennium. The addition of so many women to the cast of characters is no accident. The intercorollary chapters give us a glimpse of the history of women warriors, some mythical. Mikael sums it up when he says, "When it comes down to it, this story is not primarily about spies and secret goverment agencies; it's about violence against women, and the men who enable it."

**POSSIBLE SPOILERS**
I would have liked the trial to take longer and see more people squirm. The trial has interesting differences to the ways of American trials. The judge doesn't warn the defendant to keep quite when she vocally accuses the testifier of lying, instead, he asked her why she thinks that.

I was a little disappointed that we never met Lizbeth's sister. I kept expecting her to pop up, like during the trial, to corroborate her sister's story. Neither do we meet her off stage, as it were, reading about her sister's troubles, locked in a cell in Paraguay or some other scenario that continued the story of abuse and excused her from piping up.

Lizbeth is an amazing character and I am so glad I got to know her. Thanks, Stieg.

150tymfos
Jul 4, 2010, 8:43 pm

I'm just catching up on your thread. You've done some great reading -- and I love your reviews!

I hope you are enjoying your trip! Safe travels!

151carlym
Jul 4, 2010, 8:59 pm

#142--I keep seeing good things about Little Bee and have been thinking about suggesting it for my book group, but it seems so sad.

152mamzel
Jul 8, 2010, 9:18 am

from the Virgin Islands

tymfos - Thank you. I'm glad you like them. My daughter and I have been alternating going to the beach with staying out of the sun and reading. My father's house is on top of a hill, surrounded by palm trees (to protect the house from hurricanes), and we are having fun watching the lizards. At night we are serenaded by frogs, including the tiny but loud coqui, a species imported from Puerto Rico.

carlym - It was sad but Little Bee's courage was inspiring.

55. The Ape Who Guards the Balance by Elizabeth Peters

Maybe if I had started at the beginning of this series I might have loved it as much as I wanted to. A family of Egyptologists in 1907 are on a continued chase to capture a master thief known as Sethos. Amelia Peabody is the matriarch of the clan, who oversees her family comprised of her husband, Emerson, her son, Ramses, his Egyptian friend, David, and niece, Nefret.

Like one's body is always aware of the position and occupation of its parts, this group of people is always in tune with the location and occupations of each other, as are we the readers. The POV alternates between Amelia's and excerpts from "Manuscript H". And they are all British with all the flairs and chuckles.

There was no warning, not even a knock. The door flew open, and he forgot his present aches and pains in anticipation of what lay in store. The figure that stood in the door was not that of an enemy. It was worse. It was his mother.

153chinquapin
Jul 8, 2010, 11:22 am

I really like Elizabeth Peters and her Amelia Peabody series. I haven't read this one yet, though. Her books are always amusing to me.

>54 alcottacre: The Stieg Larsson mysteries are on my TBR pile, and I hope to get to them soon. Everyone who reads them seems to love the experience.

154carlym
Jul 8, 2010, 12:31 pm

I read one Elizabeth Peters mystery and wasn't too impressed (Silhouette in Scarlet), but the Amelia Peabody ones look more my style. I have the first one and should read it soon. That line you quoted is pretty funny!

155mamzel
Jul 8, 2010, 12:47 pm

>153 chinquapin: I gave the series to my dad who had never heard of them before (?!). He finished all three in five days!

>154 carlym: There were a few chuckles in the book. I'll be interested to see how you like the first one.

156alcottacre
Jul 8, 2010, 6:47 pm

#152: I have read all of the Peabody series except for the latest. I would recommend to anyone that the books be read in order.

157mamzel
Editado: Jul 12, 2010, 8:59 am

from the Virgin Islands

56. The Magicians by Lev Grossman

Having read the Harry Potter series as an adult, I see that there were many unanswered questions that should have been asked by Harry and his friends like, "What is magic?" and "What can I do with this knowledge?"

A brilliant young man, Quentin, and his friends who find themselves in a school for magic called Brakebills located in upstate New York ask these questions and their search for answers is painful and difficult.

Readers will enjoy the nods to many classic lands such as Narnia, Hogwarts, Middle Earth, and even Star Wars. (I'm sure there were more that I didn't recognize.)

My new favorite line: The thick plottens.

Returning to California tomorrow. Will miss Dad but not the humidity and the mosquitoes.

158carlym
Jul 12, 2010, 11:26 am

That looks fun!

159alcottacre
Jul 15, 2010, 6:33 am

Safe travels!

160mamzel
Jul 18, 2010, 5:59 pm

>158 carlym: It is quite different from other magic books I've read. You might like it.

>159 alcottacre: Thanks for your wishes!

I'm back - and in the nick of time. I think I was starting to come down with something on the flight back. I was borderline achy, borderline nauseous, and generally cranky. The next three days I was eating little and moving slowly so as to not shake anything too hard. I'm all better now and will catch up on stuff.

First - books.

57. Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon
I started this book before I left and finished it when I came back. One of the things I appreciated about it was that the main character, unlike so many of his counterparts, has a wonderful marriage and home life. The back stage setting of the opera house in Venice and the travel around Venice were wonderfully interesting twists.

58. Shakespeare's Counselor by Charlaine Harris
Unfortunately, this was my choice of reads on the plane trip home. Cramped in the middle of three seats, annoyed by the flight attendant, coming down with a bug, and being rather cranky, I was not in the best frame of mind to read this book. I have the other books in this series and will probably read them eventually.

59. The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly
When I wasn't too nauseated to read, I picked this book up and it was good enough to distract me from my ills. Fantastic! Different! Very cool! I even read all of the explanations of the various fairy tales used in the book along with the versions offered by Connolly.

161mamzel
Editado: Jul 18, 2010, 7:53 pm

This will be my first time trying to post pictures.
Enjoy!

Oooo! It worked.
Anyway, that's my dad's new dog, Annie. Proof positive that some people have absolutely no brains. She was abandoned on the Coast Guard dock. Friends of my dad called him knowing that he couldn't resist her. She is a beautiful, sweet Great Pyrenees who has very little reason to be subjected to the Caribbean heat. Luckily Dad lives high enough to enjoy the coolest breezes available.

edited to insert information that it was not my dad who was the idiot to bring her to St. Thomas in the first place!

162mamzel
Jul 18, 2010, 6:33 pm

Me enjoying the 80 degree temp water at Magen's Bay.


The view down the beach


The "view" from Dad's front room. The wind protection provided by the sturdy Royal Palms is more important to him than being able to see the cruise ships. Go figure!


163mamzel
Jul 18, 2010, 6:36 pm

Someday I'll try to figure out why some loaded full size and some thumb nail sized.

