24 Hour Readathon April 18th The Results

Books read for the challenge:

Bird by Rita Murphy
The Hourglass Door by Lisa Mangum
SLOB by Ellen Potter
Bones of Faerie by Janni Lee Simner

End of Challenge Meme

1. Which hour was most daunting for you? Hour 19 was my last hour. But the most difficult hour for me was Hour 13, I believe. I had a total meltdown. It was NOT pretty. Apparently, I needed to break for a snack sooner than I did.

2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? Bones of Faerie and Bird were great books for the readathon. I'd also suggest Life As We Knew It just because I can. :) Seriously, it doesn't matter the question, I try to work that recommendation in :)

3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? Everything was so great. I thought everything went really well. Very smooth.

4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon? I thought everything was balanced and as close to perfect as you can get.

5. How many books did you read? 4
6. What were the names of the books you read?

Bird by Rita Murphy
The Hourglass Door by Lisa Mangum
SLOB by Ellen Potter
Bones of Faerie by Janni Lee Simner

7. Which book did you enjoy most? Too hard to say. But if I had to choose--someone was twisting my arm--then I'd say Bones of Faerie.

8. Which did you enjoy least? I *hate* to do this. But if you were to take the time to read my reviews, you'd see the answer anyway. So I'll just admit it: The Hourglass Door.

9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?

Not a cheerleader, but I think this year's cheerleaders did great :)

10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time? Very likely. I haven't missed one yet. And definitely a reader :)

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
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Bones of Faerie

Simner, Janni Lee. 2009. Bones of Faerie. Random House. 247 pages.

Loved this one. I mean I knew it would be good when Elizabeth Scott said it was. But still. Oh-so-good. Here's how it starts off:

I had a sister once. She was a beautiful baby, eyes silver as moonlight off the river at night. From the hour of her birth she was long-limbed and graceful, faerie-pale hair clear as glass from Before, so pale you could almost see through to the soft skin beneath.

It continues on, her father being a "sensible" man destroys his own child, his own baby, because she shows signs of being "touched" by faerie. Her sister, Liza, our narrator, can only stand by and watch. Unable to stop her father from this all-too-legal crime. Her name was Rebecca. That Liza remembers.

So here is where the first chapter leaves us, "But the memory of my sister's bones, cracked and bloody in the moonlight, haunts me still."

Is that not a great hook? Doesn't it leave you wanting more? It did me! Liza has a difficult relationship with her father, to say the least, but when her mother disappears--vanishes into the darkness so to speak, Liza has no choice but to obey her tyrannical father. (Of course his tyrannical-ness is housed in being sensible and responsible and wise. Did I mention he has quite the ego?) Or does she...have another choice?

Liza senses something about herself, something that isn't quite right, something that her father would definitely not approve of. And so, brave soul that she is, Liza ventures out, wanders off, in search of who knows what. She only know that she needs to go...

Luckily, Liza won't be alone on this journey. And that's all I have to say about that. Because I want to leave you wanting MORE. I'm not going to go into this oh-so-thrilling adventure quest that is full of magic and then some.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
If you're reading this post on another site, or another feed, the content has been stolen.

April Accomplishments

These are a few of my favorite 'first' lines read in April of 2009.

Sisters are overrated, she decided.

Like Moses, Meemaw had ten commandments.

I had a sister once.

It is the counting that saves him.

When I opened my eyes I knew that nothing in my miserable life prior to that moment could possibly be as bad as what was about to happen.

April's Top Five:

Bones of Faerie by Janni Lee Simner. 2009. Random House. 247 pages.
King's Fool by Margaret Campbell Barnes. 1959/2009. 320 pages. (Adult/History)
Someone Like You. Sarah Dessen. 1998. Penguin. 281.
Emil and Karl by Yankev Glatshteyn. 2006. Square Fish. 194 pages
Horrid Henry and the Mega-Mean Time Machine by Francesca Simon. 2009. Sourcebooks. 88 pages.

Number of Picture Books: 0

Number of Board Books: 2

The Giant Jam Sandwich by John Vernon Lord and Janet Burroway. 1972 (picture book version); this board book edition 2009) Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton. 1942. (picture book version; this board book 2009). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Number of Children's Books: 6

Dragon's Fat Cat by Dav Pilkey. 1992. Scholastic. 48 pages.
Cranky Paws (Pet Vet #1) by Darrel & Sally Odgers. 2009. Kane/Miller. 87 pages.
Horrid Henry by Francesca Simon. 2009. Sourcebooks. 90 pages.
Horrid Henry Tricks the Tooth Fairy by Francesca Simon. 2009. Sourcebooks. 90 pages.
Horrid Henry and the Mega-Mean Time Machine by Francesca Simon. 2009. Sourcebooks. 88 pages.
Horrid Henry's Stinkbomb by Francesca Simon. 2009. Sourcebooks. 78 pages.

