Listless Monday was inspired by both Amanda at A Bookshelf Monstrosity's feature Books by Theme and Court at Once Upon a Bookshelf's Listed feature. Be sure to check out their lists!
It's been quite some time since I've done a Listless Monday, and I almost didn't do one today, because I wanted to post about the Youth Media Awards announced this morning. However, I decided to post this list, because it has particular relevance to me right now. We haven't had any days this year that got above freezing so far. Since I've already done a winter-themed list, I took a new twist for this one. Thus, I bring you:
When It's Cold Outside
Put on your coat:
Don't forget your hat:
And your gloves:
Long socks are helpful:
And then your boots:
You may also want to throw on a scarf for good measure:
Lauren suggested ear muffs (though I couldn't find a cover of either of these books with ear muffs on it, they both are very much dress warmly books):
Any additions?
If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage
I'm glad to be back doing this meme again. And it's a perfect week for me to jump in, because we are talking about the most anticipated event of 2011. And for me, that just has to be:
My husband graduating from school.
Mind you, this graduation is actually leading to another three years of school. But still. Both of us are so happy to be leaving undergraduate work behind.
Which leads to the next anticipated event, which is moving. I've lived in this state for all but about two years of my life and I am ready to try somewhere new. Mind you, I am going to miss my Utah Bloggers and the fabulous socials we have about twice a year. However, I am very happy for a change.
Where are you going, you may ask? Well, that is currently unknown. Alas, we are doing the Waiting Game. Waiting to hear back from the schools we applied to.
So, that's really the big one for me. It's kind of hard to plan for any other events when you don't know where you'll be in six months. But, frankly, it's also kind of exciting.
Plus, wherever we go, there will be books and new bookish friends. So, here's to a new year of adventures and reading!
What's your most anticipated event this year?
If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage
Across the Universe by Beth Revis
Publisher: Razorbill (Penguin)
Publication date: January 2011
ISBN: 9781595143976
Source: Review copy provided by publisher and LibraryThing Early Reviewers
When Amy and her parents decide to go on a mission to a new planet, they must be cryogenically frozen for 300 years. But Amy is brutally awakened 50 years too soon and finds herself on a spaceship filled with secrets and lies. She struggles to adapt to this enclosed space where people docilely accept everything the sinister leader Eldest tells them without question. She thinks she can trust Elder, the next in line for leadership, but in a place where she knows no one and understands nothing, can she really trust him?
Things I Liked:
This book really does have it all. It's mystery, sci-fi, dystopian, action-adventure and even a little romance. The story is completely consuming and it caught me almost immediately in its grasp. There were a lot of twists and surprises that totally reversed how you thought about everything and sometimes everyone! While I did have one of the major plot mysteries figured out almost immediately, I did not grow bored because there was so much I hadn't figured out and couldn't have guessed. I loved the way Revis created the atmosphere on the ship - Amy discovers smells and tastes and sights that are so well described that you feel a part of the ship too. The isolation and struggles of her new life are emotionally overpowering and you can't help but feel the same way. I was also impressed with Elder and the conflicting and sometimes contradictory way he acted and thought. It was really a fascinating and fast-paced story complete with interesting ethical dilemmas and a glimpse at a horrifying and beautiful possible future.
The air hits me like a wall, and I stop a few feet from the door. It smells processed, cool against my nostrils, just like the air-conditioned hospital. I'd expected mechanical, industrial-cold air inside. That air felt natural, because it was just like every other air-conditioned house back on Earth, with that falsely cool, slightly stale feel to it. But outside...the air is still the same. This is not air that has ever felt a breeze. This is air that has been used and reused for centuries. p 133 of ARC
How can I explain to this girl, who was raised among differences and lack of leadership and chaos and war that this is the way a normal society is run, a peaceful society, a society that doesn't just survive, as hers did, but one that thrives and flourishes as it hurtles through space toward a new planet? p 298 of ARC
Does it matter if it's a lie if it keeps us alive? p 354 of ARC
Things I Didn't Like:
I have to admit that there were minor things that nagged at me while reading. It felt like there were a few minor holes in the plot that I couldn't quite recognize, but that left me doubting some of the events. Also, I could have done without the Season. Just saying.