164verdelambton
Jul 18, 2010, 7:18 pm

#161 Oh wow! That is one beautiful dog! I've never seen a Great Pyrenees before. She's gorgeous. Oh wow! That is quite probably the most beautiful view from a living room ever! Oh wow! Sorry, speechless now! .... ..... ...... (gasp!)

165mamzel
Jul 18, 2010, 7:51 pm

Thanks. It really is gorgeous and I would never be nonchalant about it.

166ronincats
Jul 18, 2010, 9:40 pm

Beautiful pictures! Thanks for sharing. (Does your Dad want any more company?)

167Whisper1
Jul 18, 2010, 10:00 pm

Thanks for sharing those wonderful photos!

I hope you are feeling better today!

168alcottacre
Jul 19, 2010, 1:50 am

I am sure we could arrange for the 75ers to go visit your dad for a bit :)

169mamzel
Jul 19, 2010, 2:14 pm

I'll let my dad know that everyone loves his house. He regularly hosts radio competitions. The guest room is also his radio room.

60. Nightlight by The Harvard Lampoon
Funny, funny, funny. Full of chuckles by the masters of parody. For example:

We began to butterfly kiss, which is when you touch your eyelashes to the other person's skin. I was going to respect Edwart's desire to wait, and he was going to respect my desire for winged creatures.
"AHHH LEG CRAMP LEG CRAMP!" Edwart suddenly shouted.


A fun way to pass a couple of hours.

170Copperskye
Jul 19, 2010, 7:55 pm

Oh my goodness - what a beautiful dog! Tough place for her to live but sounds like she found a great home.

I'm jealous that you are finding so much time to read on vacation, but that is just the way it is supposed to be!

And I concur - we need to have a group meet-up at your dad's house. Looks like heaven to me.

171mamzel
Editado: Jul 25, 2010, 3:41 pm

61. Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris

It felt like I was sitting around with friends sharing stories and he had the funniest ones. I kept wanting to join in with, "I know just what you mean..." or "Something like that happened to me..."

Here's an excerpt that made me think of my LT friends from his experiences as a furniture mover:
I began to change in subtle ways and quickly lost patience with people who owned too many books. What had once seemed an honorable inclination now struck me as a heavy and inconvenient affectation. The conversation wasn't as sparkling, but I found that I much preferred the stuffed-animal collectors.

Very funny and highly recommended. I will definitely be on the lookout for more by Sedaris!

62.From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris
On the heels of the assassination attempt on the Queen of Louisiana, Sookie returns home to try and find normalcy again. Yeah, sure! The vampires aren't the only supes with power struggles, now the weres are at it, too. Out of nowhere she is visited by an old relative and she learns much more about her heritage.
One more and I'll be caught up. I love this series.

172verdelambton
Jul 25, 2010, 7:29 pm

> I began to change in subtle ways and quickly lost patience with people who owned too many books. What had once seemed an honorable inclination now struck me as a heavy and inconvenient affectation. The conversation wasn't as sparkling, but I found that I much preferred the stuffed-animal collectors.

I like that quote a lot! It reminds me of the last lot of removal men we had when we moved from Australia to the US. One of them, on unpacking the umpteenth box of books and setting them on the bookcase, commented "do you REALLY need all these books?" Mind you, I don't think I was helping matters much by watching them closely and involuntarily drawing my breath in through my teeth every time they opened a box and dumped the contents on the floor. How exactly do you explain to a removal guy that your books are as precious to you as the box of lead crystal was to the last person they moved house for??

173mamzel
Jul 26, 2010, 4:41 pm

>172 verdelambton: LOL - I don't think movers are known for their literacy!

63. Almost French by Sarah Turnbull
I recently bought several books about the French and living in France, in part because my mother was French and is not around to ask her my nosy questions. I paid close attention to the parts of this book where Turnbull analyzed French women; what they wore, how they acted with each other and strangers, what they ate and drank, and how hard it was for a foreigner to make friends with them. My mother grew up in Nice, in southern France, not Paris, but I could see similarities as well as differences. She was not a skinny fashion-minded woman but she did take as much care of her looks as one could living in the tropics. She was very much different in her views of feminism. She left France in her early 20s to live and work in New York City. She always made me feel I could do anything I wished to and not just settle for being a wife and mother. Living in the Caribbean, one can't help but come in contact with people from many different countries and Mom made friends with them all - Danish, Swiss, German, English, etc. I can remember some interesting dinner party conversations.

This was a fun book to read and I think that anyone who has harbored a secret wish to life in a foreign country should read this to see how difficult and rewarding it can be.

174bonniebooks
Jul 26, 2010, 4:57 pm

This was a fun book to read and I think that anyone who has harbored a secret wish to life in a foreign country should read this to see how difficult and rewarding it can be.

Who doesn't?! ;-) Sounds like a good reason to put it on my wish list even if I never get there--thanks! And your quote from Sedaris's book gave me such a burst of pleasure that I want to go pull it off my shelf and read it all over again.

175mamzel
Jul 26, 2010, 6:58 pm

64. Sex: A Book for Teens by Nikol Hasler

I received this as an ER.

I work in a high school library and requested this book from the list of ERs because kids can't have enough choices to get good information about sex and sexuality so they can make good choices. Sex: A Book for Teens is written in a conversational manner, not like a lecture, and the illustrations are simple line drawings. The only clinical language comes in a table of STIs, how one contracts them, their symptoms, tests to diagnose them, and treatments. At the end of each chapter is a question and answer section with the types of concerns that shy and confused teens may ask if given a trustworthy confidant.

One of the interesting things I liked about this book is that the second chapter concerns sexuality and the confusing feelings that teens are bombarded with. I thought that it was a logical place for this subject, a major consideration rather than as an afterthought at the end of the book. This, and all of the subjects in this book, are treated in an offhand manner but with respect, letting the teen reader know that they are not the first (or last) to have these feelings and questions and they are indeed, normal.

If a teen cannot get answers in this book, there is a list of websites and phone numbers at the end such as Planned Parenthood, National Domestic Abuse Hotline, and their own Midwest Teen Sex Show, which provided much of the material covered.

The only unfortunate aspect of this book, in my opinion, is the cover art, a large profile of a bull mounting a cow. Since it screams the subject matter, I worry that a shy teen may not borrow this book since its topic can be identified at a distance. While I'm not suggesting that it hide in a plain brown paper wrapping, something more subtle might be better.

176alcottacre
Jul 27, 2010, 12:56 am

#173: I already had that one in the BlackHole. I liked your input about it. Thanks!

177bonniebooks
Jul 27, 2010, 10:06 am

>175 mamzel:: Ooh! Ugh! I like the idea of the book, but the cover sounds awful!