Number of YA Books: 26

Eon Dragoneye Reborn by Alison Goodman. 2008. Viking. 531 pages.
The Black Book of Secrets by F.E. Higgins. 2007. Feiwel and Friends. 273 pages.
Softwire: Virus on Orbis 1 by PJ Haarsma. 2006. Candlewick. 272 pages.
City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare. 2008. Simon & Schuster. 453 pages.
The Reformed Vampire Support Group. Catherine Jinks. 2009. Harcourt. 362 pages.
The Zombie Queen of Newbury High by Amanda Ashby. 2009. 199 pages. Penguin.
This Is What I Want To Tell You by Heather Duffy Stone. 2009. 233. Flux.
Jessica's Guide to Dating On the Dark Side. Beth Fantaskey. 2009. Harcourt. 354 pages.
Dork Diaries: Tales From a Not-So Fabulous Life. Rachel Renee Russell. Aladdin. 276 pages.
City of Glass. Cassandra Clare. 2009. Simon & Schuster. 541 pages.
Someone Like You. Sarah Dessen. 1998. Penguin. 281.
Jumped. Rita Williams-Garcia. 2009. HarperCollins. 168.
Bird. Rita Murphy. 2008. Random House. 150.
The Hourglass Door by Lisa Mangum. 2009. Shadow Mountain. 416 pages.
SLOB by Ellen Potter. 2009. Penguin. 208 pages.
Bones of Faerie by Janni Lee Simner. 2009. Random House. 247 pages.
Doing It by Melvin Burgess. 2003. Henry Holt. 326 pages.
Fly On the Wall. E Lockhart. 2006. Random House. 182 pages.
Emil and Karl by Yankev Glatshteyn. 2006. Square Fish. 194 pages
Envy by Anna Godbersen. 2009. HarperCollins. 405 pages.
Gossip Girl by Cecily von Ziegesar. 2002. Little Brown. 199 pages.
Between Us Baxters by Bethany Hegedus. 2009. Westside Books. 306 pages.
Running for My Life by Ann Gonzalez. 2009. Westside Books. 237 pages
Also Known As Harper by Ann Haywood Leal. 2009. Henry Holt. 256 pages
Gone by Michael Grant. 2008. HarperCollins. 558 pages.
The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer. 2002. Simon & Schuster. 380 pages.


Number of Verse Novels: 0
Number of Graphic Novels: 0
Number of Nonfiction: 0

Number of Christian books: 4

A Passion Most Pure by Julie Lessman. Revell. 477 pages. (Adult/Christian)
A Passion Redeemed by Julie Lessman. Revell. 477 pages. (Adult/Christian)
No Woman So Fair by Gilbert Morris. Bethany House. 350 (Adult/Christian)
Before the Season Ends. by Linore Rose Burkhard. Harvest House. 340 pages. (Adult/Christian)

Number of adult books: 5

To A God Unknown by John Steinbeck. 1933. 186 pages. (Adult/Classic)
King's Fool by Margaret Campbell Barnes. 1959/2009. 320 pages. (Adult/History)
The Bone Doll's Twin by Lynn Flewelling. 2001. 524 pages. (Adult/Fantasy)
The Traitor's Wife by Susan Higginbotham. 2009. SourceBooks. 512 pages.
The Warden. Anthony Trollope. 1855. 294 pages.

Number of short story collections/anthologies/poetry books: 0

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
If you're reading this post on another site, or another feed, the content has been stolen.

New Challenge for Fall

In the so-isn't-me area of challenges, Carl of Stainless Steel Droppings is hosting the RIP II challenge. (Readers Imbibing Peril)

R.I.P. II is a September 1st through October 31st celebration of all tales gothic, eerie, creepy, and dark. Tales that one reads in the dark of night, experiencing delicious shivers of terror and suspense at each creak of the floorboards or each gust of wind. As in previous challenges the definition for what type of books fit into this category will be very broad. I would venture to say that there is something for everyone that could count as a R.I.P. book.

Peril the First:

Read Four books of any length, from any subgenre of scary stories that you choose.

Peril the Second (Otherwise known as the Obese Book Peril):

As you may know, some books are scary not just because of their subject matter but because of their size. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke is 737 pages of small type, for example, and Gordon Dahlquist’s Glass Books of the Dream Eaters is 637 pages long with type so miniscule it makes Strange’s look like large print!