Read-alikes:
Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder
Matched by Ally Condie
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !
a few, but mostly there were evolved cuss words
mrg-factor: XX
quite a bit, though most of it is not descriptive
v-factor: ->->
some disturbing images, but not a lot of gore
Overall rating: *****
I was lucky enough to get an extra ARC and I would love to pass it on to one lucky reader! Fill out the form below by next Friday, January 14. US only.
If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage
Glimpse by Carol Lynch Williams
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Publication date: June 2010
ISBN: 9781416997306
Source: Library
Things I Liked:
Gorgeous, rending, painful, enlightening, real, bitter, absolutely heartbreaking. So well done, so awful, yet so beautiful. I don't read a lot of free verse novels, but this one might be enough to get me reading more. The ending made it all worth the pain of reading it. Hope was very aptly named and I love the part she played in the book. I loved the sisters and their relationship - to take care of each other was the most important thing. I also really liked how Hope was dealing with all of these tragic and difficult things, but still having relatively normal teen experiences - kissing games and parties and liking boys. It kept things from becoming too dark and too hard. Another amazing, difficult, beautiful book for Williams. Not for nothing was this on my favorites of 2010 list. Some favorite parts:
Don't let them take me,
Hope,
Liz says,
don't let them take me.
Her voice
pierces me in the chest,
right under
the breastbone.
And my heart,
right then and there,
rips in half.
I can feel the weepy
tear in it. p 50
I remember how,
when I was little,
I had thought she was pretty.
The prettiest momma in all the world.
Now everything about her is
ugly.
And I wonder,
will I ever feel the same
about her again? p 447
Things I Didn't Like:
Don't expect to get through this one without your tissues and a broken heart. If you are feeling sad already, pick up something light-hearted first.
Read-alikes:
Reminded me of Waiting for Normal by Leslie Connor
Also, Everything is Fine and This is What I Did: by Ann Dee Ellis
Probably like Ellen Hopkins' books (though I haven't read any)
BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !
a few
mrg-factor: X
some very disturbing parts, nothing graphic
v-factor: ->
a few things, some mature incidents and attempted suicide
Overall rating: *****
Why is it that some of the most powerful books are also the hardest to read?
If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage
Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie by Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Flux
Publication date: October 2009
ISBN: 9780738714844
Source: Library
James and Deidre continue their adventures with fey at a musical conservatory where they hope to deepen their musical abilities. James is being stalked by Nuala, a faerie who expands a human's musical skills in exchange for a heavy price. Their relationship takes some interesting turns as they give and take from each other in surprising ways. But, things get much more dangerous when James realizes both Deidre and Nuala are in danger from a very powerful faery.
Things I Liked:
The writing, as always, was just gorgeous. Stiefvater is so careful with each sentence and phrase that it seems like it must take years to write these books. I also really loved the interesting twists and turns to the story. It wasn't really at all what I expected of a sequel to Lament. I'd call it more of a companion book. I just adore James, the sarcastic little sweetheart, and I realized I don't really care at all for Deidre (whose story was really a side plot). James was the life of the story and everything else just kind of decorated the background behind his vibrant personality. Here are some parts I just had to share:
The first week - all coy introductions in class and fluffy assignments - was over, and the second week was showing its teeth. Out came the giant homework assignments, the writing-upon of boards, and the general rending of garments that go with high school It was funny - I'd really thought in the back of my head that a school filled with music geeks would be different from a regular high school, but really the only thing that was different was that we played our roles according to where we sat in the orchestra. Brass players: jerks. Woodwinds: snobby cliques. Strings: overachievers with their hands up all the time. Percussion: class clowns. p 15
The humble practice chanter is a slender plastic version of the chanter on the full-sized pipes, and its primary virtue is that it's one thousand times quieter than the actual pipes - making you one thousand times less likely to be stoned to death while practicing indoors. It's also a heck of a lot easier to play, physically - none of that huffing-puffing-blow-your-bag-in thing. It also sounds like a dying goose; for sheer impressiveness, you need the actual pipes. p 24
I got tired of watching her boohoo-ness really fast, and decided to go to the movie theater instead. If I was going to be witness to that amount of melodrama, I wanted it to be delivered by a highly paid and beautiful head on a big screen. p 73
Things I Didn't Like:
It felt like very slow reading. Things didn't seem to happen so much as glide by in slow-motion. It also felt a bit melodramatic throughout the whole thing, like being a teenager feels, actually. If it weren't for the redeeming sarcastic humor of James, it would have been over the top.