Change of topic: Do you have any recommendations for a smart teenage boy who doesn't read by choice at all. Dad is a retired psychologist and doesn't read a bit either. Mom is a science teacher and reads nonfiction and/or prefers fiction that is more on the YA side (Highest Tide, Girl in Translation, Northern Lights, The Help). She has a hard time getting her son to read the one required book each summer--she's been reading it to him. He's not into sports or physical exercise. His mom says he plays video games for a large chunk of the day. He likes Western music, and like his parents, is conservative. I mention the latter, because someone else had mentioned the Pat Tillman book, but I wondered if he would be turned off by the criticism of the military and/or the Bush administration. His mom says he hates science fiction and fantasy, or at least all things Tolkien.

178mamzel
Editado: Jul 27, 2010, 1:51 pm

Teenage boys are really tough to find good books for if they are not into reading. I can recommend a couple of books I found were real page turners .
Little Brother by Cory Doctorow is about some kids who are concerned with the privacy issues that fall by the wayside when there is a terrorist attack in San Francisco. Lots of computer hacking and action. This book can be downloaded for free at the author's website.
Deadline by is about a boy who discovers he only has one year left to live.
Unwind is a science fiction but without aliens and spacecraft. It's about a dystopia where certain young people are selected to be "unwound", cut up for their parts. The last chapter, told from the viewpoint of one of the characters in the process of being unwound, was one of the toughest chapters I ever read.
Revolver is a recent book by Marcus Sedgwick. It takes place during the Klondike gold rush. I could not put this one down.
If he hasn't read Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, this was another dystopian story where kids from different districts are pitted against each other while being watched by all the folks back home. The last survivor is the winner and his/her district enjoys special treatment for a year.
If he likes war stories, Sunrise over Fallujah by Walter Dean Myers is about young people serving in Iraq - very topical.

While many would not consider them true books, graphic novels have come a long, long way in recent years. While you can still find Spiderman and gang, many classics have been produced in this format. Beowulf is a good example. If he is lucky, his library might have a good selection since the best ones are really expensive.

Through the Member Giveaway program, I got an ebook called Massively Multiplayer which may grab his attention if he plays those kind of games. I'll send a copy of the links to your page. If you think it may grab him, forward it to his mom. The author gives permission to share the book in his message.

I hope that one of these suggestions might reach him. If it does, please let me know. It is my biggest thrill to learn when that one of my suggestions is a hit.

179mamzel
Jul 27, 2010, 1:47 pm

65. My French Whore by Gene Wilder

Yes, that Gene Wilder. I couldn't help but hear his voice and see his face while I read his words. Paul Peachy is a young man in the trenches of World War I. After watching his two friends killed in front of him, he staggers into a woods and is discovered by German soldiers. He speaks German fluently and takes on the character of a defector he had interviewed the night before.

This is a very short (178 pages) novel which reads very fast. I recommend this for a sunny afternoon with a glass of minty iced tea.

180drneutron
Jul 27, 2010, 4:10 pm

#177 - on the subject of books for teenage males:

Zombie books: I've found a few lately that I liked. Feed is a political thriller set after a zombie outbreak that's centered around a small group of bloggers that have become the journalists of the day. Good story, very video-game-ish. The other is Boneshaker set in Seattle in the late 19th century after a mining project has destroyed the city and released a gas that turns people into zombies. It's got dirigibles, air pirates, gangs, zombies, etc.

Vampire book: Blood Oath is a pretty good story centered on a vampire serving as a special agent of President and his new handler. Somewhat derivative of Hellboy (the movie version, not the graphic novels), but a good thriller type story.

181mamzel
Jul 27, 2010, 7:34 pm

Dr.N.- I hope Bonnie sees your recommendations, too. I'll keep my eyes open for these myself. Blood Oath sounds pretty cool! Thanks.

182bonniebooks
Editado: Jul 29, 2010, 11:38 am

I sent your recs on--thanks! I'll be sure to write back if his mom says he reads/likes any of those recs. Remember, he's quite conservative politically (as are his parents) and hasn't liked sci-fi or fantasy. Of course, there are always outstanding books in every genre that shatter those biases.

183mamzel
Ago 2, 2010, 5:39 pm

66. The Spice Necklace by Ann Vanderhoof

I bought this book when I was in St. Thomas in the wonderful Dockside Bookstore. They have a section of books relating to the region. I read about this book in someone's thread and it positively jumped off the shelf into my arms.

There were several sections that brought back memories to me, such as the section about Saba and Saba Spice, a powerful spiced rum available only on that island or elsewhere if you know someone from Saba as my family did. Another practice was selling herbs in bunches that were just the right amount for a specific recipe.

Most of the recipes call for ingredients that are unavailable here (like goat, callalou, breadfruit, etc.) but they are fun to read nonetheless.

I really enjoyed meeting all of the people they became friends with and going on the tours of local farms and kitchens.

It feels like we've been deluged with books about food in areas such as Italy, China, and France but this book brings out a new and relatively unknown cuisine.

184alcottacre
Ago 3, 2010, 9:44 am

#183: I had already put that one in the BlackHole even though I will not be able to get any of the ingredients either :)

185mamzel
Ago 3, 2010, 7:45 pm

Stasia - Hopefully the book is more accessible than the ingredients! ;-)

I'm starting back to work tomorrow so my spurt of reading will slow down to a trickle again.

67. Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky
I would put this book in my top five for the year!

Covering two dismal periods in France's history (Parisians leaving the city two steps ahead of the Germans in 1940 and the German occupying small towns outside the city), this book does not romanticize or sugarcoat events. The exodus out of the city brought to mind a picture of rats climbing on top of each other to escape a flooding sewer. Every man for himself was very much the rule of the road. The occupancy of the Germans in a village called Bussy was described in the second half of the book. Each chapters highlights one individual or family and comparisons of their behavior can be made.

This quote illustrates how the author shared what everyone was feeling:

There was no crying or shouting; even the children were quiet. Everything seemed calm. From time to time a face would appear over a lowered window and stare up at the sky for a while, wondering. A low, muffled murmur rose up from the crowd, the sound of painful breathing, sighs and conversations held in hushed voices, as if people were afraid of being overhead by an enemy lying in wait. Some tried to sleep, head leaning on the corner of a suitcase, legs aching on a narrow bench or a warm cheek pressed against a window. Young men and women called to each other from the cars and sometimes laughed. Then a dark shape would glide across the star-covered sky, everyone would look up and the laughter would stop. It wasn't exactly what you'd call fear, rather a strange sadness - a sadness that had nothing human about it any more, for it lacked bother courage and hope. This was how animals waited to die. It was the way fish caught in a net watch the shadow of the fisherman moving back and forth above them.