For this peril simply read two weighty tomes during the challenge period.

Peril the Third:

If you think you have it in you, this third choice of perils is the Scary Sandwich Peril…choose two large books like those described in Peril the Second and read a smaller qualifying tale in between.

Peril the Fourth (Otherwise known as Just a Bit of Peril):

Some of you wonderful readers, or would-be readers, may have a tendency to shy away from this genre, thinking it is just not your cup of poisoned tea. However, it wouldn’t be a challenge if I wasn’t challenging you.

This peril is for those of you who want to take a chance. Simply choose one book that you feel meets the criteria for Readers Imbibing Peril II and, well, imbibe it!

Additional Perils:

For those of you who have never done so, or want those who want to do so again, choose one or more of the following books to read after you have completed your other peril of choice:

1.Dracula by Bram Stoker 2. A collection of tales by Edgar Allan Poe 3. The Mystery of the Sea by Bram Stoker 4. Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman

For those that are curious, I'm probably doing Peril 4. I plan to read Frankenstein. I plan to read Dracula. I may be adventuresome and seek out one or two more. But I'm only committing to those two at the moment. I may read Blood and Chocolate. The Island of Dr. Moreau I happen to have checked out at the moment. (I have the seven novels-in-one book of H.G. Wells.) May being the key word. I've already read and blogged about Coraline....and Twilight...and New Moon...and Eclipse...and Blue Bloods....and Masquerade....and a few others that would qualify.

As Carl pointed out in his post, there are some great YA choices...

<>Blue Bloods and Masquerade by Melissa de la Cruz (book one, book two of a series)
Bloodline and Bloodline: Reckoning by Kate Cary
The Love Curse of the Rumbaughs by Jack Gantos
Devilish by Maureen Johnson
Vampirates by Justin Somper
The Silver Kiss by Annette Curtis Klause
Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause
Tithe and Valiant and Ironside by Holly Black (books one, two, and three of modern faerie tales series)
And perhaps the Jonathan Stroud series (very magical indeed) would count as well. I can't recommend those highly enough! (Amulet of Samurkand, Golem's Eye, Ptolemy's Gate)
NOTE: Tantalize by Cynthia Leitich Smith would certainly be a good choice!
As would some of the fiction by Vivian Van Velde.

Edited 8/22/07: My list is Dracula, Frankenstein, Vampirates: Tide of Terror, City of Bones by Cassandra Clare, and The Island of Dr. Moreau. My alternates include the three Orson Scott Card Books that Chris recommended. They all happen to be checked out of my local library at the moment. But I would imagine that they're bound to reappear on the shelves by the end of the challenge. But by that point, I may have all these others read. We'll just have to see what works out.

City of Bones

Clare, Cassandra. 2007. City of Bones.

You might not think that witnessing a murder would lead a young teen, Clary Fray, onto an unforgettable journey of self-discovery, but, you'd be wrong. When she witnesses three teens--oddly dressed and strangely beautiful teens--murder a fellow clubber, she is shocked, terrified, and confused. Understandably so. But not for the same reasons you might be thinking. The body? The blood? They disappeared instantly. The murderers? Invisible to the rest of the world. And as one of the 'murderers' pointed out, the police can't arrest people they can't see and charge them with a murder when there is no body and no blood and no 'evidence' or sign of a struggle. These murderers--whom we later learn to be Jace, Alec, and Isabelle--are just as surprised that Clary can see them. Why? They're ShadowHunters. Descendants of the Nephilim, offspring of angels and humans. Their mission? To track down demon infiltrations around the world and eliminate these fiends. All this happens within the first chapter. It was quite an exciting start to what turned out to be a very fast-paced adventure.

Clary, seemingly normal teen, can witness things no 'mundie' (mundane human) should have been able to see. The weirdness continues through the next few days and escalates when her mother disappears with only one frantic phone call to warn her daughter of the danger that lurks in her home. Jace, one of the ShadowHunters, just happens to be chatting with her when that phone call comes in. So the two rush home together to face the threat of Darkness that turns Clary's world upside down.

One thing is known, Clary's life will never be "normal" again after seeing the unexplainable, fighting her own demon, and discovering the "truth" about her parents.

City of Bones is perfect for readers looking for a fast, action-packed read. There are all sorts of supernatural creatures--vampires, werewolves, demons, warlocks, wizards, etc--to fill the pages and add suspense.

The book reminds me of many things: Scott Westerfelds' Midnighter series, Holly Black's Faerie series, Melissa de la Cruz Blue Bloods series, Charmed, and Star Wars.