Read-alikes:
Read Lament by Maggie Stiefvater
These books might tide you over while you wait for next Iron Fey book by Julie Kagaway
Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr
BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !@#$
almost too much for me
mrg-factor: XX
several incidents and plenty of innuendo
v-factor: ->
some parts, but not a lot
Overall rating: ****
I'd read a cereal box written by Stiefvater. Do you have an author like that?
If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage
You know, I really struggle to pick a perfect number of books that fit such a category as "favorites" or "best." So, I figured I'd just list the books that I loved this year and sort of not care about the numbers. I did manage to group them into categories (and subcategories) though!
Young Adult Books
Fantasy/Paranormal:
A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth Bunce
Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink
Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor
The Demon's Covenant by Sarah Rees Brennan
Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
White Cat by Holly Black
The Lost Saint by Bree Despain
Dystopian:
Incarceron and Sapphique by Catherine Fisher
Inside Out by Maria Snyder
Birthmarked by Caragh O'Brien
Delirium by Lauren Oliver
Matched by Ally Condie
The Scorch Trials by James Dashner
Contemporary/Realistic Fiction:
Once Was Lost by Sara Zarr
North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley
Glimpse by Carol Lynch Williams
Middle Grade Books
Fantasy/Steampunk:
The Farwalker's Quest by Joni Sensel
The Lost Conspiracy by Frances Hardinge
Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld
Historical Fiction:
The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick
Alchemy and Meggy Swann by Karen Cushman
One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
Forge by Laurie Halse Anderson
Contemporary/Realistic:
Waiting for Normal by Leslie Connor
Nonfiction Books
Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman
The Man Who Loved Books Too Much by Allison Hoover Bartlett
Adult Books
Fantasy/Paranormal/Dystopian:
Daughter of the Forest and Son of the Shadows by Juliet Marillier
Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn
The Heir of Night by Helen Lowe
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
Historical Fiction:
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie and The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag by Alan Bradley
Rereads (I figure if I loved it enough to reread it, it should be a favorite)
Harry Potter 1-6 by J.K. Rowling (on audio)
The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester
The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer
Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
2010 Great Series Ends:
Queen's Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner (A Conspiracy of Kings)
Last Survivors series by Susan Beth Pfeffer (This World We Live In)
Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness (Monsters of Men)
Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins (Mockingjay)
Fablehaven series by Brandon Mull (Keys to the Demon Prison)
Glass series by Maria V. Snyder (Spy Glass)
Darkest Powers series by Kelley Armstrong (The Reckoning)
Incarceron duology by Catherine Fisher (Sapphique)
2010 Great Series Starts:
Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare (Clockwork Angel)
Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa (The Iron King, The Iron Daughter)
Curse Workers series by Holly Black (White Cat)
The Agency series by Y.S. Lee (A Spy in the House, The Body at the Tower)
Inside Out series by Maria Snyder (Inside Out)
It is apparent that I either really enjoy fantasy (true) or I don't read enough of anything else (probably true). Also, I was kind of surprised I had no YA historical fiction favorites. I don't think I read many of them, but hopefully it isn't because I don't generally like that particular flavor of YA. And creating this post made me realize that I have some 30+ reviews from 2010 that are waiting to be posted - some of them favorites! Gotta get moving.