I felt chills reading this. It was further chilling to realize that Nemirovsky did not survive the war - she died in Auschwitz. This book should not be missed!

186alcottacre
Ago 3, 2010, 11:30 pm

#185: I liked Suite Francaise so much, I bought myself a copy. I would also recommend Nemirovsky's collection in David Golder, which features 4 short stories (David Golder; The ball; Snow in autumn; The Courilof affair) and shows her development as a writer.

187mamzel
Ago 11, 2010, 7:50 pm

68. Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris

I'm finally caught up with the series and now have to wait *fingers drumming on desk top* impatiently for the next one. Sookie is such a fun character one gets to know well after nine books. She is bright even though not educated. She has a special gift that has helped and hindered her relationships with others and made her very valuable in the eyes of the supernaturals in her neighborhood. I have never read of a character like her whose ability to hear people's thoughts interferes with her love life. The twist that vampires' minds are a blank to her and make them more desired because of that, is (IMO) brilliant.

The politics of all the differently natured people around her in our modern world is fun. Unlike the Twilight series where the vampires are still in the closet, so to speak, I find this aspect of the series fascinating in how they interact with each other and humans.

In our present society, where the definition of marriage has become a constitutional question, I can only imagine what throwing supernaturals into the mix would do for newspaper sales and news program ratings!

188mamzel
Ago 12, 2010, 11:03 am

Well, fingers are no longer drumming. Went out with my friend and my daughter last night and our first stop was that big store with the bull's eye on the side. We were strolling around checking out the school supplies and stuff and walked past the book section. I casually cast my eye over the display, not expecting to see anything, but lo! Is that a new Sookie book? I pick it up and read the flyleaf. Joy of joys! Friend and daughter try gently to remind me that I have tons of books to read at home. "But, but, but, this is a Sookie book!!!" Intervention failed and I went home as happy as I have been in a while.

(It doesn't take much to get me excited, does it?)

189alcottacre
Ago 12, 2010, 2:40 pm

I think the same goes for the rest of us! We are just an excitable bunch when it comes to books.

190Whisper1
Ago 12, 2010, 2:50 pm

Stasia is right. My partner is a wonderful soul who, for the most part, is very patient with me when I am anywhere near a store that contains books.

191mamzel
Ago 25, 2010, 4:52 pm

69. Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris
Still loving the series. The TV series seems to be taking an alarming turn from the books but this doubles the amount of paranormal storyline for me. I recently read the Anna Pacquin (Sookie) and Stephen Moyer (Vampire Bill) just got married in real life.

70. The Cardturner by Louis Sachar
It's been a while since Sachar's enourmous success with Holes and he is back with a very different story. Alton is a young man with a very rich (and childless) uncle. Uncle Trapp is blind and Alton's mother volunteers Alton to be his card turner at bridge tournaments in the hope that they will be remembered in Uncle Trapp's will. It is pure enjoyment to follow Alton as he gets to know his curmudgeon of an uncle and learn a bit about bridge. My grandmother taught me a little about bridge so I could play with her and her friends during my summer visits but I knew there was much more to the game and now I wish I could have learned more about the bidding and playing of this game. I think this book might be a hard sell to kids who have never heard of bridge but it would be absolutely fantastic if it enticed them to learn more about the game and try to play it.

192alcottacre
Ago 26, 2010, 2:29 am

#191: I will look for The Cardturner. Thanks for the recommendation!

193mamzel
Ago 29, 2010, 2:31 pm

71. The Lark's Lament by Alan Gordon
I really enjoyed this episode of A Fools' Guild Mystery. It takes place in early 13th century France and features a family of jesters (fools) who solve a murder mystery as they travel around France. I will definitely look for earlier mysteries of this series.

72. Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
School is back in session so I am reading YA again. Having a maritime background, I really enjoyed the setting of this book. It opens in a future world of risen sea levels and "city killers", storms of fatal destruction. Nailer is a teenage boy who works as a scavenger on beached ships on the shore of the Gulf of Mexico. He saves a girl on a storm-wrecked sailing ship (fossil fuels have run out) and tries to help her hide from her father's enemies and reconnect with someone sympathetic to her father. It is a thrilling book featuring a new and fascinating dystopia. I would recommend this books to readers who enjoyed the Hunger Games series.

194alcottacre
Ago 30, 2010, 12:14 am

#193: I have only read the first book in the Gordon series, but I enjoyed it. I am hoping to read others in the series. I am glad you enjoyed that one.

I already have Ship Breaker in the BlackHole. I am just waiting for it to be returned to the local library.

195mamzel
Ago 30, 2010, 5:43 pm

73. Identical by Ellen Hopkins
Novel
in
verse.

Never
pulls
punches.

Lousy
family
traditions.

Really
really
good!

196mamzel
Sep 1, 2010, 3:43 pm

74. Spies of the Mississippi by Rick Bowers
This book looked so interesting I thought I could get over my general disinterest in nonfiction history books. It was only 120 pages long, written for kids, and covered a rich, passionate, violent, and (for me) unknown part of history. Bah! It's too short and the facts too bare for research and too shallow to get the reader involved. Very disappointing.

197alcottacre
Sep 2, 2010, 3:02 am

#196: Too bad about that one. I hope you enjoy your next read more though, especially since it is going to be number 75 for you!

198mamzel
Sep 2, 2010, 10:18 am

Thanks. I am reading one with a library theme (The Grimm Legacy) just for the occasion.

199alcottacre
Sep 2, 2010, 8:44 pm

#198: That one looks like a goody. I cannot wait to see what you think of it when you are done!

200mamzel
Sep 9, 2010, 5:53 pm

75. The Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman
While this book had such a promising premise (a library in NYC that loans out items instead of books) I feel a little let down.

Elizabeth gets a job as a page and quickly shows her abilities and is soon given a key to the special collection of items from Grimm fairy tales. She and the other young pages learn that the magic in them is real and must be respected or bad things could happen. Someone is stealing items from the collection and must be exposed and stopped.

I felt that the first half of the book was written to introduce me to Elizabeth, her friends, and the library. The action of the second half of the book felt rushed and compressed in comparison like the author was running out of paper.

I am so proud and pleased to have reached the 75-book milestone and would like to thank everyone in the group. Not only did I feel the gentle encouragement to keep reading, like a warm current bouying me along, but I read many books I may not ever have learned about if it hadn't been for your recommendations. I would say more but I hear the music rising so I'll return to my seat and continue reading. Ahh...what's next?