The book, by the way, is the first in the Mortal Instruments series. The next book will be City of Ashes.

http://www.mortalinstruments.com/

Year in Review: 52 Book of the Weeks

What I've done is gone through my 'Sunday Salon' posts of the past year where I shared my week's reading. I picked my favorite-and-best from each week. These books may not have ended up in that month's top five, but these are the best books I read week by week by week. I chose to focus on middle grade through adult. (I excluded picture books from this list. I'll try to do a best-of-picture books feature at another time.)

1. The Farwalker's Quest by Joni Sensel. 2009.
2. Something, Maybe by Elizabeth Scott. 2009.
3. Nefertiti by Michelle Moran. 2007.
4. The King's Rose by Alisa M. Libby. 2009.
5. Infernal Devices by Philp Reeve. 2005.
6. Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George. 2009.
7. Old Friends and New Fancies: An Imaginary Sequel to the Novels of Jane Austen. By Sybil G. Brinton. 1914/2008.
8. The Year The Swallows Came Early by Kathryn Fitzmaurice. 2009.
9. Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes. 1605/1615.
10. Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork. 2009.
11. The Forest of Hands and Feet by Carrie Ryan. 2009.
12. Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev. 2009.
13. Maus: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman. 1986. & Maus II : A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began by Art Spiegelman. 1991
14. A Passion Most Pure by Julie Lessman. 2008.
15. Jumped. Rita Williams-Garcia. 2009.
16. Bones of Faerie by Janni Lee Simner. 2009.
17. The Warden. Anthony Trollope. 1855.
18. The Queen of Everything. Deb Caletti. 2002.
19. Forest Born by Shannon Hale. 2009.
20. When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead. 2009.
21. Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians. Brandon Sanderson. 2007.
22. Fat Cat by Robin Brande. 2009.
23. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones. 1986.
24. Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen. 2009.
25. A Tangled Web by L.M. Montgomery. 1931.
26. Old Man's War by John Scalzi. 2005.
27. Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope. 1857.
28. Three Men In a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome. 1889.
29. To Say Nothing of the Dog. Connie Willis. 1998.
30. The Emerald Tablet. P.J. Hoover. 2008
31. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. By Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. 2008.
32. The Frontiersman's Daughter by Laura Frantz. 2009.
33. Lady of Milkweed Manor by Julie Klassen. 2007.
34. Sent by Margaret Peterson Haddix. 2009.
35. Jumping Off Swings. Jo Knowles. 2009.
36. The Martian Child by David Gerrold. 2002.
37. The Ask and the Answer. Patrick Ness. 2009.
38. The Indigo Notebook by Laura Resau. 2009.
39. The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte. Syrie James. 2009.
40. Perfect Fifths by Megan McCafferty. 2009
41. Lips Touch Three Times. Laini Taylor. 2009.
42. The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had by Kristin Levine. 2009.
43. All the Broken Pieces. Ann E. Burg. 2009.
44. Crossing Stones. Helen Frost. 2009.
45. The Shadow Dragons. James A. Owen. 2009.
46. A Constant Heart by Siri Mitchell. 2008.
47. Colonel Brandon's Diary. Amanda Grange. 2008.
48. Nation by Terry Pratchett. 2008.
49. Antsy Does Time. Neal Shusterman. 2008.
50. The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis. Barbara O'Connor. 2009.
51. Anything But Typical. Nora Raleigh Baskin. 2009.
52. Devil's Cub by Georgette Heyer. 1932.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

999 Challenge Completed

The 999 challenge has its own group on Library Thing. And it also has its own challenge blog. I am NOT the host for this challenge. Just a participant. Sign ups for the challenge are here. The Library Thing group is here. The challenge blog is here.

Nine Science Fiction Novels

Added rules: (New to me; Rereads don't count; Dystopian novels count as science fiction.)

1. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
2. Anubis Gates by Tim Powers
3. The Starry Rift edited by Jonathan Strahan
4. Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve
5. Predator's Gold by Philip Reeve
6. Infernal Devices by Philip Reeve
7. A Darkling Plain by Philip Reeve
8. Mothstorm by Philip Reeve
9. The Dangerous Days of Daniel X by James Patterson

Nine Books (Fiction/Nonfiction) from the 16th and 19th Centuries (1500s-1800s)

1. Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes (1605/1615)
2. Emma by Jane Austen (1815)
3. Fanny Hill by John Cleland (1600s?)
4. Silas Marner by George Eliot (1861)
5. The Morgesons by Elizabeth Stoddard (1862)
6. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte (1847)
7. The Warden by Anthony Trollope (1855)
8. Middlemarch by George Eliot (1871/1872)
9. Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope (1857)

Nine Book Club Reads

(Books read for group discussion either for my own google reading group, my friend Cynda's book club (part face to face, part online), or other online groups--Leila's Big Reads; 5 Minutes for Books--Classics Bookclubs, etc.)