What are your favorites, top ten, or best of 2010?
If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage
My first contest of 2011 has come to a close! The winner of the ARC of The Lost Saint by Bree Despain is:
donnas
Congrats! I've sent you an email and will hopefully get it sent out soon. Thanks again, everyone who entered. I've got another ARC giveaway coming up soon, so check back if you didn't win!
If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage
If you are not very interested in knowing someone else's reading numbers, you may feel free to skip this post. I'll list my favorites of the year in another post either later today or tomorrow.
Total books read in 2010: 206
Reading challenges completed:
100+ Reading Challenge (206)
Young Adult Reading Challenge (122)
Support Your Local Library Reading Challenge (122)
Banned Books Reading Challenge (3)
YA-D2 Dystopian Reading Challenge (5, though I haven't reviewed them all)
Perpetual challenges I worked on:
Support Local Authors
Printz Project
Still working on:
Read, Remember, Recommend Challenge (6 of 10 books read)
Stats:
Young Adult books read: (122) 59%
Middle Grade books read: (54) 26%
Adult books read: (28) 14%
Children's books read: (2) .01%
Nonfiction books read: (7) .03%
Audio books: (8) .04%
E-books: (12) .06%
Review copies/ARCs (74) 36%
Owned (not for review) (7) .03%
Approximate genre stats:
Fantasy/paranormal: ~45%
Realistic Fiction/Contemporary: ~23%
Historical Fiction: ~19%
Dystopian/sci-fi/futuristic: ~13%
Other genres: ~1%
As you can see, most of what I read is young adult fantasy and still the majority comes from my library, which is just fine with me. This year, I would like to read more nonfiction and more adult books (probably "classics"). Other than that, I decided not to define specific goals (after all, I am participating in a few reading challenges this year; those are goals, right?).
Welcome to a new year of reading!
If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage
I was pretty happy to discover that this challenge is going to happen again this year. Check out Home Girl's Book Blog for more info. I also discovered that the secret reason I sign up for this (other than the obvious "I want to read more than 100 books") is to keep track of everything I read during the year. So, no specific numerical goal, but I'd like to read at least 100 this year again. I think I'm off to a good start:
1. The Shadows by Jacqueline West
2. Across the Universe by Beth Revis
3. The Magnificent 12: The Call by Michael Grant
4. Dragonbreath by Ursula Vernon
5. Dragonbreath: Attack of the Ninja Frogs by Ursula Vernon
6. Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes
7. Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine
8. Reckless by Cornelia Funke
9. A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz
10. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
11. Drought by Pam Bachorz
12. The Dead Boys by Royce Buckingham
13. The False Princess by Eilis O'Neal
14. Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
15. Keeper by Kathi Appelt
16. After Ever After by Jordan Sonnenblick
17. Muslim Women Reformers by Ida Lichter
18. Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm
19. Arcadia Falls by Carol Goodman
20. StarCrossed by Elizabeth C. Bunce
21. The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa
22. The Gardener by S.A. Bodeen
23. The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
24. Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool
25. Secondhand Charm by Julie Berry
26. Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper
27. The Dreamer by Pam Munoz Ryan
28. Bink & Gollie by Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee
29. A Long Way From Chicago by Richard Peck (audio)
30. No Passengers Beyond This Point by Gennifer Choldenko
31. Ten Miles Past Normal by Frances O'Roark Dowell
32. The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
33. Bitter Melon by Cara Chow
34. Under the Green Hill by Laura L. Sullivan
35. Outside In by Maria V. Snyder
36. Beyonders: A World Without Heroes by Brandon Mull
37. The Familiars by Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson
38. These is my Words by Nancy Turner
39. Pegasus by Robin McKinley
40. Wither by Lauren DeStefano
41. The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
42. Red Glove by Holly Black
43. Hourglass by Myra McEntire
44. Making Toast by Roger Rosenblatt
45. Bless This Mouse by Lois Lowry
46. The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
47. A Train to Potevka by Mike Ramsdell
48. The Exiled Queen by Cinda Williams Chima
49. The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell
50. Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry
51. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
52. Plain Kate by Erin Bow
53. Divergent by Veronica Roth
54. Alcatraz Versus the Shattered Lens by Brandon Sanderson