201alcottacre
Sep 9, 2010, 5:55 pm


202ronincats
Sep 9, 2010, 6:25 pm

Congratulations of reaching the 75 book mark!!!

203drneutron
Sep 9, 2010, 9:01 pm

Congrats!

204mamzel
Sep 10, 2010, 2:06 pm

Merci beaucoup!

205Eat_Read_Knit
Sep 10, 2010, 2:36 pm

Congratulations on reaching 75!

206souloftherose
Sep 11, 2010, 5:01 am

Congratulations on reading 75 books!

207PamFamilyLibrary
Sep 11, 2010, 7:26 am

W00T! Congrats on 75, Mamzel!

208mamzel
Sep 13, 2010, 1:12 pm

Thanks, everyone!

76. Extraordinary by Nancy Werlin
I received this as an Early Reviewer ARC.
Phoebe is a rich girl has to fulfill an agreement made by an ancestor generations earlier. I thought it was rather rude and selfish for that ancestor to make an agreement that he never thought would have to be met.

This book was OK. I thought that some aspects of the story was forced to make things work. I don't know that teens would notice or be bothered by this, however.

I received Dexter is Delicious for my birthday and had to put aside The Windup Girl to read it. This is truly an embarrassment of riches.

209alcottacre
Sep 15, 2010, 6:36 pm

#208: This is truly an embarrassment of riches.

Good for you!

210mamzel
Editado: Sep 17, 2010, 12:54 pm

77. Dexter is Delicious by Jeff Lindsay
Dexter is still a fascinating character. Now he is a daddy and is trying so hard to shake his Dark Passenger for his daughter's sake. However, to the delight of this reader, he realizes that maybe the Dark Passenger should stick around to make the world a safer place for her!

Back to The Windup Girl!

211verdelambton
Sep 17, 2010, 5:41 pm

About a week late I would like to say congratulations on reaching the 75 mark! I'm still at 53 but hope to reach 75 before the end of the year. Of course, if I could stop reading and lurking on other Library Thinger's threads I might get more actual reading done!

212alcottacre
Sep 18, 2010, 12:15 am

#210: I have to see if my local library has a copy of Dexter is Delicious yet since I am also a fan of the books. Glad to see you liked it!

213mamzel
Sep 18, 2010, 1:26 pm

>211 verdelambton: Thanks. I know what you mean about reading other threads. Keeping up with Stasia's threads alone should count as a book.

>211 verdelambton: Oh! Hi, Stasia!

78. The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
Fabulous! The thing I loved about this book was how the reader was immediately and totally immersed in the world of future Bangkok without any prep or background. Rising sea levels, end of fossil fuel reserves, and genetic manipulation generating plagues as well as new species of animals and plants are among the concerns that Thais and their international invaders have to deal with.

214alcottacre
Sep 18, 2010, 11:26 pm

#213: I have had The Windup Girl in the BlackHole forever! I hope my local library gets a copy in soon.

215souloftherose
Sep 19, 2010, 2:36 pm

#213 I really enjoyed that one when I read it recently. I really want to read Bacigalupi's other books soon.

216mamzel
Editado: Sep 20, 2010, 11:52 am

>215 souloftherose: I read his YA book, Ship Breaker, first and really enjoyed it. I caught a couple of crossovers between the books - threateningly high sea levels and sail cargo ships. It took place in the Gulf of Mexico, though, not Thailand.

I'm presently reading The Eyre Affair and loving it. I read about the Thursday Next series here on LT and it has taken me this long to come across the first one. What fun!

Last night I watched the new series on HBO, Boardwalk Empire. Steve Buscemi is such a unique actor and has played so many creepy characters (Fargo, for example) and I am glad he has landed such an amazing lead role! It looks like they did a lot of research for this series. Can you imagine a store front exhibiting premies?

I also watched the last episode of last season's Dexter to warm up for the new season starting Sunday. What a stunner that show was! I can't wait to see what the writers will have for us!

217verdelambton
Sep 20, 2010, 1:40 pm

Ooooooh, The Eyre Affair! One of my very favorite books. I have been longing for another Thursday Next since book 5, First Among Sequels, came out in 2008. Apparently book 6, One of our Thursdays is Missing, is due out in March next year. When I learnt this a few months back I virtually squeaked with excitement!

218mamzel
Sep 20, 2010, 4:17 pm

>217 verdelambton: My family has been hearing squeaks as I am reading it. I have some catching up to do!

79. Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levitan
Written from the viewpoint of two different W.G.s, the chapters are differentiated by grammar in case the voices weren't different enough. One has all the grammar in place and the other is missing capitals and conversation quotes. One is gay and the other is the friend of a gay boy and we feel all the drama of homosexual and heterosexual relationships. I have read other books by Green and he really can tap into the teenage psyche.

219souloftherose
Sep 20, 2010, 5:07 pm

Glad to hear Ship Breaker is good. Jasper Fforde is one of my favourite authors - you have some really good reads to come!

220alcottacre
Sep 20, 2010, 6:19 pm

#218: I agree with you completely about Green's ability to do the voices of teens well in his books. His Looking for Alaska was one of my favorites a couple of years back.

I wonder if my local library has Will Grayson, Will Grayson yet? *off to check*

221mamzel
Sep 21, 2010, 6:46 pm

80. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
Wow! I picked this book up because it was on our list of books that had been banned. I can see why! A story of an African village worshiping its own gods, meting out its own form of justice, and getting along the best they can until...duh duh duhn...the white man comes on the scene to impose their religion and justice. This story does not put Christian missionaries in a good light.

A short book that you have to slow down to read. There is very little description, very simple action, and you will miss things if you try to rush. I highly recommend this book.

222verdelambton
Sep 21, 2010, 6:56 pm

#221: That's really freaky. I went into the library yesterday to borrow a new audiobook and that is the first one that fell into my hands - quite literally, it was alphabetically the first one on the shelf and I was being hurried by a small impatient child. I'll let you know how it fares in audiobook format!

223Whisper1
Sep 21, 2010, 7:16 pm

Congratulations on reaching the 75 challenge goal!

224mamzel
Sep 22, 2010, 10:28 am

>222 verdelambton: I'll look forward to your views on this book. I hope the person reading it has a good African accent. I could hear one when I was reading the book.

>223 Whisper1: Thanks!

225verdelambton
Sep 22, 2010, 12:33 pm

#224: According to the box, 'narrator Peter Francis James creates a piece of chamber music out of the subtly varying cadences'. However, I have to confess that, to me at least, he sounds more like Stephen Hawking's speech synthesizer :-(

226mamzel
Sep 22, 2010, 12:43 pm

Bummer! James Earl Jones would have been my choice! Or even better, the actor who played JLB in the series, The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.