1. Chocolat by Joanne Harris
2. Middlemarch by George Eliot
3. Bones of Faerie by Janni Lee Simner
4. Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell
5. Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell
6. Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr
7. Lady Susan by Jane Austen
8. Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey
9. A Thread of Grace by Mary Doria Russell

Nine Historical Romances

1. The King's Rose by Alisa M. Libby
2. Envy by Anna Godbersen
3. Talisman Ring by Georgette Heyer
4. Frederica by Georgette Heyer
5. Convenient Marriage by Georgette Heyer
6. The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer
7. The Corinthian by Georgette Heyer.
8. The Greatest Knight by Elizabeth Chadwick
9. The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte by Syrie James

Nine nonfiction books

1. The Anne Frank Case: Simon Wiesenthal's Search For The Truth by Susan Goldman Rubin
2. Mind-Rain edited by Scott Westerfeld
3. To Be A Slave by Julius Lester
4. Greetings From the 50 States: How States Got Their Names by Sheila Keenan
5. Margaret Mitchell & John Marsh: The Love Story behind Gone With The Wind by Marianne Walker
6. The Wall by Peter Sis
7. Clara's War: One Girl's Story of Survival by Clara Kramer. 2009. HarperCollins. 352 pages.
8. If America Were A Village: A Book About the People of the United States. David J. Smith.
9. Paula Deen's Cookbook for the Lunch-Box Set. Paula Deen.

Nine Literary Adaptations/Variations (Prequels, Sequels, Retellings,)

1. Old Friends, New Fancies by Sybil Brinton
2. Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy: Two Shall Become One by Sharon Lathan
3. Pemberley Shades by D.A. Bonavia-Hunt
4. Mansfield Park Revisited by Joan Aiken
5. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
6. The Plight of the Darcy Brothers by Marsha Altman
7. Mr. Darcy, Vampyre. Amanda Grange.
8. Pride and Prometheus by John Kessel
9. A Monster's Notes by Laurie Sheck

Nine Fantasy Novels
Added rules: New to me; Rereads don't count;

1. The Dust of 100 Dogs by A.S. King
2. The Amaranth Enchantment by Julie Berry
3. A Finder's Magic by Philippa Pearce
4. Graceling by Kristin Cashore
5. Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev
6. City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare
7. The Black Book of Secrets by F.E. Higgins
8. Eon Dragoneye Reborn by Alison Goodman
9. The Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Jinks

Nine Award-Winning OR Honor-Winning Books (Adult OR children's)

1. The Winter of Our Discontent by John Steinbeck
2. The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer
3. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
4. Anubis Gates by Tim Powers
5. Maus I by Art Spiegelman; Maus II by Art Spiegelman
6. Doing It by Melvin Burgess
7. Skellig by David Almond.
8. Body of Christopher Creed by Carol Plum-Ucci
9. The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein

Nine Comfort Reads
(Rereads welcome; Childhood & Teen Favorites)

1. House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne
2. Caroline by Willo Davis Roberts
3. Amanda by Candice F. Ransom
4. Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen
5. When We Were Very Young by A.A. Milne
6. Now We Are Six by A.A. Milne
7. A Tangled Web by L.M. Montgomery
8. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
9. Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Once Upon A Time III Completed

Challenge Post:

Review Post

1. Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev

2. Eon Dragoneye Reborn by Alison Goodman

3. The Black Book of Secrets by F.E. Higgins

4. City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

5. City of Glass by Cassandra Clare

6. Fire of Ares by Michael Ford

7. Birth of A Warrior by Michael Ford

8. Forest Born by Shannon Hale

9. The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan

10. The Hourglass Door by Lisa Mangum

11. Bones of Faerie by Janni Lee Simner

12. Radiant Darkness by Emily Whitman

13. Dragon Spear by Jessica Day George

14. Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit by Nahoko Uehashi

15. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

16. The Dragon of Trelian by Michelle Knudsen

17. Starfinder by John Marco

18. Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson

19. Alcatraz Versus the Scrivener's Bones by Brandon Sanderson

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Library Loot: First Trip in April

New Loot:

