2012 Book Blogger Recommendation Challenge

This challenge is hosted by Reading with Tequila. The point of the challenge is to select books from a list recommended by various bloggers.

The Levels:
Level I - Read 5 books from the 2011 Book Blogger Recommendation List
Level II - Read 10 books
Level III - Read 15 books
Level IV - Read 20 books
Level V - Read 20+ books

The list can be found HERE.

I am going to aim for Level II - Read 10 Books. Going through the list, I made a list of the ones I currently own and a couple I will likely own before the year is out. They will be my main choices to start from.

Divergent by Veroncia Roth
Delirium by Lauren Oliver
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Steifvater
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
Legend by Marie Lu
The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
The Restorer by Amanda Stevens
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
Katherine by Anya Seton

Completed:
1. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
2. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
3. Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor
4. Wither by Lauren DeStefano
5. Across the Universe by Beth Revis
6. Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini
7. Legend by Marie Lu
8. The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
9. Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
10.

Read your own Book Month wrap up

September is over, and I ended up reading 4 books for Read Your Own Books month, Giraffe level. Here's some mini-reviews for the last two. Click on the book cover to head to the GoodReads page on the book



This was the book club choice over at Quiet: The Power of Introverts. The story is told in the present (which, in the book, includes 1996 and 2002), with Hanna Heath, a conservator of rare books, who was hired by the UN to work on the Sarajevo Haggadah. During the conservation process she finds things in the Haggadah, that reveal some of the history of the book. The rest of the book interleaves the past, related to how one of the items becomes inserted in the book, then back to 1996 where Hanna is having studies done to determine what they are. I studied museum and archive studies in college, so I tend to get a geeky glee at things like archival research and the internal workings of museums and archives (even when a character does something to tick off real archivists *Roland Mitchell*). Brooks does a fine job of drawing you into a moment in history with the little stories mixed in with Hanna's tale. Brooks is fast becoming one of my favorite historical fiction writers. ★★★★



September read for the Historical Fiction group at Shelfari. Also one of my first Nook "purchases" (it was a freebie friday selection), sitting on my Nook Color since the spring. Its the tale of William Marshall, who was offered as a hostage to Stephen at age 5, who should have been killed for his father not upholding his agreement to turn over the castle. He later came to the attention of Eleanor of Aquitaine from his skill in tournaments, and from saving her from a kidnapping attempt. I really enjoyed reading this. Nearly this time last year, I read Sharon Kay Penman's Henry II- Eleanor of Aquitaine trilogy, which is very detailed, and very long. I was familiar with William Marshall from that series and intrigued by his story, and happy to learn he is a real figure in history. But by the time I got to the third book, Devil's Brood, there were some of the author's habits that got to me, and a few things I didn't like (I would not suggest reading this trilogy straight through). The Greatest Knight overlapped greatly with Devil's Brood, except Chadwick does not go through each period when Henry's sons had grievances with him, which get to be repetitive since neither the sons or father really gave into change. Chadwick highlights the main grievances, and other moments in history, but not as detailed as someone like Penman writes. And because of that, it moved at a much quicker pace. I get the feeling that Chadwick is going to be a favorite as well. ★★★★ 1/2

Banned Book Week- The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Young Adult - Dystopian/Post-apocalyptic
Scholastic
purchased for my Nook.
4.5 stars

The American Library Association lists The Hunger Games as number four on the most frequently challenged books for 2010. The Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom cites that a parent has asked the Gofftown (NH) School Board to remove the book from her child's class "claiming that it gave her 11-year-old nightmares and could numb other students to the effects of violence." (School Library Journal, October 2010). The article also presents the general description of the book the parent gave to the board, which demonstrates that the parent has not read the entire book, and the child either did not pay attention to the reader (the book was being read allowed in class), or as the article seems to imply, had not heard/read the entire book.

This book has been sitting on my Nook Color for several months now. It was one of the first I got for it, so when I saw it on the list of frequently banned/challenged books, I had to read it now (works well for Read your own Books Month too). I had gotten it because I'd seen the hype, and everyone loved it (apparently, hype over Young Adult science fiction/fantasy does not phase me). This one lived up to the hype

. It is set in Panem, after a huge global warming event and war has devastated North America. The country is centered around the capitol, with districts surrounding it. Each district is responsible for the production/gathering of certain types of materials for the country. The capitol lives in wealth, while the districts are kept in reduced states, where it is not uncommon for families to barely get by. This is one way the Capitol exerts its force on the people, to prevent another uprising. The capitol also hosts The Hunger Games, designed to keep the citizens in the districts in line, and at the mercy of the Capitol. For the games, a boy and girl from each of the twelve districts are selected, given a small amount of training, and placed in an arena with minimal supplies for a fight to the death. The novel is told from the point of view of Katniss, the girl tribute from District 12.