227mamzel
Sep 25, 2010, 11:46 am

81. The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
What fun! Nothing is set in stone. History is different and England is still fighting the Crimean War. Characters are vanishing out of books even though people can remember them perfectly. Thursday Next is a SpecOp 27 who is involved when the original manuscript of The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit and a minor character disappears from the story.

This story is very clever, and in places downright hysterical. I was laughing out loud (much to the annoyance of my daughter who was trying to study) at the production of Richard III. The audience participation, a la Rocky Horror Picture Show, had me in stitches.

228ronincats
Sep 25, 2010, 2:43 pm

Wasn't that a great scene?!! I love those books.

229ronincats
Sep 25, 2010, 2:44 pm

Wasn't that a great scene?!! I love those books.

230souloftherose
Sep 25, 2010, 4:48 pm

#227 I love those books too! We went to see a local production of Richard III recently and that scene just kept playing in my mind. My husband and I were whispering bits of it to each other before the play began!

231verdelambton
Sep 25, 2010, 7:13 pm

#224: I am really hoping the main character in Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo, becomes likeable soon because so far I really want to thump him! I've only listened to one disk out of six but so far he has beaten one of his wives (which really bothered me because the village only seemed to care because it was a special week of peace in which such things aren't supposed to happen) and threatened to break somebody else's jaw for splitting a yam in the wrong way. OK, so I feel a little sorry for him because his father was a complete waste of space but please tell me he improves as a character because right now I would like to throttle him ;-)

#227: I'm so pleased you liked The Eyre Affair. In fact, I might have to go back and re-read the whole series now as I read your description of the Richard III bit and couldn't stop laughing just remembering it!

232alcottacre
Sep 26, 2010, 12:20 am

#227: Count me in as one of the Tuesday Next lovers too!

233mamzel
Editado: Sep 26, 2010, 2:17 pm

>231 verdelambton: Bad stuff happens to Okonkwo and we feel more for him even if we never really like him. One of the aspects of the book that I appreciated was that even though these are very primitive people, we see them pondering about their lives.

Daughter, friend, and I went to the S.F. Library booksale. We spent three hours and didn't even browse half of the lot! We filled up her trunk with books for ourselves and our underfunded school libraries. My daughter's favorite buys were editions of classics like The Arabian Nights and A Knight's Tale that were over 50 years old. She's starting an antique library. We have both been a fan of the movie with Heath Ledger and when I saw the original story by Chaucer, I picked it up for her. It was a beautiful day in the city.

234alcottacre
Sep 26, 2010, 9:34 pm

Sounds as if you had a great time at the book sale! Congratulations on the haul for everyone.

235mamzel
Oct 10, 2010, 2:09 pm

82. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski

I read this book for the BOSC. I have had it sitting around for quite a while and I have been suffering guilt for not reading a book for that challenge so I gave it a shot.

I have to admit that it became slightly more fun to read when I learned that it was a retelling of Hamlet. It made me resurrect what meager Shakespeare I could to make comparisons. One of them was how the "play within the play" was remade into Edgar demonstrating his dogs' training to his mother and uncle. Trying to match the characters was fun, too. If I'm not wrong, Ophelia was portrayed as a beautiful, intelligent, loyal dog named Almondine.

It wasn't the type of book I normally enjoy but I have to admit that I was carried along by the story when my reading conditions were right and I would lose a couple of hours reading it before I realized it. I might say that I liked this book despite myself.

236alcottacre
Oct 11, 2010, 12:14 am

#235: I have seen mixed reviews of that one. Some day I will try it for myself to see if I like it or not.

237mamzel
Oct 13, 2010, 10:48 am

83. Blank Confession by Pete Hautman
I have been a big fan of Hautman's books since I read his National Book Award winning Godless.
This was a fast YA read, written from alternating viewpoints of a police detective taking the statement from a young man who says he committed a murder and another young man who was part of the story. Riveting because you know the events will end tragically for someone. I was reminded of the Lone Ranger when I read this story except that he rode in on a BMW motorcycle instead of a white horse.

238alcottacre
Oct 14, 2010, 12:03 am

#237: My local library does not have that one by Hautman, but does have several others of his, so I will give them a try.

239mamzel
Editado: Oct 17, 2010, 3:20 pm

84. Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde
Part two of this marvelous series. I found it funny if not as roaringly as The Eyre Affair but still very amusing, different, and charming.

I took advantage of the Educator's Day at Barnes & Noble yesterday and bought several books I have learned about through all you marvelous LTers!
The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession
Never Let Me Go
Soulless
I started Soulless as soon as I finished Fforde's book and just ripped through half of it before forcing myself to lay it down and take care of a little business.

Yesterday was altogether a perfect day - Produce stand, sushi lunch, bookstore with friend and daughter - life was good. Today it is raining and I am doing laundry. I hope all the grapes got picked in time!

240alcottacre
Oct 18, 2010, 1:15 am

#239: Congratulations on Educator's Day! Sounds like you got some good books out of the deal.

I am going to be reading Soulless soon too. I hope I enjoy it as much as every one else seems to have done.

241mamzel
Oct 19, 2010, 5:27 pm

85. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
I have to say that I may not have enjoyed the third of the series as much as the first two. Maybe there was too much time between reading the books or I was too distracted but I found the hystrionics and drugging got a little on my nerves. There were a lot of drugs in this book! It seemed that every time Kat voiced an opinion or saw something on TV she was sedated and of course she was given plenty of pain medication for her many wounds. Another thing that bothered me was the number and variety of traps all over the place. I can't imagine that the citizens wouldn't notice placement of traps with such magnitude. I hope someday I will have the time to read all three back to back to see if I like them better.

242alcottacre
Oct 20, 2010, 12:05 am

#241: I am deliberately reading the books back-to-back-to-back. I never read Catching Fire when it came out because I heard it ended on a cliffhanger, so my read of the second and third books will be my initial one, but it will be a re-read of The Hunger Games for me.

243mamzel
Oct 21, 2010, 11:20 am

Stasia, I think you are so right in this instance. I don't think I like books in a series that can't stand on their own and have to be read right after the other. That's rather presumptuous of the author. I'm thinking of one series which started with Make Lemonade by Virginia Euwer Wolff. It seemed like ages between the publications of the books (actually the publication dates ran 1993, 2001, 2009) but I found each book wonderful on its own.

86. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
As they used to say on Monty Python, "And now for something completely different . . ."
I read this book for Banned Books Week and doubly as a classic I had never read. Let me say to those of you, who like me had never read her books before, don't hesitate any longer. The book was written in 1920 and takes place in New York City in the 1870s. One thing that I actually found charming, reading it almost a century after it was written, was how the characters talk about the future. For instance, referring to the MOMA, the main character says, "Ah, well --. Some day, I suppose, it will be a great Museum."