• Cursed in the Act by Raymond Buckland
• Here There Be Dragons by James A. Owen
• The Search for the Red Dragon by James A. Owen
• The Indigo King by James A. Owen
• Goodbye, Piccadilly by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
• Three Tales of My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett
• Orangutanka: A Story in Poems by Margarita Engle
• The Just City by Jo Walton
• The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall
• The Iron Trial by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare

Leftover Loot:

• Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson
• 17 Carnations: The Royals, the Nazis, and the Biggest Cover-up in History by Andrew Morton
• Otis Spofford by Beverly Cleary
• Henry Huggins by Beverly Cleary
• "B" is for Betsy by Carolyn Haywood
• Back to School with Betsy by Carolyn Haywood
• Betsy and the Boys by Carolyn Haywood
• Betsy and Billy by Carolyn Haywood
•  Murder at Mullings by Dorothy Cannell
• Evil Genius by Catherine Jinks
• Genius Squad by Catherine Jinks
• Bones of Faerie by Janni Lee Simner
•  The Princess Plot by Kirsten Boie, translated by David Henry Wilson
• One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss
• Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss
• Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, translated by Christine Donougher
• A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
• The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents
• Game Changer by Margaret Peterson Haddix
• The Always War by Margaret Peterson Haddix
• Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix
• The Black Cauldron by Lloyd Alexander
• Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
• Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George
• Princess of the Silver Woods by Jessica Day George
• Princess of Glass by Jessica Day George
•  Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas, translated by Richard Pevear
• The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights by John Steinbeck
• The Midwife's Tale by Sam Thomas
• The Upstairs Room by Johanna Reiss
• Socks by Beverly Cleary
• Happy Birthday to You! by Dr. Seuss
• Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
• Palace of Stone by Shannon Hale

     Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Linda from Silly Little Mischief that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries. 

© 2015 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Sunday Salon: Reading, Read, To Read #16

So much to say...but is anyone awake to read about it? I have always found the Sunday afternoon after the Readathon to be a somber, melancholy, lonesome time. Maybe it's because most bloggers are sleeping, or maybe they're awake but too tired to be online, or maybe there is just no satisfaction after the extreme high of the day before. You know, when every post was getting comments.

Finding a Balance. I'm trying to find the perfect balance between what I want to be, and what I realistically can be. Yes, I like going for the Impossible Dream. The Quest of reading and reviewing anything and everything and then some on my blog. But remember, most people think Don Quixote was out-and-out crazy. So I don't want to model him *too* closely. You can read more of my thoughts on blogging on my post, Why Keep Blogging. More important than the post itself, I've got some very insightful and wise commenters! I knew I had the best readers, but I didn't quite know how very wise they were :) So do take a look if you're interested. I'm considering writing a follow-up of sorts on blogging. I'm either going to write an open letter to new bloggers OR write a post exploring what it means to be a blogger with integrity. Or maybe neither. I haven't thought it through fully yet.

Speaking of letters, here is the letter yahoo won't be receiving from my hands:

Dear Yahoo:

Thank you SO MUCH for taking my complaints seriously regarding regarding error five. I really appreciate how you responded--first by a generic message with tacky exclamation points in all the wrong places and then with a "human" repeating the same "advice" back at me after I took the time to clearly write out the details of the problems I've been experiencing. It takes a lot of effort on your part to not listen to your customers. To assume we can't count how many tabs/windows we might have open that are logged into yahoo. But here's the thing, yahoo, no matter how many times I tell you that I only have ONE yahoo tab open in ONE browser, I have the feeling that you're just going to cut and paste the same old answer back in your reply to me. And for the record, I don't even own a mobile device. So there is NO WAY that is my problem. If you'd read my email, you'd have known that was a non-issue. Though I do realize that yahoo mail is a free service and it's your right to ignore us. After all, what's one person in the scheme of things? Why should you care that I've been using your email services for twelve years? Why should you care that your service has steadily been declining for months? That 80% of my time I can't even access my inbox because of your lovely "error five." Still, I realize this is all my fault. I've thought that you would want to resolve this problem. I've thought that you were doing everything possible to work out the bugs in this "new and improved" yahoo.

The end.

Not that I'm bitter. Okay, I am bitter. But if you're going to take the trouble to respond at all to people who actually follow through with the "report a bug" feedback email, give them some credit and don't respond with insincere apologies and tacky exclamation points. Make me FEEL you actually care that I am a REAL person and not a number. Perhaps they need a new speech writer who can spin the situation and make me believe in promises they have no intention of keeping :)

And I'm even willing to entertain that the problem isn't necessarily all yahoo's fault. It very well could be my browser, flock, not playing nice with yahoo mail. It could equally be a browser problem.