I have a 10 year old nephew, and I don't think I would have any problem giving this book to read. Yes it focuses on a society that routinely puts children in fights to the death, but most of these are "off camera". The tributes don't get to know how the others are killed unless they were involved in the process; they just get a basic rundown of the deaths each day. So the reader gets to see a relatively few number of them. The majority of the kids selected do not want to be in these games, to fight and kill. But they must if they wish to try and get back to their friends and family. The ones the readers get to see aren't terribly graphic or gory either. Kids have seen worse things on the news, in the cartoons and movies they are allowed to watch, as well as in school. I know my five year old nephew has. Whether he understands it or not is another thing. But my older nephew is very much into fighting games (first person shooters), nerf guns and army men. But we've always gone over with him how his favorite heros aren't shooting just to kill, but they are fighting the "bad guys".

Everyone has had nightmares at some point in their life; that's no reason to ban a book. Like all books, this has a target age range to be a guide for parents purchasing books for their kids. Yes this could be a book emotionally difficult for some kids, but that's when the parents should step up and discuss it with the kids. But the average 12-18 year olds this is aimed at will have no problem with the reading or subject matter. By that age, they know the "effects of violence"; one little book is not going to determine if someone will be violent or not. And focusing on the violent aspects only blinds you to the more important aspects of being able to fend for yourself, as the tributes are called on to do, or standing up to what you know to be wrong, as Katniss does several times

I really enjoyed this novel, and look forward to finishing the series once my schedule frees up.

Review: Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

Garden Spells
by Sarah Addison Allen
Magical Realismpersonal copy acquired via Paperback Swap
Book #1 for Read your own books Month

About the book (from the back cover)

In a garden surrounded by a tall fence, tucked away behind a small, quiet house in an even smaller town, is an apple tree that is rumored to bear a very special sort of fruit. In this luminous debut novel, Sarah Addison Allen tells the story of that enchanted tree, and the extraordinary people who tend it.…

The Waverleys have always been a curious family, endowed with peculiar gifts that make them outsiders even in their hometown of Bascom, North Carolina. Even their garden has a reputation, famous for its feisty apple tree that bears prophetic fruit, and its edible flowers, imbued with special powers. Generations of Waverleys tended this garden. Their history was in the soil. But so were their futures.

A successful caterer, Claire Waverley prepares dishes made with her mystical plants—from the nasturtiums that aid in keeping secrets and the pansies that make children thoughtful, to the snapdragons intended to discourage the attentions of her amorous neighbor. Meanwhile, her elderly cousin, Evanelle, is known for distributing unexpected gifts whose uses become uncannily clear. They are the last of the Waverleys—except for Claire’s rebellious sister, Sydney, who fled Bascom the moment she could, abandoning Claire, as their own mother had years before.

When Sydney suddenly returns home with a young daughter of her own, Claire’s quiet life is turned upside down—along with the protective boundary she has so carefully constructed around her heart. Together again in the house they grew up in, Sydney takes stock of all she left behind, as Claire struggles to heal the wounds of the past. And soon the sisters realize they must deal with their common legacy—if they are ever to feel at home in Bascom—or with each other.

Thoughts I read The Peach Keeper over the summer, and while I enjoyed it, it didn't quite compare to Alice Hoffman's The Red Garden which I had read earlier in the summer. It was my first time reading a book by this author, and many people who had read most of her works had mentioned how it didn't quite hold up to her other novels. Now having read Garden Spells, I can completely see why they said that. The magical realism aspect in The Peach Keeper is very subtle. So subtle I would not be surprised if some readers missed it completely. In Garden Spells, it is impossible to miss it. It reminded me a bit of the Practical Magic movie (I've sadly not read the book yet. Maybe this fall if there is time), and also The Red Garden, which also features a garden which defines the family in local lore. I really enjoyed it, and had to remind myself that I can't start The Girl who Chased the Moon right away. Its an easy read, and for the most part a fun read. It made a nice change of pace after reading the part of Gone with the Wind where Scarlet goes back to Tara while Sherman is marching through Georgia.

If anyone is interested in winning a copy of this book, Wendy of Wall-to-wall-books also just finished it, and is giving away her copy. So head over to her blog if you are interested in entering.