55. Amelia Lost by Candace Fleming
56. Sing Me to Sleep by Angela Morrison
57. Toads and Diamonds by Heather Tomlinson
58. The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan
59. The River Between Us by Richard Peck
60. Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson
61. Possession by Elana Johnson
62. Bumped by Megan McCafferty
63. The Dark City by Catherine Fisher
64. Entwined by Heather Dixon
65. Abby Carnelia's One and Only Magical Power by David Pogue
66. Paranormalcy by Kiersten White
67. Blood Red Road by Moira Young
68. The Giver by Lois Lowry
69. What Happened on Fox Street by Tricia Springstubb
70. Okay for Now by Gary Schmidt
71. She's So Dead to Us by Kieran Scott
72. Nightshade by Andrea Cremer
73. The Gray Wolf Throne by Cinda Williams Chima
74. Radiance by Alyson Noel
75. Leaving the Bellweathers by Kristin Clark Venuti
76. Enclave by Ann Aguirre
77. Kat, Incorrigible by Stephanie Burgis
78. The Trouble with Half a Moon by Danette Vigilante
79. Cahoots by Karla Oceanak
80. Jane Austen: A Life Revealed by Catherine Reef
81. The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May, and June by Robin Benway
82. How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff
83. The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper (audio)
84. The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens
85. On Writing by Stephen King
86. The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter
87. Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini
88. The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab
89. Eona: The Last Dragoneye by Alison Goodman
90. The Ring of Solomon by Jonathan Stroud
91. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
92. Nightspell by Leah Cypess
93. The Lost Heiress by Catherine Fisher
94. Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier
95. Firelight by Sophie Jordan
96. City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare
97. Populazzi by Elise Allen
98. Wisdom's Kiss by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
99. He's So Not Worth It by Kieran Scott
100. The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson
101. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
102. The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente
103. Dust & Decay by Jonathan Maberry
104. The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise by Julia Stuart
105. Circle of Fire by Michelle Zink
106. Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
107. The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson (audio)
108. Ripple by Mandy Hubbard
109. The Poison Diaries by Maryrose Wood (and the Duchess of Northumberland)
110. Big Nate Strikes Again by Lincoln Peirce
111. Clarity by Kim Harrington
112. Goliath by Scott Westerfeld
113. The Implosion of Aggie Winchester by Lara Zielin
114. Enthralled edited by Melissa Marr and Kelley Armstrong
115. The Hidden Coronet by Catherine Fisher
116. Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon
117. The Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer
118. Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter
119. The Margrave by Catherine Fisher
120. The Flintheart by Katherine and John Paterson (audio)
121. The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
122. Eragon by Christopher Paolini (audio)
123. The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe
124. Can You Survive: Jack London's Call of the Wild adapted by Ryan Jacobson
125. The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann
126. Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick
127. Moon Shot by Alan Shepard, Deke Slayton, and Jay Barbree
128. All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin
129. The Fox Inheritance by Mary Pearson
130. Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick
131. Crossed by Ally Condie
132. Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce
133. With a Name Like Love by Tess Hilmo
134. This Dark Endeavour by Kenneth Oppel
135. Eldest by Christopher Paolini (audio)
136. Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly
137. Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
138. Everneath by Brodi Ashton
139. House Rules by Jodi Picoult
140. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
141. The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon
142. Wildwood by Colin Meloy
143. Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver
144. Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu
145. Vanish by Sophie Jordan
146. How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr
147. The Secret Life of Ms. Finkleman by Ben H. Winters
148. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
149. Icefall by Matthew J. Kirby
150. Slayers by C.J. Hill
If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage
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