What I read in a previous week, but reviewed this week:

Jessica's Guide to Dating On the Dark Side. Beth Fantaskey. 2009. Harcourt. 354 pages.
City of Glass. Cassandra Clare. 2009. Simon & Schuster. 541 pages.
Someone Like You. Sarah Dessen. 1998. Penguin. 281.
Jumped. Rita Williams-Garcia. 2009. HarperCollins. 168.

What I read this past week and reviewed:

Horrid Henry by Francesca Simon. 2009. Sourcebooks. 90 pages.
Horrid Henry Tricks the Tooth Fairy by Francesca Simon. 2009. Sourcebooks. 90 pages.
Horrid Henry and the Mega-Mean Time Machine by Francesca Simon. 2009. Sourcebooks. 88 pages.
Horrid Henry's Stinkbomb by Francesca Simon. 2009. Sourcebooks. 78 pages.
Bird. Rita Murphy. 2008. Random House. 150.
The Hourglass Door by Lisa Mangum. 2009. Shadow Mountain. 416 pages.
SLOB by Ellen Potter. 2009. Penguin. 208 pages.
Bones of Faerie by Janni Lee Simner. 2009. Random House. 247 pages.
To A God Unknown by John Steinbeck.


What I read this past week and haven't reviewed yet:

Emil and Karl by Yankev Glatshteyn. 2006 (translation). 194 pages.

What I've read and really really need to review:

Dork Diaries: Tales From a Not-So Fabulous Life. Rachel Renee Russell. Aladdin. 276 pages.

What I'm currently reading:

The Bone Doll's Twin. Lynn Flewelling. 2001. 463/524
No Woman So Fair by Gilbert Morris. 2003. 137/351
King's Fool: A Notorious King, His Six Wives, and the One Man Who Knew Their Secrets. Margaret Campbell Barnes. 1959/2009. 218/290.
Keeping the Moon by Sarah Dessen. 1999. 45/228.
The Warden by Anthony Trollope. 1855. 112/284

What I'm just fooling around that I'm reading:

The Secret Holocaust Diaries. Nonna Bannister. 2009. 120/299

What I've abandoned:

None this week.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
If you're reading this post on another site, or another feed, the content has been stolen.

Library Loot: Fourth Trip in March

New Loot:

• Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson
• Kept for Jesus by Sam Storms
• Luther on the Christian Life by Carl R. Trueman
• 17 Carnations: The Royals, the Nazis, and the Biggest Cover-up in History by Andrew Morton
• Henry and Beezus by Beverly Cleary
• Otis Spofford by Beverly Cleary
• Henry Huggins by Beverly Cleary
• "B" is for Betsy by Carolyn Haywood
• Back to School with Betsy by Carolyn Haywood
• Betsy and the Boys by Carolyn Haywood
• Betsy and Billy by Carolyn Haywood
• The Wheel on the School by Meindert De Jong

Leftover Loot:

• Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, translated by Christine Donougher
• A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
• Lady Thief by A.C. Gaughen
• Evil Genius by Catherine Jinks
• Genius Squad by Catherine Jinks
• Bones of Faerie by Janni Lee Simner
•  The Princess Plot by Kirsten Boie, translated by David Henry Wilson
• One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss
• Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss
• Gone-Away Lake by Elizabeth Enright
• Murder at Mullings by Dorothy Cannell
•  The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents
• Game Changer by Margaret Peterson Haddix
• The Always War by Margaret Peterson Haddix
• Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix
• The Black Cauldron by Lloyd Alexander
• Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
• Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George
• Princess of the Silver Woods by Jessica Day George
• Princess of Glass by Jessica Day George
•  Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas, translated by Richard Pevear
• The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights by John Steinbeck
• The Midwife's Tale by Sam Thomas
• The Upstairs Room by Johanna Reiss
• Socks by Beverly Cleary
• Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes
• Happy Birthday to You! by Dr. Seuss
• Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
• Palace of Stone by Shannon Hale

    Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Linda from Silly Little Mischief that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries. 

© 2015 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Library Loot: Third Trip in March

New Loot:

• Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, translated by Christine Donougher
• A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
• The Family Under the Bridge by Natalie Savage Carlson
• Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen
• Lady Thief by A.C. Gaughen
• Evil Genius by Catherine Jinks
• Genius Squad by Catherine Jinks
• Bones of Faerie by Janni Lee Simner
• The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy by Rachel Joyce
• Rebel Queen by Michelle Moran
• Completely Clementine by Sara Pennypacker
• The Princess Plot by Kirsten Boie, translated by David Henry Wilson
• The Reluctant Midwife by Patricia Harman

Leftover Loot:

• One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss
• Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss
• Gone-Away Lake by Elizabeth Enright
• Murder at Mullings by Dorothy Cannell
•  The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents
• Game Changer by Margaret Peterson Haddix
• The Always War by Margaret Peterson Haddix
• Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix
• The Black Cauldron by Lloyd Alexander
• Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
• Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George
• Princess of the Silver Woods by Jessica Day George
• Princess of Glass by Jessica Day George
•  Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas, translated by Richard Pevear
• The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights by John Steinbeck
• The Midwife's Tale by Sam Thomas
• The Upstairs Room by Johanna Reiss
• Socks by Beverly Cleary
• Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes
• Happy Birthday to You! by Dr. Seuss
• Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
• Palace of Stone by Shannon Hale

    Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Linda from Silly Little Mischief that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries. 

© 2015 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

The List. Read-a-thon Possibilities.

I've spent days trying to narrow down hundreds of books to a potential ten. I know ten is still five or six too many--at least. But I have trouble saying no and putting things back. (Ask anyone!)

A. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly (May 2009) (338 pages)
B The Hourglass Door by Lisa Mangum (May 2009) (398 pages)
C Waiting for You by Susane Colasanti (May 2009) (317 pages)
D Say the Word by Jeannine Garsee (March 2009) (360 pages)
E Willow by Julia Hoban (April 2009) (342 pages)
F Bones of Faerie by Janni Lee Simner (January 2009) (247 pages)
G Bird by Rita Murphy (October 2008) (150 pages)
H The Season by Sarah MacLean (March 2009) (336 pages)
I Dead Is A State of Mind by Marlene Perez (January 2009) (175 pages)
J Slob by Ellen Potter (May 2009) (208 pages)

A. By 1899, we had learned to tame the darkness but not the Texas heat.
B. It is the counting that saves him.
C. The best thing about summer camp is the last day.
D. When the phone slashes a machete through my brain at six fifteen a.m. it can only mean one of two things: Dad somehow found out I was sucking face with Devon Connolly last night. Or somebody's dead.
E. Maybe it's just a scratch.
F. I had a sister once.
G. Wysteria did not care where I had come from or where I had been.
H. Oof! I've been stabbed!
I. I was running late.
J. My name is Owen Birnbaum, and I'm probably fatter than you are.

So what say you? Do any of these covers speak to you? How about first lines? Which books do you want to hear more about? Which book would you start with...if you were me?

Until I looked up the page numbers, I could have sworn that I was picking short books. They didn't *feel* heavy. I've often found--though--that length is a state of mind. A book that you love can fly by quickly. And a book that you're not feeling--even if it's only 120 pages--can be so burdensome and weary that you feel like time has stood still.


© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
If you're reading this post on another site, or another feed, the content has been stolen.

It's The End of the World Challenge Completed

What I read:

1. The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
2. How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff
3. Gone by Michael Grant
4. Tomorrow When the War Began by John Marsden
5. The Dead of Night by John Marsden
6. Bones of Faerie by Janni Lee Simner
7. Feed by M.T. Anderson
8. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein
9. The Silenced by James DeVita
10. Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse by Victor Gischler
11. Killing Frost by John Marsden
12. The Good Humor Man by Andrew Fox

Did you participate? Do you have a wrap-up post to share? Did you have a favorite book from the challenge? Did any books surprise you? Feel free to share your thoughts about the challenge in the comments :)

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Readathon Mid-Event Survey

1. What are you reading right now? SLOB. I'm only about fifty pages from finishing it. So I have hopes of beginning a book four during the next hour.

2. How many books have you read so far? I'm on my third book so far. Hopefully, by the end of the hour, I will have completed three books and be in my fourth.

3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon? Bones of Faerie.

4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day? Nope. Not at all. I do wish I wasn't sick with allergies. *But* that's no excuse for not finding joy in a book. And being nice and comfy with a book is really all you can ask for when you feel like I do :)

5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those? No big interruptions at least. I've taken breaks for meals. Had a bath. Taken a few mini-breaks. But no big distractions this go round.

6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far? I don't think surprise is the right word. But I like the twittering.

7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? No. It's good just as is.

8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year? Not be sick. As if I *could* do anything about that :)

9. Are you getting tired yet? No, not really. I *know* that I won't stay up all night. It would just make me feel worse. And I do need sleep. But in this moment, I'm going good.

10. Do you have any tips for other Readers or Cheerleaders, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered? I love my Book Buddy :)

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
If you're reading this post on another site, or another feed, the content has been stolen.