It pays to pay attention in this book since many of the digs can slip by before you realize you missed a great zinger. This one cracked me up. It refers to Mrs. Manson Mingott, the pinnacle of New York society: "The immense accretion of flesh which had descended on her in middle life like a flood of lava on a doomed city..."

I will most definitely look for more to read by Ms Wharton!

244alcottacre
Oct 21, 2010, 11:52 pm

#243: When I finished The Hunger Games the first time, I did not know it was going to be a trilogy. I thought that book stood just fine on its own. It is too bad the same thing could not be said of Catching Fire.

245mamzel
Oct 22, 2010, 10:35 am

87. Soulless by Gail Carriger
On the praises of fellow LTers, I bought the first of the Parasol Protectorate series. Unfortunately, the store did not have the second or I would have bought more. What a riot! Think Sookie Stackhouse in Victorian England. Could this be a nod to Harris' series?

Miss Tarabotti shook her head in sorrow. The narrow-mindedness of it all! She knew her history. The puritans left Queen Elizabeth's England for the New World because the queen sanctioned the supernatural presence in the British Isle. The Colonies had been entirely backward ever since: religious fingers in all their dealings with vampires, werewolves, and ghosts. It made America into a deeply superstitious place. Fates only knew what they'd think of someone like her!

246alcottacre
Oct 22, 2010, 10:44 am

#245: I am going to be reading that one before the end of the month. I hope that I like it as much as everyone else does!

247mamzel
Editado: Nov 1, 2010, 11:32 am

88. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

I couldn't help myself. I have two other books in progress but caught a trailer for the movie on TV and just had to read the book again before seeing the movie. I started it Saturday night and finished it the next morning. I think I actually read it slower than the first time I read it because I was able to keep track of the action better.

I think the series ended well. It was tragic but necessary for some of Harry's friends to die and the "white room" scene really had me going the first time I read it. I wasn't quite the bawling idiot I was the first time but it still touched me (I am any easy touch).

My daughter will go to the midnight showing of the movie and will be happy to go with me at a later date. They are giving us two furlough days in November, the Monday and Tuesday before Thanksgiving so I'll be able to see it then.

I have organized a club of novelists here at school and we're going to participate in the NaNoWriMo challenge. This will be my first attempt at writing a novel along with the kids. I have the backing and support of one of the cool English teachers to help attract more participants. We'll see how many we get this first year. One of the hooks I am dangling is that this would be a fantastic senior project (a major assignment) and that they get to have one copy of their book printed and bound for them IF they complete their challenge.

ETA that's my excuse in advance if I don't get much reading done this month.

248alcottacre
Nov 1, 2010, 9:22 pm

#247: I love the planning ahead! lol

249mamzel
Nov 4, 2010, 9:51 pm

89. Arctic Drift by Clive Cussler

I had started this book last month before my writing endeavor. Since I got hit with a little head cold that replaced my gray matter with mucus, I wasn't able to concentrate on writing and this book was an excellent antidote.

Besides the point that these books all take place on the bounding main and despite the fact that there are rarely significant female roles, I have always found the Dirk Pitt books wonderful diversion. (It also helps that the main character graduated from my alma mater.)

Excellent adventure which takes place in as far north location as you can get and still be afloat, the Northwest Passage. Bad guys are illegally dumping CO2, a by product of mining, killing anything and anyone with the bad luck to be in the area. Knowledge surfaces about an extremely rare mineral that safely breaks down CO2 into carbon and oxygen. Research reveals that a 150 year old expedition had the only known supply but the two sailing ships disappeared in the Northwest Passage, frozen over until recently thanks to global warming. The race is on to find these ships and recover their precious commodity.

A super page turner and entertainment for even the most congested brain.

250alcottacre
Nov 5, 2010, 1:13 am

Sounds like it worked great for you!

I hope the cold is gone now and you are feeling much improved.

251mamzel
Nov 7, 2010, 2:10 pm

I am feeling much improved, thanks. I follow my regimen of hot showers and hot drinks/soups when I get one of these head colds. I suffered a sinus infection many years ago and refuse to go through another one. Monsieur caught it from me but is one to not take advice and so will take twice as long to recover, I fear.

90. The Well of Lost Plots by Jasper Fforde
I know, I know, I'm supposed to be writing for NaNoWriMo but I started this book and, like a true procrastinator, had to finish it. The thing is, it is so relevant to the writing process, I was compelled to read it.

Thursday has gone into hiding in an out of print book as part of a Character Exchange Program. The character she replaced will enjoy time in the real world. Unfortunately, Aornis, the sister of Hades, the character she killed in the first book is torturing her by sucking out all memories she has of her eradicated husband (and father of her unborn child). With the help of her mentor, Miss Havisham, and her grandmother, she finally gets rid of Aornis and recoups all of the wonderful memories she has of her husband until she can get him un-eradicated.

Back in the real world, they are launching a new program called UltraWord which will create more than the basic eight plot lines that all books are based on now. Thursday saves the day again, minutes before this flawed and poorly tested program is released. One of the problems she discovered is that a book can only be read three times and then it vanishes.

I sometimes have to go online to find out if a character in the book is real or not. Shakespeare, Chaucer, Bronte, etc. are well known but I had to check if Daphne Farquitt was a real author that I just was ignorant of or not. (She's not real.) I don't mind, though. It adds to the fun.

252mamzel
Nov 7, 2010, 2:15 pm

I am feeling much improved, thanks. I follow my regimen of hot showers and hot drinks/soups when I get one of these head colds. I suffered a sinus infection many years ago and refuse to go through another one. Monsieur caught it from me but is one to not take advice and so will take twice as long to recover, I fear.

90. The Well of Lost Plots by Jasper Fforde
I know, I know, I'm supposed to be writing for NaNoWriMo but I started this book and, like a true procrastinator, had to finish it. The thing is, it is so relevant to the writing process, I was compelled to read it.

Thursday has gone into hiding in an out of print book as part of a Character Exchange Program. The character she replaced will enjoy time in the real world. Unfortunately, Aornis, the sister of Hades, the character she killed in the first book is torturing her by sucking out all memories she has of her eradicated husband (and father of her unborn child). With the help of her mentor, Miss Havisham, and her grandmother, she finally gets rid of Aornis and recoups all of the wonderful memories she has of her husband until she can get him un-eradicated.

Back in the real world, they are launching a new program called UltraWord which will create more than the basic eight plot lines that all books are based on now. Thursday saves the day again, minutes before this flawed and poorly tested program is released. One of the problems she discovered is that a book can only be read three times and then it vanishes.

I sometimes have to go online to find out if a character in the book is real or not. Shakespeare, Chaucer, Bronte, etc. are well known but I had to check if Daphne Farquitt was a real author that I just was ignorant of or not. (She's not real.) I don't mind, though. It adds to the fun.

253ronincats
Nov 7, 2010, 9:19 pm

I am going to join the group read of The Eyre Affair in December with the goal of using this time through to really research all those little details and find all the annotations on the website.

254alcottacre
Nov 8, 2010, 2:03 am

I am glad you are much improved!

255mamzel
Editado: Nov 8, 2010, 10:32 am

>253 ronincats: I think part of the problem is that, since he is British, many of the authors and books he refers to may not have reached our shores. He does refer to American literature. I loved how Scout and Boo Radlery were both nominated for Bookie awards.

Happy Thingversary to me - Number Three!

256alcottacre
Nov 8, 2010, 11:15 am

Happy Thingaversary! What books are you going to buy for yourself? You are entitled to 4. Be sure and post to the 'Happy Thingaversary' thread that Bonnie started, won't you? It is here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/93623

257mamzel
Nov 8, 2010, 2:29 pm

I do need an excuse so badly to buy a book - I discovered I'm missing the next book in the Thursday Next series, Something Rotten. While I'm in his area I'll try to snag Shades of Grey.

258alcottacre
Nov 8, 2010, 2:31 pm

Sounds like your Thingaversary happened just in time! Now you have the perfect excuse to go book buying.

259souloftherose
Nov 13, 2010, 11:23 am

Belated Happy Thingaversary! Jasper Fforde sounds like an excellent choice :-)

260ronincats
Nov 13, 2010, 8:28 pm

I agree with Heather! Belated Happy Thingaversary and great choices!

261mamzel
Nov 30, 2010, 12:40 pm

91. Blameless by Gail Carriger

92. Changeless by Gail Carriger

Still loving this series. Gail's sense of humor had me snorting coffee out of my nose. It's very clever and it sneaks up on me.

93. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
I had seen this book mentioned frequently and bought it. I thought it would be about the lives of British people based on the movie adaptation of his book, The Remains of the Day starring the brilliant Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson. I was right and I was wrong. This is a brilliant book about children growing to become young adults with a huge sword hanging over their heads.

Well, today is the last day of NaNoWriMo and I only reached the half way point. I will continue to try and finish my novel but in the meantime I learned so much about the writing process and will make sure I'm better prepared next year. Of the students that participated, two have completed that I know of. I am very proud of them and will definitely host a club again next year. I also have a new respect for authors knowing what they go through to produce a written work.

262alcottacre
Dic 3, 2010, 12:10 am

#261: I still need to get to the next books in the Carriger series. Glad to know you are still enjoying them!

263mamzel
Dic 3, 2010, 11:43 am

Stasia, I am sure you will enjoy them. I preordered the fourth of the series but have quite a wait for it.

94. Fist, Stick, Knife, Gun by Geoffrey Canada
I received this book from ER. It is the graphic novel version of the book of the same name and is the memoir of a young man growing up and learning the rules of the street the hard way. The illustrations were in black, white and gray and showed all of the emotion and violence he grew up with.
I don't know if I will go back and read the book but this version was instructive and moving as it was.
It's a quick read and I would suggest people to give it a go.

264dk_phoenix
Dic 3, 2010, 11:48 am

Love, love, love the Carriger series! I'm always thrilled to see others are enjoying it too :)

265mamzel
Dic 5, 2010, 3:41 pm

95. Vanishing Girl by Shane Peacock
I received this as an ER. I've read the first book of the series and I continue to find these books fun. They do a good job of giving the reader a feeling of London as well as imagine what Sherlock Holmes was like as a young man.

96. Something Rotten by Jasper Fforde
I continue to enjoy this series and I'll be sorry when I am caught up. I do have Shades of Grey to enjoy. Thanks to all the LT members who raved about these books. I don't know if I ever would have discovered this author if it weren't for these forums.

266alcottacre
Dic 6, 2010, 12:47 am

I am glad you are enjoying the Thursday Next series! I enjoy those books too.

I will have to look for the Shane Peacock series. Thanks for the recommendation of that.

267mamzel
Dic 22, 2010, 6:05 pm

97. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

I definitely needed some time off before tackling this book. I have found that the early morning hours are the best to read a book that requires concentration and this one sure did. Not being the best history student, I had only a cursory knowledge of the characters and their relationships and found I needed all that I had. The present tense format took a little getting used to and I found that I frequently had to backtrack to make sure that "he" referred to Cromwell.

Tough reading but definitely worth it.

268alcottacre
Dic 23, 2010, 3:30 am

#267: Yeah, Wolf Hall is definitely a book that demands concentration. Too many people with the same names :)

269souloftherose
Dic 24, 2010, 5:45 pm

Merry Christmas mamzel!

270alcottacre
Dic 25, 2010, 1:27 am

Happy Christmas!

271mamzel
Dic 25, 2010, 7:30 pm

Joyeux Noel to all!!

98. Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood
This is a wolf-in-sheep's-clothing kind of book. The Grace of the title seems to be a gentle soul making the best of her situation. How she could be involved in two violent murders is a question that has interested people for a long time. I highly recommend this book as historical fiction, light mystery, or a fictionalized biography.

272alcottacre
Dic 26, 2010, 12:04 am

#271: I really need to read that one!

273souloftherose
Dic 26, 2010, 12:41 pm

#271 I'm hoping to read that one in January - glad you enjoyed it!

274mamzel
Dic 28, 2010, 2:50 pm

This is my tally for the second half of the year. The first half can be found here.

Adult - 32 Young Adult - 14 Total 56
Fantasy - 16 Contemporary Fiction - 9
Mystery - 5 Historical Fiction - 3
Action - 3 Dystopia - 3 Non-fiction - 3
Graphic Novel - 1 Classic - 1
Parody - 1 Short Story Collection - 1

I am surprised that I read almost three times as many books in the second half of the year than the first half. I look forward to reading about everyone's books in the New Year!

275mamzel
Sep 8, 2011, 12:29 pm

I found this quiz over on the Green Dragon group and it's positively uncanny at how accurate these quizzes are, isn't it? ;-)



You're France!

Most people think you're snobby, but it's really just that
you're better than everyone else.  At least you're more loyal to the real
language, the fine arts, and the fine wines than anyone else.  You aren't
worth beans in a fight, unless you're really short, but you're so good at other
things that it usually doesn't matter.  Some of your finest works were
intended to be short-term projects.


Take the Country Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid