Back to Books

Titanic 100th Anniversary Reading Challenge First Quarter

2012-03-31T23:59:00.001-04:00

Post your reviews here for January through March.

Sign up anytime HERE.

Watching in January

2012-02-01T12:00:00.001-05:00

Well, I kept away from the small screen this month more than I had wanted to. I had a very successful reading month, getting on a roll reading 33 books this month, that it left me with very little time to sit in front of the screen. I always feel like I'm not doing anything when I watch TV, which isn't fair to myself but I do hope to try and cure myself of that. Maybe I'll pick up knitting again.

Anyway, I did absolutely no TV surfing at all. We did go to the movies for our anniversary and saw MI 4. We both love Tom Cruise (for different reasons LOL) and had a good time. My brief review:

1. Mission: Impossible IV Ghost Protocol - (2011) (theatre) I don't have a lot to say about this. Dh and I went to see it on date night. We enjoyed it. Of course. We both like Tom Cruise (for different reasons, hehe) The movie was just what you'd expect but I didn't enjoy it as much as the others. It was just more *tame*. It certainly deserved its PG rating; we could have taken our son to see it. Their was lots of action but no real violence and Tom didn't even have a love interest! So no sexy bits. But still I loved the action. We enjoyed our time.

As far as TV seasons, I've put them on hold for now as I'm watching Death Note anime online. This is my very first time watching an anime after reading the manga series and it is quite an interesting experience. I'm on episode 10/37. They've made a big change in how they present the main character though which makes the dynamics totally different from the book which I'm not pleased with, otherwise they seem to be sticking fairly true to the events.

I must get back to watching Arrested Development though because I need to have finished that for when the new mini-series and movie come out. So will start Season 2 sometime soon.

26: Jellaby: Monster in the City by Kean Soo

2012-02-01T11:46:00.001-05:00

Jellaby: Monster in the City by Kean Soo (US) - (Canada)
Jellaby, Vol. 2

Pages: 172
Ages: 10+
Finished: Jan. 22, 2012
First Published: Apr. 21, 2009
Publisher: Hyperion
Genre: children, graphic novel, fantasy, Canadian author
Rating: 3/5

First sentence:

That's the last of the sandwiches, so don't eat it all at once, okay

Acquired: Borrowed a copy from my local library.

Reason for Reading: Next in the series.

Publisher's Summary: "As Portia, Jason, and Jellaby continue their journey through the city of Toronto, Portia is torn between her friendship with Jellaby and her duty to help the sweet monster find his way back to his home. How can Portia say goodbye forever, when Jellaby has become her best friend?

But the clues leading them to Jellaby's origins begin to turn sinister. When a hooded wizard introduces them to another monster like Jellaby, Portia and her purple friend are in for a gruesome shock -- this monster befriends children, too -- and then she eats them!

Now Portia must find a home for Jellaby, save Jason from the grasping tentacles of his new "best friend," and come to terms with the mysterious disappearance of her father.

It's a lot to take on, but Portia is mad, bad, and ready to kick some monster butt."

I enjoyed this volume a might better than the first since I at least knew what to expect but was still disappointed. Sure I love the illustrations; they are cute and all once you get used to the teeny kids and I like the expressions the artist can convey just with the character's eyes. But story wise I did not find it satisfying. Too many questions were left in my mind and no questions were answered. What happened to Portia's father? Is Jellaby an imaginary friend? If so, why can others see him? Or do they really see him? The ending leaves this all up in the air and just left me feeling flat and disappointed. Others really enjoy this little series but I have to say it just wasn't my cup of tea.

25. Shot at Dawn: World War I by John Wilson

2012-01-31T06:32:00.000-05:00

Shot at Dawn: World War I, Allan McBride, France, 1917 by John Wilson (US) - (Canada)
I Am Canada series

Pages: 201
Ages: 12+
Finished: Jan. 22, 2012
First Published: Feb. 1, 2011
Publisher: Scholastic Canada
Genre: YA, historical fiction, Canadian author, WWI
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

I grew up on my father's ranch in the Nicola Valley in British Columbia.

Acquired: Borrowed a copy through Inter-Library Loan.

Reason for Reading: I am reading this series plus I enjoy this author.

Publisher's Summary: "The reality of trench warfare is a shock to Allan McBride. Like many other young soldiers, he enthusiastically signed up for the chance to join the war effort and be a part of the fighting. But after months in the ravaged battlefields, watching men, including his friend Ken, get blown up by German shelling, something in Allan snaps and he leaves his unit, believing he is "walking home to Canada" to get help for his friend.

After nearly a week of wandering aimlessly, Allan is taken in by a band of real deserters — men who have abandoned their units and live on the edge of survival in the woods of northern France. Once Allan realizes what he's done, he is paralyzed by the reality of his circumstance: if he stays with these men, it's possible they will be found and have to face the consequences; and if he returns to his unit, he will be charged with desertion — a charge punishable by death.

In this outstanding new title in the I Am Canada series, acclaimed author John Wilson explores life in the horrific trenches of WWI and the effect of battle on a shell-shocked soldier."

Having read this author before I knew this would not be a book for young children. John Wilson writes war stories that are gripping, horrific and page-turning. He describes the death in graphic detail which is not for the faint of heart and yet he does so in few words without gratuitous adjectives. The simple brief truth is enough to bring the reality of war home to the reader. The "I Am Canada" series, while recommended for 8-12 year olds, is not consistently suitable for the age spread with each individual book. Some books are OK for 8+ while others, like this one, are more for 12+ (as is suggested on the publisher's website). So make sure you know the title will match your child's maturity when choosing.

I found this book gripping and read it in one sitting which was only interrupted by a need to eat. This is a brutal look at war and not very sympathetic to the soldiers' plight as we are only getting the point of view of one person. Now, don't get me wrong, the reader is made sympathetic, terribly so, to the plight of the soldiers but the book does come across as harsh and slightly anti-war in its sympathies. This is clarified though in the author's note which is very informative on the Canadian role in WWI and speaks particularly to Canada's pride and remembrance of soldiers who fought at Amiens. I learnt quite a lot of information in this note about the shooting of British Empire soldiers for desertion. A moving read which will appeal mostly to boys, and those who enjoy gripping and personal war stories.

24. Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King by William Joyce

2012-01-30T06:47:00.005-05:00

Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King by William Joyce & Laura Geringer. Illuminations by William Joyce (US) - (Canada)
The Guardians, Book 1

Pages: 228
Ages: 7-11
Finished: Jan. 21, 2012
First Published: Oct. 4, 2011
Publisher: Atheneum
Genre: children, fantasy, steampunk
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

The battle of the Nightmare King began on a moonlit night long ago.

Acquired: Received a review copy from Simon & Schuster Canada.

Reason for Reading: Next in the series.

Publisher's Summary: "Before SANTA was SANTA, he was North, Nicholas St. North—a daredevil swordsman whose prowess with double scimitars was legendary. Like any swashbuckling young warrior, North seeks treasure and adventure, leading him to the fiercely guarded village of Santoff Claussen, said to be home to the greatest treasure in all the East, and to an even greater wizard, Ombric Shalazar. But when North arrives, legends of riches have given way to terrors of epic proportions! North must decide whether to seek his fortune…or save the village.

When our rebellious hero gets sucked into the chaos (literally), the fight becomes very personal. The Nightmare King and his evil Fearlings are ruling the night, owning the shadows, and sending waves of fear through all of Santoff Clausen. For North, this is a battle worth fighting...and, he’s not alone. There are five other Guardians out there. He only has to find them in time."

Not since "The Spiderwick Chronicles" have I read a children's fantasy aimed at the 7-11 crowd that is so engaging, quality literature with awesome illustrations to bring the story to life. This book is not genre specific as it mixes fantasy, science fiction, steampunk, and fairytale retelling all together until one can't really categorize it. It takes place on our Earth and yet includes creatures from Atlantis and the Moon. As I was reading I often had a feeling of L. Frank Baum's writing style; the book looks and has a voice similar to a 19th/early 20th century children's fantasy, chapters have titles such as " In Which a Twist of Fate Begets a Knot in the Plan" and "Where the Impossible Occurs with Surprising Regularity".

The text is large and double-spaced with frequent illustrations so is much shorter than the page numbers would indicate and this does make character development suffer. One never really gets a full sense or deep caring for the characters but I did find the little girl Katharine to be the most fleshed out character and the one I cared for the most. The book ends with the story arc being concluded and yet the overarching story of the series has only just begun, thus it very much has a first in a series feel.

However, to clear a little confusion. This is not the first book in the series, even though it is called Book 1. This is a direct sequel to "The Man in the Moon" which is confusingly listed as "The Guardians of Childhood, Book 1". The Man in the Moon is a picture book but characters and events from the book are present and crucial to the story in "Nicholas St. North", so do read it first. Those over 11 may find the book lacking in depth, plot development and characterization as this is not a heavy or detailed read. What it is though, is a fun, whimsical, outlandish fantasy crossed with other genres written to especially appeal to the 7-11 age group and those adults willing to be a kid again. I'm impressed and eager for the next book which will feature the Easter Bunny (excuse me, E. Aster Bunnymund).

Graphic Novels Challenge 2012 - FINISHED

2012-01-29T06:28:00.002-05:00

NOTE: I am officially finished this challenge having completed the required 12 books, however I will continue to record and post my books read for the rest of the year as the challenge encourages us to do just that.

I'm participating once again in this challenge but with one new difference I'M THE NEW HOST! I'm so excited to be running this challenge which is dear to my heart and follows one of my favourite addictions. I'm keeping everything the same as usual except I've changed the goal to read 12 books during the year. If you read more than 12 you are more than welcome to continue posting to the blog throughout the year.

Come join the fun and sign up here.
Post reviews here.

My list of books:

1. Power at the Plate by Scott Ciencin
2. Riptide Pride by Brandon Terrell
3. Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, Vol. 5 by Hiroshi Shiibashi
4. Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, Vol. 6 by Hiroshi Shiibashi
5. MOAH: Juvenile Remix, Vol. 7 by Megumi Osuga
6. MAOH: Juvenile Remix, Vol. 8 by Megumi Osuga
7.Green River Killer: A True Detective Story by Jeff Jensen
8. Super Dinosaur, Vol. 1 by Robert Kirkman
9. The Last Dragon by Jane Yolen
10. Tegami Bachi: Letter Bee, Vol. 7 by Hiroyuki Asada
11. African American Classics (Graphic Classics, Vol. 22)
12. Jellaby by Kean Soo

Extras:
13. Jellaby: Monster in the City by Kean Soo
14.

23. Jellaby by Kean Soo

2012-01-29T06:13:00.000-05:00

Jellaby by Kean Soo (Canada) - (US)
Jellaby, Vol. 1

Pages: 144
Ages: 10+
Finished: Jan. 20, 2012
First Published: 2008
Publisher: Hyperion
Genre: children, graphic novel, fantasy
Rating: 3/5

First sentence:

Thank you for your excellent report, Jason, now if we can ... Portia?

Acquired: Borrowed a copy from my local library.

Reason for Reading: I've wanted to read this since I first heard of it, then I read a short story in a recent Flight anthology. Somebody recently reviewed it in one of the challenges I'm in and that prompted me to finally read it.

Publisher's Summary: "Quiet, brilliant Portia has just moved to a new neighborhood with her mom. Adjusting to life without a father is hard enough, but school is boring and her classmates are standoffish -- and even Portia’s mom is strangely distant. But things start looking up when Portia mounts a late-night excursion into the woods behind her house and discovers a shy, sweet-natured purple monster. Life with Jellaby is a lot more exciting, but Portia’s purple friend has secrets of his own; secrets that may even lead to the mystery of Portia’s father’s disappearance!"

A quick read with cute illustrations. Certainly more serious than I thought it would be, which came as a surprise. A cute purple monster just makes you think it's going to be a silly book but it's not and it's not for young children either as there are serious themes, mainly Portia's absent father and her friend Jason's obviously neglectful parents who are never home. Portia also has nightmares which are disturbing and could be frightening to younger or sensitive children, so do pay attention to the recommended age of ten plus. The book isn't silly but that doesn't mean it isn't funny. It has it's moments and I did enjoy Jellaby as a character. However, I just didn't connect with the book as other's have done. The children felt much younger than they are supposed to be which was off-putting and the fact that Portia doesn't know where her dad is seems strange once it is apparent that he is somewhere. I'm pretty sure I know what happened to him, but we will have to find out in the second book. This book is also very much a "Part 1" as it ends with them going off on a journey and the words "to be continued". I know most people love this book but "just OK" for me; the combination of cute and seriousness didn't work for me, plus I had a lot of unanswered questions. I also questioned the nature of Jellaby, whether he was an "imaginary" friend, evidence points otherwise and yet still the question lingers.

22. Out of Slavery by Linda Granfield

2012-01-28T08:21:00.000-05:00

Out of Slavery: The Journey to Amazing Grace by Linda Granfield. Illustrated by Janet Wilson. (Canada) - (US)

Pages: 40
Ages: 9+
Finished: Jan. 19, 2012
First Published: Aug. 11, 2009
Publisher: Tundra Books
Genre: children, YA, biography, history, 1700s, slavery,
Rating: 5/5

First sentence:

In the oppressive night-blackness, the horizon melted into the sea as the African moved towards the West Indies.

Acquired: Received a review copy from Tundra Books.

Reason for Reading: I love Linda's other two book's which are based on the stories of poems and the lives of the authors. I was intrigued to hear the story of the man who wrote the legendary hymn "Amazing Grace".

Publisher's Summary: "The story of slavery, a man, and the world’s most beloved hymn.

John Newton led a rich life. He was a God-fearing man and a successful seafaring trader; his cargo was a lucrative business, for his wares were human beings. In 1748, Newton’s ship, the Greyhound, sailed the triangular trade route from Liverpool to Africa and on to Antigua as it had many times before. But on one journey, at the height of the slave trade, a storm raged. Feeling all was lost, Newton prayed that if he were spared, he would leave the cruel world of slave trading behind forever. That night, Newton’s prayers were answered, and true to his word, he turned his back on the slave trade. In fact, he went on to become an ardent abolitionist. Among Newton’s many achievements, his greatest legacy would be the most beloved hymn of all: “Amazing Grace.”"

This is a beautiful book, both visually and the story it has to tell. First of all, even though this is a picture book, it is not for small children. The recommended age is 9-12 and I'd add anyone over 12 as well. The story is intense. John Newton lived in cruel times and he participated in them as much as anyone else did. This book brought home to me how much we human beings are a product of our times, no matter how "good" one thinks oneself to be. Ms. Granfield does not hold back on any of the cruelty of the slave trade, and we are talking the British colonial slave trade here, but she does not resort to graphic detail, she does not need to. The simple truth and brief glances are more than enough to convey this horrid piece of history, while the haunting paintings only add to the reality.

John Newton comes across as a "nice" man, even a "good man" of his era. Here we see moral relativism in action. He is certainly a "better" slave trader than most of his contemporaries, not crowding his ships, while others filled their ships with "cargo", he called them "men" & "women" and perhaps this had something to with his own fifteen months he spent kidnapped and serving as a slave himself in the West Indies or his own religious beliefs he was brought up with. It was this life, his own suffering, the suffering he saw and the suffering he caused that turned him into an evangelical minister and writer of hymns, including the most well-known hymn in the world to all denominations, Amazing Grace. A poignant, hard-hitting story which will make the hymn even more meaningful to its singers once they know how it came to be. This book will be a keeper for my shelves.

21. 101 Puzzle Quizzes by The Grabarchuk Family

2012-01-27T07:10:00.002-05:00

101 Puzzle Quizzes by The Grabarchuk Family (Kindle Only)

Pages: 2753 KB
Ages: ALL AGES (best 10+)
Finished: ongoing
First Published: Aug. 22, 2011
Publisher: Grabarchuk Puzzles
Genre: puzzles, games
Rating: 5/5

Acquired: Received an ebook review copy from Grabarchuk Puzzles.

Reason for Reading: When I first took a look at what this puzzle book was all about, what made it unique, I was very intrigued; especially on behalf of my 11yo autistic son.

Publisher's Summary: "In this brand-new puzzle collection you will find 101 pictorial, hand-crafted puzzle quizzes in different themes: visual, spatial, counting, geometry, matchstick, coins, searching, and much more. You can interactively answer and check a puzzle quiz by clicking the respective answer button. Only the correct answer leads to the solution page. The collection is specially created for all kinds of solvers - beginners, skillful, and expert alike. The puzzles are arranged so that you start with the easy (*) puzzles and progress to the hard (*****) puzzles."

When I first saw this book I was thrilled that the puzzles were visual and spatial, involved counting and searching. Most puzzle books are at least 50% word puzzles and therefore inappropriate for my son as he is autistic and has major learning disabilities when it comes to reading, writing and spelling. These puzzles are the perfect thing for him. First of all there is one puzzle per page, no clutter. They are in colour which may mean colourful or simply the use of one or two colours on a page, pleasing to the eye but not distracting. They are interactive. Each puzzle gives you a multiple choice answer. You pick the one you think is correct and if you are right you're taken to the solution page with a detailed explanation of how the puzzle was solved (in case you just guessed!) But if you are wrong, you are taken to a sad emoticon and told to go back to the puzzle. There is no way to cheat and peak at the answer!

The various different kinds of puzzles repeat themselves throughout the book so once you get the hang of it you actually get better at them as they get harder. For example there are many pattern puzzles. Finding the next one in a pattern, picking which one doesn't belong with the others based on pattern and picking which 2 match each other due to patterns. Items can be rotated or flipped and while the first ones get you comfortable with the puzzle type you are ready for the harder ones when they eventually come along.

My son took to this book right. Being autistic it is hard finding puzzles for him to enjoy, but he loved these. One, he didn't have to use a pencil, two, it was almost like playing on the computer, three, he could actually figure them out and four, they were fun! Using patterns, counting, visuals, spatials, etc. these have targeted his brain in the exact way that it likes to work. At first I had to get him not to just guess which was the answer but stop and figure it out but he was thrilled that he could get them right.

Myself, I also am on the spectrum, having Asperger's and I've been having a ball with this book as well. I can figure out most of the puzzles, some take that extra thought but I've found that my weakness is in the geometry area. I'm hopeless with the area puzzles once they became complicated shapes and also the paperfolding to create a certain shape. Otherwise my son and I are complimenting each other well in finding the solutions and have found these to be perfect for the Autistic person who is not able to do traditional word puzzles such as crosswords, word scrambles, fill-ins, wordsearches, etc. These books would also make a great morning exercise to get brains warmed up in the classroom of upper elementary to highschool. The puzzles do get hard/tricky once you hit the mid-point! I will certainly be going back to buy 100 Puzzle Quizzes after I've completed this one. You can't go wrong for $4.99!

20. The Betrayal of Trust by Susan Hill

2012-01-26T06:34:00.000-05:00

The Betrayal of Trust by Susan Hill (US) - (Canada)
Simon Serrailler Crime Novel, 6

Pages: 355
Ages: 18+
Finished: Jan. 10, 2012
First Published: Jan. 3, 2012
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Canada
Genre: mystery
Rating: 5/5

First sentence:

The rain had been steady all afternoon as Simon Serrailler drove home from Wales and the wedding of an old friend.

Acquired: Received a review copy from Random House Canada.

Reason for Reading: Next in the series.

Publisher's Summary: "A cold case comes back to life in this sixth book in the highly successful Simon Serrailler detective series "eagerly awaited by all aficionados" (P.D. James). Freak weather and flash floods all over southern England. Lafferton is under water and a landslide on the Moor has closed the bypass. As the rain slowly drains away, a shallow grave--and a skeleton--are exposed; 20 years on, the remains of missing teenager Harriet Lowther have finally been uncovered. The case is re-opened and Simon Serrailler is called in as senior investigating officer. Harriet, an only child, had been on her way home from a friend's house that night. She was the daughter of a prominent local businessman, Sir John Lowther. Cold cases are always tough, and in this latest in the acclaimed series from Susan Hill, Serrailler is forced to confront a frustrating, distressing and complex situation."

I love this series! And eagerly await each new installment which, unfortunately only come out every other year, but boy! is it worth the wait! Simon is working on the cold case of skeletal remains which were easily identified by a genetic abnormality but soon after the finding of this body more remains are found close by; this time in a shallow grave. Simon must decide if they are related and how. This time the victim is an unknown and proves difficult to identify. A most intriguing and stimulating case with many twists, turns and avenues.

As usual with Hill's books, while the case is the main focus of the book it does not take up the whole spotlight. Simon's character and personal life, along with that of his family continues on in an established story arc throughout the books. The other topic that permeates this book is that of the elderly/terminally ill and death. Susan Hill explores this theme from many angles giving us characters who are doctors, nurses, caregivers and patients who are simply elderly, suffering from dementia or dying from terrible terminal illnesses. She explores hospice care, private clinics, those who are content with their life and now death and those who are angry at the world for their illness and impending death. She explores the controversial issue of self-assisted suicide from both sides , while making a sympathetic character who deals with the issue and at the same time dealing with the crime that it is in England and most of the civilized world.

A page-turning, thought-provoking, addictive read. And a highly recommended series. For some reason I started this one in the middle, so I have to keep reminding myself I have the first three books awaiting my reading pleasure.

19. It's a Snap! George Eastman's First Photograph by Monica Kulling

2012-01-25T06:19:00.001-05:00

It's a Snap! George Eastman's First Photograph by Monica Kulling. Illustrated by Bill Slavin. (US) - (Canada)
Great Idea Series, 1

Pages: 32
Ages: 6+
Finished: Jan. 17, 2012
First Published: Aug. 11, 2009
Publisher: Tundra Books
Genre: children, picture book, biography, non-fiction, Canadian author
Rating: 5/5

First sentence:

George Eastman left school when he was only fourteen.

Acquired: Received a Review Copy from Tundra Books.

Reason for Reading: I love the author's children's biographies, and this was the last book I still had to read in this series, wanting to catch up before a new one came out.

Publisher's Summary: "In 1877 in Rochester, New York, George Eastman couldn’t understand why picture-taking was so difficult. Having left school at fourteen to support his mother and two sisters, George decided to find out by making photography his hobby. He packed up glass plates, a plate holder, a tent, a heavy tripod, a thick piece of black cloth, a water jug, and chemicals and set off to take his first photograph.

George realized that not many people could own a camera — they were too expensive and the size of today’s microwave ovens! But how could he make picture-taking easier? Eventually, George created dry plates, and they were such a success that he opened his own dry-plate company in 1881. But this was only the beginning — George went on to invent film and the Brownie camera. The rest is history."

This is a fun picture book told in a storyteller voice. There are no dates or dry facts; instead we have here an entertaining story of a man who was frustrated with how difficult (and expensive!) it was to take just one picture. If he was going to do this as a hobby he really needed to figure out a better way to take pictures, and thus, he starts years of inventing an improvement upon the camera until he eventually comes up with the Kodak instant camera. The tale is told with humour and George's mother is a great "sidekick". It is she who first encourages him to take up a hobby, then to do something about it when he is frustrated with the cameras available to him, but later on as his inventing takes over her kitchen and a large part of George's conversation she humorously gets "fed-up" with it all. Of course, I knew who Eastman was and what he accomplished (and little bit of useless info, I used to work for them.) but this brief children's bio introduced me to the man and what inspired him, information I previously did not know. Children are going to be fascinated with the history of cameras presented here. Slavin's illustrations are as usual wonderful. They are detailed, capture the era, and his character's facial features are comic and lively. Probably my favourite of the series so far.

18. African-American Classics (Graphic Classics)

2012-01-24T07:01:00.002-05:00

African-American Classics edited by Tom Pomplun & Lance Tooks (US) - (Canada)
Graphic Classics, Vol. 22

Pages: 144
Ages: 12+
Finished: Jan. 16, 2012
First Published: Dec. 1, 2011
Publisher: Eureka Productions
Genre: graphic novel, anthology
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

The village of St. Gervais was one of the first to feel the devastating fury of the Hun.

Acquired: Received a Review Copy from Eureka Productions.

Reason for Reading: I absolutely love this series of books and read each new one that comes out. I hope to get around to reading more of their backlist this year.

Publisher's Summary: "African-American Classics presents great stories and poems from America''s earliest Black writers, illustrated by contemporary African-American artists. Featured are ''Two Americans'' by Florence Lewis Bentley, ''The Goophered Grapevine'' by Charles W. Chesnutt, ''Becky'' by Jean Toomer, two short plays by Zora Neale Hurston, and six more tales of humor and tragedy. Also featured are eleven poems, including Langston Hughes' ''Danse Africaine'' and ''The Negro'', plus Paul Laurence Dunbar's ''Sympathy'' (''I know why the caged bird sings... '')"

Usually when I read one of these collections of themed books I am familiar with a majority of the works but this time everything was new for me. I do read Black authors but they are contemporary ones such as Toni Morrison, making this an introduction for me to these early Black authors. I should say I was familiar with one writer and that is the poet Langston Hughes. This book does contain more than the norm, for this series, of poetry which I thought would bug me (not a poetry person) but I rather enjoyed the poems especially "Danse Africaine" (which was new to me) by Langston Hughes.

Grouping together a collection of stories based on author's race rather than a literary theme makes for a wide selection of genres to be represented (though I would say they all expressed the Black experience) and as such a few were not exactly my thing, but I enjoyed the majority of them and found several of them to be excellent. My favourite story was"Lex Talionis" by Robert W. Bagnall, a creepy tale of revenge. I also enjoyed "Two Americans" by Florence Lewis Bentley, "The Goophered Grapevine" by Charles W. Chestnutt. I found "Sanctum 777 N.S.D.C.O.U. Meets Cleopatra" by Leila Amos Pendleton to be a joy and was deeply touched with "Becky" by Jean Toomer.

The illustrations throughout the book are fantastic, presenting a wide range of styles and making for a visually stunning book. But then isn't every book in this series! It should be noted that the illustrators for this book are themselves all contemporary Black artists. A great book to treat yourself for Black History Month, or well, just anytime! I certainly appreciate the introduction to authors I've never read before.

17. Tegami Bachi: Letter Bee, Vol. 7 by Hiroyuki Asada

2012-01-23T07:03:00.000-05:00

Blue Notes Blues by Hiroyuki Asada (US) - (Canada)
Tegami Bachi: Letter Bee, Vol. 7

Pages: 192
Ages: 13+
Finished: Jan. 15, 2012
First Published: 2006, Japan (English: Nov. 1, 2011)
Publisher: viz media
Genre: YA, manga, science fiction, fantasy
Rating: 5/5

First sentence:

Yo! Zazie here! The Letter Bee?

Acquired: Received a review copy from Simon & Schuster Canada.

Reason for Reading: Next in the series.

Publisher's Summary: "Lag has discovered that his long-lost hero Gauche Suede lost all of his heart, became tangled up in an anti-government organization called "Reverse," and is now known as "Marauder Noir." Noir’s trail leads Lag and Niche to the icy northern town Blue Notes Blues. It just so happens Niche was born here. Lag and Niche uncover her mysterious origins: a sacred underground lake...where her brethren still dwell."

This is a plot developing volume with major climaxes happening with two major story arcs. First the story of Gauche Suede. Lag already knows what he has become and what he is up to but as both he and Zazie are working in the same area, it is Zazie who has a major run in with Gauche and we finally see to what depths he has sunken. Meanwhile, Lag himself has found something else of interest in this neighbourhood and the mystery of Niche is finally unveiled and is a unique fantasy story, one which makes her an even more interesting character. A fast-paced read, this series is always very easy to jump into the next volume and get carried away with the story. Rated T for 13+ I've always found this series to be very mild compared to others with the same rating, however, this volume does have almost complete female front nudity. If you look at the girl on the cover, let's just say there is a whole lot more clothes on her there, than in the book! But as I said it is *almost* and her scenes are not s*xual in any manner. Just an FYI. I can't wait for the next volume. I wish they published this series more often!

16. 14 Valentine Puzzle Quizzes by The Grabarchuck Family

2012-01-22T07:25:00.000-05:00

14 Valentine Puzzle Quizzes by The Grabarchuck Family (US & Canada - Kindle Only)
Pages: 576 KB ebook
Ages: ALL AGES (approx 10+)
Finished: Jan. 15, 2012
First Published: Jan. 10, 2012
Publisher: Grabarchuk Puzzles
Genre: puzzles
Rating: 4/5

Acquired: Received a complementary copy from Grabarchuk Puzzles.

Reason for Reading: My son & I are in the middle of having a blast with the 101 Puzzles book, that when the publisher asked if I was interested in reviewing this book I was delighted.

Publisher's Summary: "Here is a special Valentine present for the lovers of the Top Rated Puzzlebook series. In this new puzzle collection you will find 14 holiday themed, pictorial, hand-crafted puzzle quizzes."

If you've ever played any of the Grabarchuk puzzlebooks then you know what a treat you are in for here. If not, then here's your perfect sampler size try-out at a ridiculously small price of .99 cents. These puzzles involve visual, spatial, counting, geometry, and much more; only one requires the ability to read & spell. The puzzles are in full colour and interactive. Once you think you have the answer, click on it and you will either be taken to a "You are wrong" page "go back" or you are taken to the solution with an explanation. From this page you are directed to the next puzzle. It's pretty impossible to sneak a peak at the answers.

I had a ton of fun with these quick puzzles. Arranged in order from easiest to hardest, I zoomed through the first half lickety split then had to put on my thinking cap, the last few were doozies and the last one I couldn't figure out even after I'd read the solution! If you are a Grabarchuk puzzle fan, pick this one up for that special one you love and play the puzzles together over a bottle of champagne this Valentine's Day. If you haven't given these puzzles a try, this is a perfect one to get a feel for the play. Kids and adults alike will be hurrying back for more!

2nds Challenge 2012 (FINISHED)

2012-01-21T06:46:00.005-05:00

ETA: I'm officially finished this challenge as I signed up for the first level to read 3 books and have completed that. I will now consider the challenge completed, however, I will continue on and see how far I can move up through the levels. Books read listed below.

This challenge is hosted by Katy and sign-ups are here. A year long challenge to read either 2nd books in series or second books by authors you've only read once. This easily fits in with my goals and I already see books on my shelves that fit the bill.

These are the levels:

Just a spoonful - Read 3 books that are 2nd in a series or the second time you’ve read the author.
A few more bites - Read 6 books that are 2nd in a series or the second time you’ve read the author.
A full plate - Read 12 books that are 2nd in a series or the second time you’ve read the author.
All you can eat - Read 20 books (or more) that are 2nd in a series or the second time you’ve read the author.

I'll choose Just a spoonful to start with and read three as my main goal but we'll see if I can move up to higher levels.

Post reviews here.
Total Books read:

1. Dragon Seer's Gift by Janet McNaughton (2nd in series & 2nd by author)
2. No Such Thing as Dragons by Philip Reeve (2nd by author)
3. The Fathomless Fire by Thomas Wharton (2nd in series & 2nd by author)
(Just a spoonful: 3 books)

(FINISHED main goal - continuing on)

4. 101 Puzzle Quizzes by The Grabarchuk Family (2nd by author)
5. Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King by William Joyce (2nd in series & 2nd by author)
6. Jellaby: Monster in the City by Kean Soo (2nd by author & 2nd in series)
(A few bites more: 6 books)

7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
(A full plate: 12 books)

15. The Fathomless Fire by Thomas Wharton

2012-01-21T05:56:00.001-05:00

The Fathomless Fire by Thomas Wharton (US:Kindle Only ) - (Canada)
The Perilous Realm Trilogy, Book 2

Pages: 379
Ages: 10+
Finished: Jan. 15, 2012
First Published: Jan. 10, 2012
Publisher: Doubleday Canada
Genre: children, fantasy
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

He was leaving tonight.

Acquired: Received a review copy from Random House Canada.

Reason for Reading: Next in the series.

Publisher's Summary: "The Perilous Realm is not just a world with stories in it. This world is Story. Whatever you might find in a story, you will find here. Adventures, strange encounters, riddles. Heroes and monsters. Bravery, goodness and terrible evil."

Will has returned from his exhilarating adventure in the Realm and is back at home with his family trying to go through the motions of ordinary life. But he is dogged by feelings of restlessness and is desperate to see Rowen again. It's not long before he obeys the irresistible pull to return to Fable and resumes his quest. Will is shocked to discover that in the time since he left he's become a legend. He is greeted as a returning hero. Soon enough, Will may have to test his true heroism: Rowen is missing and in great danger. Will must stop the evil Malabron before Rowen and all of Fable are swept up by his wicked scheme."

The first book in this trilogy was published in 2008 and I read it at that time. That book had ended with the conclusion of it's main plot although leaving it open for a next book to carry on with an overall arching plot. I had basically forgotten about this series when I saw the second volume was finally out and vaguely remembering a fondness for the story decided to carry on with it. I barely remembered any of the plot of book one as I went into this but that was ok because this book starts off with a brief page and a half summary of book one and then throughout the story mentions events from book one to refresh the readers' memory. These bits certainly don't go into any great details, but are welcomed by a reader who was with the author four years ago for the first book.

I had some issues with the first book and they've been solved this time around. Will is a much more fleshed out character and I've grown more fond of him. Again this is a typical high fantasy story with a quest and a motley cast of travelling companions. Joining Will is old friend Shade the wolf, and eventually Flinn Madoc the Dwarf but we have a new fun and interesting character in Balor the wildman. Once again, even though I enjoyed the story and characters, I did find it a slow read, like the first one and I find it hard to explain way, except perhaps the writing style. While I was hooked on the plot, I just didn't find it a page-turner. Wharton has created a unique world here in which Will Lightfoot can travel from his own Earth with the convenience that weeks on Earth are equal to about a year in the Story Realm allowing him much time to complete his adventures.

This book doesn't have quite as satisfying an ending as book one did. Yes, the main subplot that runs through the volume is solved and comes to a conclusion but the over all story arch running throughout both volumes is more pronounced in this book and the final ending, while not being a cliffhanger, is indeed a foreshadowing of what is to come in the next volume. With this kind of ending I can only hope readers do not have to wait another four years for the next book! Recommended for those who like their fantasies to consist of a quest with evil vs good and a cast of characters such as dwarfs, wildmen, horsemen, mages, seers, etc.

13. The Last Dragon by Jane Yolen

2012-01-20T07:27:00.001-05:00

The Last Dragon by Jane Yolen. Art by Rebecca Guay (Canada) - (US)

Pages: 144
Ages: 12+
Finished: Jan. 12, 2012
First Published: Sept. 13, 2011
Publisher: Dark Horse
Genre: YA, fantasy, graphic novel
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

There is a spit of land near the farthest shores of the farthest islands known as Dragonfield.

Acquired: Received an egalley from Dark Horse via NetGalley.

Reason for Reading: Jane Yolen is a favourite author.

Publisher's Summary: "A textured and lyrical tale of adventure, homelands, and heroism the hard way. Two hundred years ago, humans drove the dragons from the islands of May. Now, the last of the dragons rises to wreak havoc anew — with only a healer’s daughter and a kite-flying would-be hero standing in its way."

A beautiful fantasy and original fairy tale of a couple, the man is the local healer, and their three daughters. The youngest daughter takes after the father and will one day follow in his footsteps to take over as village healer. As they are out one day they discover some herbs, dragonsbane, never found in these parts before. The father explains the legend that it means a dragon is near by but of course he dismisses it as old superstition. When the father disappears shortly afterwards, then followed by horses, sheep, cattle and finally an unattended babe in arms, the discovery of a dragon is not surprising to the villagers. Three boys are sent off to find a hero, a dragonslayer, to rid them of their nightmare but looks can be deceiving and wits are often much more effective.

A fantastic story that kept me spellbound throughout my one sitting read. I couldn't put it down until I'd finished. The story is somewhat predictable in that it follows expected plotlines with no unexpected twists, but it is also a lovely romance and just a perfect tale to make one's heart sigh. A gorgeous specimen of masculinity, and a beautiful and intelligent woman fighting and risking their lives; one for her village, the other for his love. The artwork is truly gorgeous. My only complaint is that I was reading from an egalley and the art is just too large and overpowering to enjoy to its fullest in this format (and I was reading from my computer screen); one must surely have the actually pages in front of one to experience their pure glory. A must read for fans of fairy tales.

12. 50 Underwear Questions: A Bare All History by Tanya Lloyd Kyi

2012-01-19T12:11:00.000-05:00

50 Underwear Questions: A Bare All History by Tanya Lloyd Kyi. Illustrated by Ross Kinnaird (Canada) - (US)
50 Questions Series

Pages: 116
Ages: 8+
Finished: Jan. 11, 2012
First Published: Jul. 7, 2011
Publisher: Annick Press
Genre: children, humour, history, Canadian author
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:
When you think of mummified bodies, you might picture their forms wrapped in long, Halloween-style linen strips.

Acquired: Received an egalley from Annick Press through NetGalley..

Reason for Reading: I love social history and I thought the history of this topic geared towards children could prove to be quite funny.

Publisher's Summary: "You are what you wear (underneath)!

Most of us take our underwear for granted, but throughout history our undies have revealed a lot about who we are (king or peasant), how we work (in fields or factories) or the shapes we value (manly calves or tiny waists).

The third book in Annick's 50 Questions series tackles questions such as "What's that smell?" (Medieval Europeans thought bathing made you sick) and "Did boxers arrive in the Nick of time?" (When blue jean model Nick Kamen stepped out of his denims to reveal his boxers, sales of the underwear soared.)

Underwear has played a role in ancient crusades, city sieges and even modern economic predictions. Obviously, it's time to uncover the facts about everything from loincloths and T-shirts to bloomers and lingerie. Young readers will laugh their pants off at the accompanying cartoons and get the bare, but fascinating, facts about the history of our unmentionables. "

A very colourful book written on blue pages which have the appearance of fabric. This is a bright bold, attractive book that grabs your attention right away; the artwork is cartoonish and silly, some characters even felt a bit Simpsons-ish too me. The information is highly interesting and unless you read a wide variety of historical fiction through all time eras, you are going to learn something here. The book starts off with Adam & Eve and the proverbial fig leaf and Stone Age Men then goes forward through time reaching modern day boxer briefs and thongs. To really enjoy the history and the humour of the history the reader must be mature enough to not be continuously giggling at the words "breast", "genitals", "private parts" and "family jewels". Otherwise there will be just too much giggling to appreciate the books secret information that we've always wondered but never had anyone to ask before. The pictures are clean, there is no nudity or copious amounts of flesh. The book is family friendly as long as you don't mind seeing people in their underwear and remember, back in the day underwear was more modest than modern day's outerwear! A really fun book that's sure to add not only laughter but real insight into past generations and what they thought of and used underwear for compared to modern society. A great read for anyone interested in "how did they live back then?".

11. Super Dinosaur Vol. 1 by Robert Kirkman

2012-01-18T06:40:00.000-05:00

Super Dinosaur Vol. 1 by Robert Kirkman. Art by Jason Howard (US) - (Canada)
Super Dinosaur, Vol. 1

Pages: 128
Ages: 8+
Finished: Jan. 10, 2012
First Published: Dec. 6, 2011
Publisher: Image Comics
Genre: children, manga, robots, dinosaurs, superheroes
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

I know what you're thinking: Who the heck are these guys?!

Acquired: Received an egalley from the publisher, Image Comics, through NetGalley..

Reason for Reading: Robert Kirkman wanted to write something his son could read and I wanted him too! So I was anxious to see what this would be like.

Publisher's Summary: "This is where it begins! The Evil Max Maximus wants to get to Inner-Earth! He wants the dinosaurs that live there! He wants the powerful DynOre mineral that originates there! SUPER DINOSAUR and DEREK DYNAMO are the only ones who can stop him! The fate of the world rests on the shoulders of a ten year-old kid and his best friend, a nine-foot tall Tyrannosaurus Rex who loves to play video games."

This was truly wonderful. We jump right in with battle scenes between genetically altered dinosaurs, who are part robot, and Derek Dynamo. Then we are switched back to the lab where Super Dinosaur (SD to his friends) quickly starts talking about his machinery. This leaves the reader somewhat out of the loop but as the events and dialogue continue we are quickly brought up to par with the other members of the team and understand as much as they do, who they are fighting against and why.

Super Dinosaur is an awesome superhero, that will appeal to boys and dinosaur fans, as will the other various villains such as Terrordactyl and Dreadasaurus to name only a few. The evil genius is a typical protagonist along with his usual background story of how he became evil in the first place. But this makes him easy to understand. This book isn't really the place for deep characters, we already know what makes most of them tick. But new characters are introduced and they put a new swing on things, both good and bad. The volume then ends up with some things nicely wrapped up only to have a major twist in the story thrown at us on the last pages that will have you clamouring for more. This will satisfy pre-teen male readers who are looking for something a little more involved than just Pokemon or Bakugan. However, the final pages of the story, really got me involved in the plot and I'll be sure to read on to Vol. 2 to find out what happens next with the continuing story arc.

10. No Such Thing as Dragons by Philip Reeve

2012-01-17T08:00:00.000-05:00

No Such Thing as Dragons by Philip Reeve (US) - (Canada)

Pages: 186
Ages: 8+
Finished: Jan. 10, 2012
First Published: Sep. 1, 2010
Publisher: Scholastic
Genre: children, fantasy
Rating: 3/5

First sentence:

So they went North, the man and the Boy, and the roads narrowed, and big slate-headed mountains reared up ready to eat the sky.

Acquired: Received a Review Copy from Scholastic Canada.

Reason for Reading: I read one book previously by the author, Fever Crumb, and enjoyed it. This one looked like it would make a good read aloud to ds.

Publisher's Summary: " Dragons don't exist...or do they? Ansel is a mute boy whose master, Brock, is a dragon slayer. Brock wears shining armor and has the scars to prove his heroic stories, but Ansel still suspects that there is no such thing as dragons. So what is the man-eating monster that haunts the crags of Dragon Mountain? Ansel and Brock must make a terrifying journey to the top of the mountain to find out!"

Set in the middle ages of presumably our world, the book is immersed in a religious Catholic society, with both bad and good people, but a society who presumes there is a God. He can be found on all pages and while some characters use His name as a curse others use it as a cry for help. I really enjoyed being sat down in this society. We explore a real life event similar to St. George's infamous incident with the dragon, only when it comes down to just a handful of regular people, dragon fighting and maiden saving is not quite so heroic a deed as legend leads us to believe. Ansel, the mute, and Else, the offered maiden, are wonderful main characters who grow in character both in maturity and spiritually as does the at first, somewhat villainous Brock. Unfortunately, the antagonist is played by a Friar who is greedy, selfish and used his position and religion when it suits him best for his own purposes. The dragon is the foe and always is but he is not the protagonist anymore than a bear in the woods would have been.

The book starts off slowly and does take time for the story to settle in and the action to take grip, but once all the characters are on the mountain we were hooked and ready by the time the dragon made his first appearance. A few bits of gory scenes as a horse and man are eaten but nothing overdone. DS wants a sequel but I've told him we have to enjoy books that are just a story all by themselves sometimes. I'm glad it is a standalone and enjoyed it as a readaloud as well.

9. Green River Killer: A True Detective Story by Jeff Jensen

2012-01-16T11:58:00.001-05:00

Green River Killer: A True Detective Story by Jeff Jensen. Art by Jonathan Case (US) - (Canada)

Pages: 239
Ages: 18+
Finished: Jan. 8, 2012
First Published: Sep. 13, 2011
Publisher: Dark Horse Books
Genre: graphic novel, true crime, non-fiction, serial killer
Rating: 5/5

First sentence:

They got us surrounded.

Acquired: Received an egalley from Dark Horse through NetGalley.

Reason for Reading: I love true crime depicted in the graphic format.

Publisher's Summary: "Throughout the 1980s, the highest priority of Seattle-area police was the apprehension of the Green River Killer, the man responsible for the murders of dozens of women. In 1990, with the body count numbering at least forty-eight, the case was put in the hands of a single detective, Tom Jensen. After twenty years, when the killer was finally captured with the help of DNA technology, Jensen spent 180 days interviewing Gary Leon Ridgway in an effort to learn his most closely held secrets--an epic confrontation with evil that proved as disturbing and surreal as can be imagined.

Written by Jensen's own son, acclaimed entertainment writer Jeff Jensen, Green River Killer: A True Detective Story presents the ultimate insider's account of America's most prolific serial killer."

An outstanding insider's look into the Green River Killer case which took twenty years to solve and while detectives and officers came and went that participated on the case, one man was there from the beginning to the end, Detective Tom Jensen. This book is written by that detective's son who gives a unique perspective on the case. The book concentrates mainly on how once Gary Ridgway was apprehended, how the current detectives and Tom Jensen, now retired, and working as a civilian analyst for the police got Ridgway to confess to the murders and prove beyond a doubt that he had information only the killer could know. The book starts with the time of arrest and then goes back and forth to times in the past when Jensen was working the case and times when Ridgway was on his killing spree. Thus we get perspectives from both the law enforcement and the serial killer himself.

I found the book flowed nicely, the date was always given so the reader knew whether it was past or present and both Ridgway and Jensen's character's appeared remarkable different from past and present as well. Done in stark black and white ink, the artwork is a perfect match for this type of story and Case has captured the unremarkableness of the "ordinary guy" many serial killers appear to be to others. A fantastic read, a great introduction to the case, and a great new media through which to experience the case for those familiar with it. Recommended!

8. MAOH: Juveile Remix, Vol. 8 by Megumi Osuga

2012-01-15T07:31:00.001-05:00

MAOH: Juvenile Remix, Vol. 8 by Megumi Osuga (US) - (Canada)
MAOH: Juvenile Remix, Vol. 8

Pages: 192
Ages: 16+
Finished: Jan. 8, 2012
First Published: 2007, Japan (English: Dec. 13, 2011)
Publisher: viz media
Genre: YA, manga, science fiction, fantasy
Rating: 5/5

First sentence:

Junya, are you gonna be able to go to school

Acquired: Received a review copy from Simon & Schuster Canada.

Reason for Reading: Next in the series.

Publisher's Summary: "Still trying to recover from the shock of -----'s death, Junya decides to follow in -----'s footsteps. First on the agenda is revenge on the ones who caused his death. Can Junya succeed where ---- failed...?"
{edited to take out the spoilers)

Up to this point Junya has not been much of a character, so I was completely surprised with the way he has taken the death of a previous main character and is stepping up to the plate to fill his shoes. This is an extremely action-packed, violent, raw emotion filled volume. Taking the story to new places I hadn't dreamt of. I had no idea Junya would enter into this underworld of assassins, dirty politicians and a god-complex vigilante with so much ease. A new and very interesting character, nicknamed "The Pusher" has been introduced but my prediction of an old character coming forward based on his appearance in the last few scenes of volume 7 and the fact that he is on the cover of this volume proved false. As Anderson is not even in this book! Why is he on the cover? The Pusher would have made a better cover pick, imho. Two more books in the series to go and I can't wait to find out how this all plays out!

7. The Translation of the Bones by Frances Kay

2012-01-14T08:54:00.000-05:00

The Translation of the Bones by Frances Kay (US) - (Canada)

Pages: 227
Ages: 18+
Finished: Jan. 8, 2012
First Published: (2011, UK) Jan. 3, 2012 US
Publisher: Scrbner
Genre: realistic fiction, Catholic, literary
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

It's beyond belief what you find between the pews, Mrs. Armitage was saying.

Acquired: Received a review copy from Simon & Schuster Canada.

Reason for Reading: The Catholic plot intrigued me as well as the author being an Orange Prize winner.

Publisher's Summary: Mary-Margaret O'Reilly is seemingly a harmless enough young woman, ready and willing to help out Father Diamond in the Sacred Heart church in Battersea. She may not be very bright, and she is sadly overweight, but she can certainly clean. She is also very good with children, and helps out an Asian woman on her estate whose little boy Shamso is adorable.

It is the statue of Jesus on the cross Mary-Margaret is especially drawn to, and one day she decides to give Him a thorough and loving cleansing. But then something strange happens, and moments later she lies unconscious, a great gash in her head, blood on the floor. Word gets out that this strange happening is the opening of the statue's eyes and the flowing of blood from its head. Soon a full-scale religious mania descends on the quiet church, and everyone, from Father Diamond to his small but loyal band of parishioners, is affected by it. When she has recovered, Mary-Margaret returns to the church, and to her duties caring for her housebound and even fatter mother Fidelma. Among the parishioners, Stella Morrison meanwhile impatiently awaits the return of her son Felix from boarding school, and Alice Armitage the return of her much older son from Afghanistan.

Mary-Margaret goes back obsessively to the statue of Jesus. He has told her things, things she must act on, and urgently. But He has become remote and uncommunicative once again, and she is in despair. The act she decides on is a shocking one, and it will bring together the lives of the O'Reillys and the Morrisons in a way that will change their lives forever.

Francesca Kay's second novel, after the prize-winning AN EQUAL STILLNESS, is at once a profound meditation on the nature of faith and motherhood and a riveting story of passion gone tragically wrong.

This is a story of faith; of faith tested, lost, denied, renewed and tragically misplaced. The story is dark and it is sad but it is not without hope and redemption. A short book, it makes for a quick read and the book is more about characters than it is about action. A couple of events take place and the majority of the book then ruminates on how the characters react to and deal with those events. The characters are all wonderful. An assortment of Catholics, lapsed Catholics and non-religious. Each is an entirely real person with faults and each one the reader can find sympathy with. The story revolves around a young-ish priest who is undergoing a small crisis of faith at the time of the first event and he feels as if this state of his mind has made him unable to respond in the way in which he should have done thus making his personal crisis of faith feel even more burdensome to him. The characters all find themselves asking questions about their faith, or lack of it, without being able to come to an answer that is not found in the faith itself. I enjoyed the portrayal of a parish community and found some of the thoughts and ideas to be true, while others I quite disagreed with. But on the main, I wholeheartedly found the story to be thought-provoking and stimulating, sad and dark, yes, but redemptive and full of the mystery of the faith.
One does not need to share the faith of these characters to enjoy the book, but only wish to journey with them as they travel the paths that all people traverse when they put their lives in the hands of a power greater than them.

6. MAOH: Juvenile Remix, Vol. 7 by Megumi Osuga

2012-01-13T06:07:00.000-05:00

MAOH: Juvenile Remix, Vol. 7 by Megumi Osuga (US) - (Canada)
MAOH: Juvenile Remix, Vol. 7

Pages: 188
Ages: 16+
Finished: Jan. 7, 2012
First Published: 2007, Japan (English: Oct. 11, 2011)
Publisher: viz media
Genre: YA, manga, science fiction, fantasy
Rating: 5/5

First sentence:

D*mn ... Why does ... this stupid ... measly power have ... such nasty side effects?!

Acquired: Received a review copy from Simon & Schuster Canada.

Reason for Reading: Next in the series.

Publisher's Summary: "Weakened from fighting and overusing his powers, Ando heads for a final confrontation with Inukai. Ando will risk everything to stop Inukai from reaching his objectives, but is it enough? And when the dust settles, the world will be changed forever."

This is a pivotal book in the series. The first half is dark, intense and disturbing. We found out just how bad the bad guys are and the story arc that has been going since volume 1 comes to a conclusion. In the middle of the book, we are faced with "End of Act One" and immediately "Act Two" starts, wherein new characters pick up the pieces of the story arc. This is not exactly startling as the last volume gave us a preview of what to expect in this volume but plotwise we have an entirely new perspective to follow which keeps the story fresh and exciting. We also are now focusing on a new major character and it looks like a minor character up to this point will start to play a bigger role. This is one of the most exciting manga's I'm reading at the moment and once the last volume comes out this year (at vol. 10) I'll certainly be giving this one a re-read in the near future.

5. Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, Vol. 6 by Hiroshi Shiibashi

2012-01-12T12:01:00.000-05:00

The House Where Jyami Wanders by Hiroshi Shiibashi (Canada) - (US)
Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, Vol. 6

Pages: 199
Ages: 13+
Finished: Jan. 6, 2012
First Published: Dec. 6, 2011
Publisher: viz media
Genre: YA, manga, fantasy, shonen
Rating: 5/5

First sentence:

What's with all these posts?!

Acquired: Received a review copy from Simon & Schuster Canada.

Reason for Reading: next in the series.

This was a great volume and why I keep reading this series! The first half of the book concludes the story arc involving the battle with Tamazuki and the Shikoku Clan of 88 Demons which is all very intense stuff. Then Rikuo's classmates are back and it's the beginning of summer vacation so the club goes off looking for Yokai. Kiyotsugu has secretly made arrangements for them to investigate a girl who is being haunted by a yokai named Jyami. I really enjoyed this side story which was open and shut during the course of the book and brought us a new yokai character, Jyami. This volume brings the best of both aspects of this series together: the yokai battles against Rikuo for leadership of the clan and Rikuo's human self with his classmate friends and the interesting yokai side stories. This volume ends with a very intense scene which shows us that things will be going in a new direction as someone we've never met before but have heard of will be the new protagonist in the next volume. Can't wait!

4. Who Cut the Cheese? by Jo Nesbo

2012-01-11T12:09:00.000-05:00

Who Cut the Cheese? by Jo Nesbo. Illustrated by Mike Lowery. Translated by Tara Chase. (Canada) - (US)
Doctor Proctor's Fart Powder, Book 3

Pages: 458
Ages: 8+
Finished: Dec. 27, 2011
First Published: 2010, Norway (English, Jan. 3, 2012)
Publisher: Aladdin
Genre: children, humour, science fiction
Rating: 5/5

First sentence:

It was nighttime in Oslo, Norway, and it was snowing.

Acquired: Received a review copy from Simon & Schuster Canada.

Reason for Reading: next (and, I'm guessing, last) in the series.

Simple enough plot: Lisa and Nilly figure out that most of Norway has been hypnotized by space aliens whose ultimate goal is to take over the world so they can use humans as food. They alert Dr. Proctor and the three of them, with the aid of several others who have not been hypnotized set out to stop the dastardly aliens before they can invade Denmark and set their world domination plan into action.

Hilarious! I read this book in two sittings and enjoyed it probably the most of all three books. There are no references to book 2 at all except for mention of Dr. P's lady friend who is still in France and not a character in this book, so there is no need to have read the books in order. I do recommend at least having read book 1 though as it explains the whole Fart Powder background, while this book just assumes you know the power of the invention. Also, the American publishers make a big deal of the "fart" allusions in the title of these books , but except for book 1 there is very little toilet humour within the books at all once you get past the idea of "fart powder". The name of this book in Norwegian is "Doctor Proctor and Armageddon. Maybe." which is an appropriate title while "Who Cut the Cheese?" is simply a marketing gimmick. However ...

The story is deliciously funny. Nilly and Lisa are fantastic kid characters, with strange families and even stranger classmates and teachers. We have a few new characters along for the ride this time who add a new dimension to the team but as usual, Nilly and Lisa are the only main kid characters. The plot is way-out there silly and Doctor Proctor as usual has a few fun inventions to help them out. If you've enjoyed the other books in this series, you'll love this one! To me, there is a finality to the book which makes me think this may be the last book in the series. If so, I'm happy to leave the characters here and have enjoyed my time with them. For younger children, I suggest you just read books 1 & 3 and leave book 2 for older children who have some historical knowledge/interest in France.

3. The Dead Zone by Stephen King

2012-01-10T06:46:00.000-05:00

The Dead Zone by Stephen King (US) - (Canada)

Pages: 402
Ages: 18+
Finished: Jan. 5, 2012
First Published: 1979
Publisher: Signet
Genre: paranormal, mystery, crime
Rating: 5/5

First sentence:

The two things Sarah remembered about that night later were his run of luck at the Wheel of Fortune and the mask.

Acquired: Purchased a used copy from a thrift store.

Reason for Reading: I am re/reading Stephen King's books in chronological publishing order. This was my next book. I have also gotten into the habit of starting my year off with a Stephen King novel.

I was really looking forward to this one. I have fond memories of really enjoying the book. I have only read it once before which was this exact paperback copy and I would have been 12 at the time. I don't really remember the story from the book, though, as I have flashes of scenes from the movie with Christopher Walken in my head, some which actually don't even happen in the book. And I was a fan of the TV series which was loosely based on the same premise as the book. So it was great to re-read the original and get the real story firmly planted in my head again.

Excluding the Bachman books, up to this date "The Dead Zone" was King's first non-horror story. This is a story about a psychic and involves him solving a serial killer case and later on facing a prediction that he must decide whether he should take care of the problem before it happens and contemplates that age old hypothetical question, "If you could go back to 1932, knowing what you now know, would you murder Adolph Hitler?" The book carries a rather small cast, comparitively for a King book and we get to know Johnny, the main character, very well. He is very likable and someone we can relate to throughout the book. This book kept me up late at night as I just didn't want to put it down and had virtually forgotten how the book ended though it wasn't hard to predict. King uses very little stream of consiousness in this book; it is a plot driven novel with great character insight and a fast read. I loved it even more than I expected to! Great early King!

While re-reading these books, I also like to look for the connections to previous books and found three while reading. A girl actually mentions the book "Carrie", there is a street named Flagg (a nod to Randall Flagg from The Stand) and the town of Jerusalem's Lot is mentioned. (otherwise known as 'Salem's Lot).

If you are not really into horror books but would like to sample Stephen King, this is an excellent book for your first read and fans can't miss out on this classic old-school King novel.

I'll be adding the Christopher Walken movie to my viewing list and have planned for some time to watch the dvd seasons of the TV show in order as I was only a now and then watcher. But of course, I have to watch The Stand first and get my current TV Seasons finished first!

2. Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, Vol. 5 by Hiroshi Shiibashi

2012-01-09T18:07:00.000-05:00

A Yokai With Wings Darker Than Night by Hiroshi Shiibashi (Canada) - (US)
Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, Vol. 5

Pages: 192
Ages: 13+
Finished: Jan. 4, 2012
First Published: Oct. 4, 2011
Publisher: viz media
Genre: YA, manga, fantasy,
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

Wah!! So cold!!

Acquired: Received a review copy from Simon & Schuster Canada.

Reason for Reading: next in the series.

It's been a while since I read the last one so it took me a bit to get into this volume but this manga does start off with the list of characters and a brief "The Story So Far" which help to put you back into the plot. This volume is quite heavy with battles and the inside politics of the Yokai Clan. Rikuo has to prove his place as the leader of the clan while his grandfather is away and make his own loyalties within the clan rather than counting on existing ones. He is up against Tamazuki still, who finally shows his true Yokai form and Rikuo and he do battle one on one leaving the book ending on an intense note. Enjoyable as far as the action goes, though little happens with character development, there is only a small storyline involving one of his classmates and I'd like to see more mixture of the two. A fast read and a good ending which will have me reading vol. 6 right away.

1. Frog and Toad are Friends by Arnold Lobel

2012-01-08T06:54:00.001-05:00

Frog and Toad are Friends by Arnold Lobel (US) - (Canada)
Frog and Toad, 1
An I Can Read Book, Level 2

Pages: 64
Ages: 6+
Finished: Jan. 3, 2012
First Published: 1970
Publisher: Harper Collins
Genre: children, easy reader, animal fantasy
Rating: 5/5

First sentence:

Frog ran up the path to Toad's house.

Acquired: Purchased a new copy from a homeschool retailer.
Reason for Reading: Son read aloud to me as his reader.

The first book in the Frog and Toad series and a Caldecott honor winner this book introduces us to the now classic characters with the familiar format of five short stories of their friendship. Of two different natures, they bring out the best in each other and enjoy life and nature to the fullest. The simple stories will delight young and old alike. My son, now on the old side for these books, but just at the perfect reading level for him, still enjoys the simple, honest humour found within the pages. He enjoyed this book and wants to read the last one we still have left in the series to read. A perennial favourite and a keeper for my shelves!

291. Vampires and Cells by Agnieszka Biskup

2012-01-07T07:59:00.000-05:00

Vampires and Cells by Agnieszka Biskup. Illustrated by Jok (US) - (Canada)
Graphic Library, Monster Science series

Pages: 30
Ages: 8+
Finished: Dec. 31, 2011
First Published: Aug. 1, 2011
Publisher: Capstone Press
Genre: children, science, biology, graphic novel, non-fiction
Rating: 3/5

First sentence:

The world is full of living things.

Acquired: Received a review copy from Capstone Press.

Reason for Reading: I am fond of this publisher.

This is a new series by the publisher combining monsters and science. This book explains in detail the science of cells. The narrative is written in blocks of text while the pictures and comic balloons add humour to the information. The book is written at a low reading level (3-4) but information wise it is detailed enough to be useful up to Grade 9. In fact, I think the text may be a little dry for the younger age range of students unless they are already interested in the topic or studying it. I enjoyed the other book in this series I read better, Aliens and Energy, as it portrayed the aliens as the goofy instructors. This book comes off as having an unknown instructor speaking to us while a dimwitted vampire is in the background asking questions and making comic remarks. The illustrations are also not up to par with those by Aon in the other book. However, it accomplishes what it aims to do; introducing the science of cells with humour and would make a good addition to a classroom library.

290. Dragon Seer's Gift by Janet McNaughton

2012-01-06T06:45:00.001-05:00

Dragon Seer's Gift by Janet McNaughton. (Canada) only
Sequel to Dragon Seer

Pages: 282
Ages: 11+
Finished: Dec. 27, 2011
First Published: Aug. 16, 2011
Publisher: Harper Collins Canada
Genre: YA, fantasy,
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

Safe in his red-brick lair in the heart of the city, the dragon dreams, nose to toes, his tail draped over his neck like a scarf.

Acquired: Borrowed a copy from my local library.

Reason for Reading: next (and last) in the series.

I really enjoyed Dragon Seer and was thrilled to find out McNaughton had written a sequel. This is a sequel with a finite ending, not just another book in an ongoing series so the two make a nice companion read. Dragon Seer's Gift takes place centuries after the first book and only contains one continuous character. Events from the first book are heavily mentioned and integral to the story, so it is important to read them in order. This time the book is set in the present, and two teenage siblings who are ancestors of the characters from the first book have had the dragon legend carried down to them. When they start to research the family history for a school project they find an old key that unlocks an ancient secret that puts them next in line for the prophecy to save the world.

This was a fast read and I must say I enjoyed it even more than the first book probably because the obscure history is missing this time. The first book is more about the dragons and a historical fantasy, while this one is more of a fantasy quest where the heroes must race against time to save the world. The historical element is still there through the family research and a family friend who is an archaeologist. Mostly we are looking at the Vikings and the Picts. I found the two main characters 12yo Gwyn and his older sister Maddie to be interesting, likable and real teens. Each had their own problems and yet they were from a close knit family keeping the usual sibling squabbling out of this book, as they looked out for each other. The issue of bullying was also met from four different angles as both Gwyn & Maggie are bullied in different ways, as well as a Norwegian immigrant and we get to know one character who starts off as a bully.

Set in Newfoundland, I enjoyed the Canadian flavour to the story. The mixture of history, dragons, magic, science and the environment made for a page-turning plot while the memorable characters were endearing and made one care how things would turn out. I also enjoyed how the book ended realistically with the plot tied up, but also with the characters' future lives left to the imagination.

289. Aliens and Energy by Agnieszka Biskup

2012-01-05T10:52:00.000-05:00

Aliens and Energy by Agnieszka Biskup. Illustrated by Aon (US) - (Canada)
Graphic Library, Monster Science series

Pages: 30
Ages: 8+
Finished: Dec. 30, 2011
First Published: Aug. 1, 2011
Publisher: Capstone Press
Genre: children, science, chemistry, physics, graphic novel, non-fiction
Rating: 3/5

First sentence:

Have you ever wondered how birds fly, fish swim, or aliens fly through space?

Acquired: Received a review copy from Capstone Press.

Reason for Reading: I am fond of this publisher.

This is a new series by the publisher combining monsters and science. This book has a couple of aliens in their spaceship telling us about matter, then energy. The information is quite detailed and is suitable for up to grade 9 and yet the book is entertaining enough for the much younger grade 3. I absolutely love the artwork in this book and it is really what holds the title together. The text is detailed and informative but can be dry and technical at times, especially if you are not particularly interested in the topic to begin with. BUT the illustrations tell a humorous story behind the narrative as the aliens demonstrate the concepts and get into all sorts of mishaps, not to mention just plain scaring the wits out of people. Humour and science go hand in hand in this book that would make a great classroom resource.

288. Riptide Pride by Brandon Terrell

2012-01-04T07:58:00.000-05:00

Riptide Pride by Brandon Terrell. Illustrated by Fernando Cano (Canada) - (US)
Sports Illustrated Kids Graphic Novels

Pages: 50
Ages: 10+
Finished: Dec. 28, 2011
First Published: Aug. 1, 2011
Publisher: Stone Arch Books
Genre: YA, graphic novel, easy reader, sports
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

My whole life has been spent fifty yards from the ocean.

Acquired: Received a review copy from Capstone Press.

Reason for Reading: This is a great hi/lo series for reluctant male readers.

You couldn't find a person less interested in sports than me, but I really look forward to reading the books in this series. Once again, "Riptide Pride" matches the quality of the others in the series. Written at a low reading level (1.5) or GRL (J) it will appeal to boys up into their mid-teens. The characters in this book are all 14 yo. The story revolves around a boy known to be a great surfer who is bullied by the school braggart into competing with him to prove who is the best surfer. Things take a turn for the worse when the braggart moves out to the rock infested no surfing zone. An exciting story with realistic teens combined with comic book quality art are sure to keep reluctant sports minded teens reading.

287. Tony Hawk's 900 Revolution #1 by Donnie Lemke

2012-01-03T08:24:00.000-05:00

Drop In by Donnie Lemke. Illustrated by Caio Majado (US) - (Canada)
Tony Hawk's 900 Revolution, Vol. 1

Pages: 121
Ages: 10+
Finished: Dec. 27, 2011
First Published: Aug. 1, 2011
Publisher: Stone Arch Books
Genre: children, YA, sports, fantasy
Rating: 3/5

First sentence:

"Bleck! You call this a fish taco?!" shouted Tommy Goff, spitting out chunks of tortilla and battered sea bass onto the Imperial Beach Pier.

Acquired: Received a review copy from Capstone Press.

Reason for Reading: I'm always willing to give a Stone Arch book a try.

I wasn't quite sure what I was in for with this book as I know nothing about skateboarding. The book is most certainly written for a targeted audience of skateboarders and the whole lingo is there, leaving me scratching my head at times but I'm sure those in the know would find the characters authentic. This did take me a while to get into the story but once I got used to both the skateboarding and Southern California slang "gnarly ollie, dude!" I settled into the book and actually enjoyed the story. We have realistic teens, two boys both living with a single parent mother, one whose father just took off one day when he was small. The other, our main character, Omar, whose father was presumed killed in a dangerous surfing accident a few years back. The boys find themselves the target of a secret organization who have chosen Omar to be the one to collect the pieces of a magic skateboard, once belonging to Tony Hawk, and put them back together again.

Surprisingly, I had a fun time reading this and am sure the targeted audience, pre- and young skateboarding teens will love the fast-paced adventure and classic fantasy quest. The first four volumes have been published and each one focuses on a new recruit to the organization called "Revolution". The book is all text except for a short graphic sequence at the beginning and a much longer graphic sequence as the plot nears its climax. Fun and recommended for reluctant readers.

286. Power at the Plate by Scott Ciencin

2012-01-02T13:56:00.000-05:00

Power at the Plate by Scott Ciencin. Art by Zoar Huerto. (Canada) - (US)
Sports Illustrated Kids Graphic Novels (Baseball)

Pages: 50
Ages: 10+
Finished: Dec. 26, 2011
First Published: Aug. 1, 2011
Publisher: Stone Arch Books
Genre: YA, children, graphic novel, easy reader, sports
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

WHOOSH! Did you feel that?

Acquired: Received a review copy from Capstone Press.

Reason for Reading: I have read a couple of books from this series and was very impressed with them.

This series of hi-lo easy readers for reluctant readers or those with LDs is impressive in it's execution. Appealing to young to mid-teens this story centres round two step brothers who do not get along, ages 14 & 15, they play on the same baseball team with the eldest receiving all the glory. The youngest is a good player but he feels as if no one ever pays any attention to him as he's always living in his brother's shadow so he sets out to destroy his brothers lucky charm and prove he can play a good game and get the attention himself.

Typical teen situation, behaviour and language. An uneasy relationship is worked out through honesty and good sportsmanship in the end. The story will appeal up to age 15 and yet the reading level is very low, listed at RL: 1.6 and GRL: J. A well worked out, interesting story, that will appeal to its targeted audience.

2012 Goals

2012-01-01T10:36:00.003-05:00

Last year was the first time I set up goals for myself and while I didn't complete them all I did stay on track and have decided to continue the practice so I can make headway with long term goals in short spurts. So these are my goals for 2012:

This is not a goal but a pledge:
I will not start any new series this year, unless it is a 2012 release by an author I keep up to date with.

1) Last year I worked on reading all Shane Peacock's backlist while keeping up with his new releases. I only have two books from his backlist left to read (eta: after looking at these lat two rather large non-fiction books I've decided to call my reading of Peacock 'a fait au complet'). Then I'd like to complete Kenneth Oppel's backlist while keeping up with his new releases. I mostly just have Oppel's picturebooks and his latest novel to read, but there are and could be a couple more. This goal is very do-able I think.

2) Graphic Novel series. Previously I've set a year aside each for Fables and then Bone. This year rather than work on a new series I'd like to read like, say, Sandman, Girl Genius, or Tin-Tin, I'm going to work on finishing or catching up with the series that I already have on the go (which are quite a few). Plus for new single non-series titles I will be digging into First Second's backlist. They are one of my favourite graphic publishers and I've only read their stuff from the last few years.

3) In my personal project of Reading Around the World where I am reading books from all the provinces, states, and countries I made great strides with foreign countries in 2011 but failed to add one single Canadian province. So this year I'd like to finish the Canadian provinces, since I only have two left, Northwest Territories (I already have my book chosen) and PEI (I don't want the obvious LM Montgomery).

4) In my personal project of re/reading Stephen King's books in chronological order I'm happy with last year's progress. This year I'd like to at least read the next 2 which are The Dead Zone and Firestarter. My progress is listed in the sidebar on the right.

5) For the second year in a row my Newbery Challenge has been a flop. I've read only the new winner each year. So for 2012 I will once again try to read more than just the new winner! Even one more and I'll be ahead.

6) My personal Random Reading Bookshelf Challenge was another flop. Not only did I not read the whole shelf, nor did I read most, many, a lot or some. I read 6. A whole six! And out of those 6 I moved 2 out of the house. I had a ton of fun reading those 6 random books though and will continue on with the challenge and actually try to get somewhere with it this year!

7) I started two non-fiction chunksters in 2011: "Diary: Divine Mercy in My Soul by Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska" and "Catechism of the Catholic Church". Quite heavy reading in these tomes, though I'll say Saint Faustina's diary is easy going, though spiritually exhausting. The Catechism is something I expect to be reading my whole life, just like the Bible, so I'm in no hurry for this once through from beginning to end, but would like to make some decent headway this year. I am currently on page 61/756. I would like to set the "Diary" as my chunkster of the year to finish and will read at least a few pages each evening so that I can complete it by the end of 2012. It has 692 pages of small print.

8) And finally! This year I'm going to try and go with the flow. This is what is missing in my reading. If a book makes me want to read something else I will go down that rabbit trail and not let any of the above "goals" get in my way. Sometimes one book leads to another, leads to another, leads to another (whether they be by the same author, about the same topic, mentioned in the book, whatever) and it is fun to let yourself get carried down these trails and I've been writing the books down as tbr but not getting to them lately. So goal number 8 is to throw caution to the wind and give myself permission to chill and ignore the previous 7 goals if I 'wanna'! So there!

2012 ARC Master List

2012-01-01T09:22:00.015-05:00

My list of arcs currently not read and in possession as of Dec. 31, 2011.

(ebooks are not included in this list. I don't really consider them books; they are files. I do however, count them in my books read list. Most of the egalleys I accept are from NetGalley and they expire if I don't read them by a certain date so they take care of themselves, if I don't get round to them.)

2009
1. Portobello by Ruth Rendell
2. The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro
3. Etta by Gerald Kolpan
4. Palace Circle by Rebecca Dean
5. Cemetery Dance by Douglas Prestan
6. The Crying Tree by Naseem Rakha
7. Map of the Invisible World by Tash Aw
8. Valeria's Last Stand by Marc Fitten
9. The Lieutenant by Kate Grenville
10. The Meaning of Night by Michael Cox
11. The Glass of Time by Michael Cox
12. Intertwined by Gina Showalter
13. Ghost Song by Sarah Rayne
14. Evidence of Murder by Lisa Black
15. Voices in the Dark by Catherine Banner
16. Black Angels by Linda Beatrice Brown
17. Spellbinder by Helen Springer
18. The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey
19. I am Not a Psychic by Richard Belzer
20. Diary of a Wimpy Kid 4, Dog Days by Jeff Kinney

2010:
21. The Time Pirate by Ted Bell
22. The Strange Case of the Composer and His Judge by Patricia Duncker
23. The Whisperers by John Connoly
24. Fish by Gregory Mone
25. A Small Death in the Great Glen by A.D. Scott
26. Starcrossed by Elizabeth C. Bunce
27. Red Glove by Holly Black
28. No Such Thing as Dragons by Philip Reeve
29. Essential Modern Classics: The Rescuers by Margery Sharp
30. City of Tranquil Light by Bo Caldwell
31. The Jungle Book: Mowgli's Story by Rudyard Kipling
32. Nightshade by Andrea Cremer
33. The Clockwork Three by Matthew Kirby
34. The Distant Hours by Kate Morton
35. Essential Modern Classics: Ballet Shoes for Anna by Noel Streatfield
36. Prisoners in the Palace by Michaela MacColl
37. The Action Bible
38. Started Early Took my Dog For a Walk by Kate Atkinson
39. Sparrow Road by Shelia O'Connor
40. Agatha H #9
41. Virals by Kathy Reichs
42. The Anatomy of Ghosts by
43. Peter and Max by Bill Willingham
44. A Lonely Death by Charles Todd

2011:
45. It's a Snap: George Eastman's First Photograph by Monica Kulling
46. The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong
47. Wildcat Fireflies by Amber Kizer
48. Bink & Caution by Tim Wynne-Jones
49. The Hunt of the Unicorn by C.C. Humphreys
50. The Revenge of the Radioactive Lady by Elizabeth Stuckey-French
51. The Fifth Rule by Don Akers
52. How I Stole Johnny Depp's Alien Girlfriend by Gary Ghislain
53. Mind Gap by Marina Cohen
54. Miracleville by
55. No Safe Haven by Kimberley Woodhouse
56. Saye: Winter on Valiku by Hasani Walker
57. Turn of Mind by Alice LaPlante
58. mothers & daughters by Rae Meadows
59. The Priest's Graveyard by Ted Dekker
60. That Boy Red by Rachna Gilmore
61. The House at Sea's End by Elly Griffiths
62. Noah Barleywater Runs Away by John Boyne
63. Something Deadly This Way Comes by Kim Harrison
64. True (...sort of) by Katherine Hannigan
65. Racing in the Rain: My Life as a Dog by Garth Stein
66. Ocean of Blood by Darren Shan
67. In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin by Eric Larson
68. Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma
69. Lot's Return to Sodom by Sandra Brannan
70. The Silent Girl by Tess Gerritsen
71. Shut Your Eyes Tight by John Verdon
72. Kiss Her,Kill Her by Lisa Dewar
73. The Soldier's Wife by Margaret Leroy
74. The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon
75. A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty by Joshilyn Jackson
76. Forbidden by Ted Dekker
77. Pure by Julianna Baggot
78. This Dark Endeavour by Kenneth Oppel
79. Season of Darkness by Maureen Jennings
80. Darkness, My Old Friend: A Novel by Lisa Unger
81. The Accident: A Thriller by Linwood Barclay
82. The Map of Time by Felix J. Palma
83. Inheritance by Lisa Baker
84. Flash and Bones by Kathy Reichs
85. Ashtown Burials #1: The Dragon's Tooth by N.D. Wilson
86. Viper by John J. Desjarlais
87. The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann
88. The Most Dangerous Thing by Laura Lippman
89. Headhunters by Jo Nesbo
90. The Midnight Zoo by Sonya Hartnett
91. The Postmortal by Drew Magary
92. Those Across the River by Christopher Buehlman
93. Salamander Smackdown! by John Sazaklis
94. Superpowered Pony by Sarah Hines Stephens
95. The Missing Mummy by Sean O'Reilly
96. Monster Beach by Sean O'Reilly
97. How Do We Know About Dinosaurs? A Fossil Mystery by Rebecca Olien
98. How Do We Stay on Earth? A Gravity Mystery by Amy S. Hansen
99. The Baker's Wife by Erin Healy
100. Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine
101. The Downside of Being Up by Alan Lawrence Sitomer
102. MAOH: Juvenile Remix, Vol. 7 by Megumi Osuga
103. Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, Vol. 5 by Hiroshi Shiibashi
104. Ultraviolet by R.J. Anderson
105. The Flint Heart by Katherine Paterson & John Paterson
106. Burned by Thomas Enger
107. The Infernals by John Connolly
108. Dreamland by Alyson Noel
109. The Cardturner by Louis Sachar
110. Before the Poison by Peter Robinson
111. The Alphabet of Vietnam by Jonathan Chamberlain
112. The Tin Ticket: The Heroic Journey of Australia's Convict Women by Deborah J. Swiss
113. Vincent Shadow: Toy Inventor by Tim Kehoe
114. The Shattering by Karen Healing
115. Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, Vol. 6 by Hiroshi Shiibashi
116. Tegami Bachi: Letter Bee, Vol. 7 by Hiroyuki Asada
117. Wicked Good by Amy Lewis Faircloth
118. MAOH: Juvenile Remix, Vol. 8 by Megumi Osuga
119. Graphic Classics: African-American Classics edited by Tom Pomplun
120. A Walk Across the Sun by Corban Addison
121. Bound by Antonya Nelson
122. Who Cut the Cheese? by Jo Nesbo
123. The Translation of Bones by Francesca Kay
124. Fluffy, Fluffy Cinamoroll, Vol. 1 by Yumi Tsukirino
125. The Serial Killer Whisperer by Pete Earley
126. The Fathomless Fire by Thomas Wharton
127. The Betrayal of Trust by Susan Hill
128. Fever by Lauren DeStephano
129. Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King by William Joyce
130. Rebirth by Dave Longeuay
131. Out of Slavery: The Journey to Amazing Grace by Linda Granfield
132. The Green Man by Michael Bedard
133. X: 3-in-1, Vol.1 by CLAMP

Books added after the beginning of the year:
135. Judge Anderson: The Psychic Files by Alan Grant
136. Titanic 2012: Revised & Updated by Bill Walker
137. A Note From An Old Acquaintance by Bill Walker
138. Revenge of the Horned Bunnies by Ursula Vernon
139. Cinder by Marissa Meyer
140. Glory Be by Augusta Scattergood
141. Making Bombs for Hitler by Marsha Skrypuch
142. Behind Enemy Lines: World War II, Sam Frederiksen, Nazi-Occupied Europe, 1944 by Carol Matas
143. Torn Apart: The Internment Diary of Mary Kobayashi, Vancouver, British Columbia, 1941 by Susan Aihoshi
144. Kepler's Dream by Juliet Bell
145. Friends With Boys by Faith Erin Hicks
146. Hades by George O'Connor
147. Catholic Sexual Ethics by William E. May
148. The Secret World of Arrietty, Vol. 1
149. The Secret World of Arrietty, Vol. 2
150. Somebody Please Tell Me Who I Am by Harry Mazer
151. Dead to You by Lisa McMann
152. Library Wars, Vol. 7 by
153. Tegami Bachi: Letter Bee, Vol. 8 by
154.

2012 Master Challenge List

2011-12-31T13:13:00.003-05:00

Challenges I've joined. This will continuously be updated throughout the year and can be reached from the sidebar link on the right. I only join challenges that run year long and that cover a certain type of book that I figure I read any way. This way my reading and the challenges fit together and I don't have to search out books for the challenges as they are already in my tbrs.

Memorable Memoirs 2012 - read 1-4 memoirs, autobiographies, diaries, letters, etc.

Read Dystopia Challenge 2012 - read 7-10 dystopian or post-apocalyptic

2012 ARC Reading Challenge - read 35 or more ARCs

Victorian Challenge 2012 - anything Victorian, books or movies, total of 2-6

2012 Picture Book Reading Challenge - read 24 picture books

The Telling Tales Reading Challenge 2012 - read 10+ fairytales/mythology anything goes

Clocks, Cogs, and Mechanisms Reading Challenge 2012 - read 1-3 steampunk books

War Through the Generations: WWI - read 1-3 books with WWI as a theme

100th Anniversary Titanic Reading Challenge - read/watch 6 Titanic related books/movies

A to Z Challenge V (2012) - read a book thaat begins with every letter of the alphabet for title and author for a total of 52 books

I'm currently involved in these perpetual challenges or projects:

Chronological Stephen King - I started this project in 2007, hit a snag a few years ago, then last year started off 2011 by reading a Stephen King book which helped me get going again nicely. This is a long term project for me. I have no goals of how many I'll read a year or when I'll finish it. I'd just like to at least read one book a year (if not more). This year, I'm again going to start January off with the next Stephen King book so as soon as I've finished whatever book \i'm currently reading. My first Jan. 2012 book will be "The Dead Zone". Besides reading the books, I also go off on side trips to watch certain movies (not all because some of the old ones are pretty dumb) and read graphic novels based on the books I'm reading. This currently leaves me in the middle of reading "The Stand" graphic novels and I have "The Stand" mini series still to watch.

1. Carrie
2. 'Salem's Lot
3. Rage
4. The Shining
5. Night Shift
6. The Stand
7. The Long Walk
8. The Dead Zone
9. Firestarter

Newbery Challenge (ongoing) - I intend on continuing this never-ending quest to read all the Newbery winners. However this year, unlike last year (and the year before), I pledge to read more than just the new winner ;-P
see progress here

Geographical Project - see progress here
"I will make a conscious effort to finish the Canadian provinces this year as every Canadian book I naturally read takes place in the same set of provinces and I only have two left to finish this stage of the project. I should also try and pay better attention to where novels take place, as I seem to have read all the 'popular' places, and most books continue to take place in these same states/countries." This is what I said at the beginning of 2011 and I still have those 2 Canadian Provinces left, so this year I will finish them off; I already have one book lined up. Otherwise I'm making good progress as faar as the States and Countries are going.

The Random Reading Bookshelf Project - Hoping to do better than last year's reading of 6 books and removing 2 of those from the house :-( see progress here

Finished in 2012

2nds Challenge 2012 - read 3 books that are either the 2nd in a series or the 2nd book you've read by the author. (FINISHED)

1. Dragon Seer's Gift by Janet McNaughton (2nd series & 2nd author)
2. No Such Thing as Dragons by Philip Reeve (2nd by author)
3. The Fathomless Fire by Thomas Wharton (2nd series & 2nd author)

Graphic Novels Challenge 2012 - read 12 graphic novels (FINISHED)

1. Power at the Plate by Scott Ciencin
2. Riptide Pride by Brandon Terrell
3. Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, Vol. 5 by Hiroshi Shiibashi
4. Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, Vol. 6 by Hiroshi Shiibashi
5. MOAH: Juvenile Remix, Vol. 7 by Megumi Osuga
6. MAOH: Juvenile Remix, Vol. 8 by Megumi Osuga
7.Green River Killer: A True Detective Story by Jeff Jensen
8. Super Dinosaur, Vol. 1 by Robert Kirkman
9. The Last Dragon by Jane Yolen
10. Tegami Bachi: Letter Bee, Vol. 7 by Hiroyuki Asada
11. African American Classics (Graphic Classics, Vol. 22)
12. Jellaby by Kean Soo

2011 Read Your Own Books Challenge ~ FINISHED

2011-12-31T13:06:00.000-05:00

Here is the perfect challenge for me! There is no limit to the number of books to read either so if I go obsessive with it I won't feel like the nerd sticking out of the crowd! Dates from now to year end. Dec. 31 2011.

The Challenge is hosted by Jamie @ For the Love of... and the sign-up and rules are here.

This fits in perfectly with goal #4 on my Goals for 2011 list. I've already randomly picked a bookshelf. I decided to pick from my Juv/YA shelves to make the goal more realistic and I picked the bottom shelf on the left because I couldn't see what was on it. The shelf is in a dark spot. The shelf is double stacked with books squeezed in for maximum use of space with no order, rhyme or reason to what is shelved together, though I do try to keep series books together.

So I will include these books, any book I already own and the backlog books from my 2009 ARC list only. Books currently owned as of now from my 2010 backlog ARC list and current ARC list will not count for this challenge. Just a little incentive imposed on myself to move the older books along.

2011 Read Your Own Books Challenge (Feb. 17 - Dec. 31. 2011)

1. Toy Story: The Mysterious Stranger by Dan Jolley
x. Frog and Toad All Year by Arnold Lobel
2. The Hollow People by Briank Keaney
x. Animal Hospital by Judith Walker Hodge
3. The Lamb's Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth by Scott Hahn
4. The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White
5. Dragon Seer by Janet McNaughton
6. Winter's Child by Cameron Dokey
7. Journey to America by Sonia Levitin
8. Plenty of Fish by Millicent Selsam
9. The Cay by Theodore Taylor
10. The Seventh Princess by Nick Sullivan
11. The Joy of Being a Catholic Child by Rev. Jude Winkler, OFM Conv.
12. Assassin: The Lady Grace Mysteries #1 by Patricia Finney
13. High Flight: A Story of World War II by Linda Granfield
xx. Mouse Tales by Arnold Lobel
14. The Mass for Children by Rev. Jude Winkler, OFM Conv.
15. Shanghai Girls by Lisa See
16. Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan
17. Frog and Toad Together by Arnold Lobel
18. Twenty and Ten by Claire Huchet Bishop
19. The Gates by John Connolly
20. Little Henry to the Rescue by Eleanor Graham
21. Genesis by Bernard Beckett
22. John F. Kennedy: The Making of a Leader by the Editors of TIME for Kids
23. Canadian Starters (Moose, Beaver, Emily Carr & Alexander Graham Bell) by various
24. Yokaiden, Vol. 1 by Nina Matsumoto
25. Yokaiden, Vol. 2 by Nina Matsumoto
26. The Imposter's Daughter by Laurie Sandell
27. The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner
28. Bone 1: Out From Boneville by Jeff Smith
29. If You Lived at the Time of Martin Luther King by Ellen Levine
30. Bone 2: The Great Cow Race by Jeff Smith
31. The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
32. Bone 3: Eyes of the Storm by Jeff Smith
33. The Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of The Little Flower by St. Therese of Lisieux
34. Hanako and the Terror of Allegory, Vol. 3 by Sakae Esuno
35. Chi's Sweet Home, vol. 2 by Konami Kanata
36. Arthur's Honey Bear by Lillian Hoban
37. Twin Spica, Vol. 2 by Kou Yaginuma
38. Batman Returns: The Penquin's Plot by Michael Teitelbaum
39. Human Body by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld
40. Canada's Maple Leaf: The Story of Our Flag by Ann-Maureen Owens & Jane Yealland
41. The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo
42. Fables #15: Rose Red by Bill Willingham
43. Jack of Fables #8: The Fulminate Blade by Bill Willingham
44. The Boxcar Children #2: Surprise Island by Gertrude Chandler Warner
45. The Beginner's Bible illustrated by Kelly Pulley
46. Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
47. The Long Walk by Stephen King as Richard Bachman
48. Mother Teresa: In My Own Words by Mother Teresa
49. Bone #4: The Dragonslayer by Jeff Smith
50. Bone #5: Rock Jaw: Master of the Eastern Border by Jeff Smith
51. Marvin Redpost #1: Kidnapped at Birth? by Louis Sachar
52. Bone #6: Old Man's Cave by Jeff Smith
53. Bob and Shirley: A Tale of Two Lobsters by Harriet Ziefert
54. Everything is Grace: The Life and Way of Therese of Lisieux by Joseph F. Scmidt, FSC
55. Nola's Worlds #1: Changing Moon by Mathieu Mariolle
56. Canada, Our History: An Album Through Time by Rick Archbold
57. Nola's World #2: Ferrets and Ferreting Out by Mathieu Mariolle
58. Nola's World #3 Evem for a Dreamer Like Me by Mathieu Mariolle
59. Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the U.F.O. by David Adler
60. Small Pig by Arnold Lobel
61. Down the Yukon by Will Hobbs
62. My First Catechism by Father Lovasik
63. Gargoyles: Monsters in Stone by Jennifer Dussling
64: Bone 7: Ghost Circles by Jeff Smith
65. Bone 8: Treasure Hunters by Jeff Smith
66. Upchuck and Rotten Willy: Running Wild by Bill Wallace
67. Uncle Elephant by Arnold Lobel
68. Bone 9: Crown of Horns by Jeff Smith
69. Bone: Rose by Jeff Smith
70. Tommy O'Toole and Larry by Anna D. Cordts

Movies/DVDs/TV Seasons/Concerts Watched in 2012

2011-12-31T12:58:00.001-05:00

This is a running list for the year. The list will include the movie and indicate whether it is a re-watch otherwise it can be assumed it was my first time watched.

(the year)(owned/rental/library/borrowed/theatre/Netflixed) and a brief review which could be just one word such as good, great, just OK, whatever. If I feel like expounding on the review I will. No rules here just a list with a bit of extra information. I will also note which ones I watched with my 11yo/12yo by starting off with a red (#).

January:

1. Mission: Impossible IV Ghost Protocol - (2011) (theatre) I don't have a lot to say about this. Dh and I went to see it on date night. We enjoyed it. Of course. We both like Tom Cruise (for different reasons, hehe) The movie was just what you'd expect but I didn't enjoy it as much as the others. It was just more *tame*. It certainly deserved its PG rating; we could have taken our son to see it. Their was lots of action but no real violence and Tom didn't even have a love interest! So no sexy bits. But still I loved the action. We enjoyed our time.

2.

Books Read in 2012

2011-12-31T12:54:00.032-05:00

Books Read in 2012

Titles in green were read aloud to or by my 11/12yo.

January: 33 books
1. Frog and Toad Are Friends by Arnold Lobel (5/5)
2. Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, Vol. 5 by Hiroshi Shiibashi (3/5)
3. The Dead Zone by Stephen King (5/5)
4. Who Cut the Cheese? by Jo Nesbo (5/5)
5. Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, Vol. 6 by Hiroshi Shiibashi (5/5)
6. MAOH: Juvenile Remix, Vol. 7 by Megumi Osuga (5/5)
7. The Translation of Bones by Frances Kay (4/5)
8. MAOH: Juvenile Remix, Vol. 8 by Megumi Osuga (5/5)
9. Green River Killer: A True Detective Story by Jeff Jensen (4/5)
10. No Such Thing As Dragons by Philip Reeve (3/5)
11. Super Dinosaur, Vol. 1 by Robert Kirkman (4/5)
12. 50 Underwear Questions by Tanya Lloyd Kyi (4/5)
13. The Last Dragon by Jane Yolen (4/5)
14. Dotter of Her Father's Eyes by Mary M. Talbot & Bruce Talbot (4/5)
15. The Fathomless Fire by Thomas Wharton (4/5)
16. 14 Valentine Puzzles by The Garbachuck Family (5/5)
17. Tegami Bachi: Letter Bee, Vol. 7 by Hiroyuki Asada (5/5)
18. African-American Classics: Graphic Classics, Vol. 22 edited by Tom Pomplun & Lance Took (4/5)
19. It's a Snap! George Eastman's First Photograph by Monica Kulling (5/5)
20. The Betrayal of Trust by Susan Hill (5/5)
21. 101 Puzzle Quizzes by The Garbachuck Family (5/5)
22. Out of Slavery: The Journey to Amazing Grace by Linda Granfield (5/5)
23. Jellaby by Kean Soo (3/5)
24. Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King by William Joyce (4/5)
25. Shot at Dawn by John Wilson (4/5)
26. Jellaby: Monster in the City by Kean Soo (3/5)
27. Irena's Jars of Secrets by Marcia Vaughan (4/5)
28. Crogan's Loyalty by Chris Schweizer (4/5)
29. The Clockwork Three by Matthew J. Kirby (4/5)
30. The Yellow House Mystery by Gertrude Chandler Warner (5/5)
31.The Coldest City by Antony Johnston (4/5)
32. The Midnight Zoo by Sonya Hartnett (2/5)
33. Fluffy, Fluffy Cinnamoroll, Vol. 1 by Yumi Tsukirino (3/5)

Feb:
34.

Countries, States & Provinces 2011 Update

2011-12-31T12:51:00.000-05:00

Here are my stats on reading around the world during 2011.

Canada - 11 provinces/territories - as of Dec. 31, 2011

This is a change of 0 from 2010, I still have NWT and PEI left. I'll get these finished this year; I already have my NWT book chosen. And I am not reading an LM Montgomery for PEI.

USA - 40 States - as of Dec. 31, 2011

This is an increase of 4 from 2010. Obviously I've read all the popular states and am going to have to look up which ones I'm missing and pay attention to where books are set. Now how many states are there? 50 or 52? Something tells me 50 states and 52 cards in a deck. Let me google ... Answer is 50 states plus Washington DC.

Countries of the World - 51 countries - as of Dec. 31, 2011

This is an increase of 19 from 2010. I started paying attention to where books were set and picking books with exotic locations on purpose. Doing well here, will continue to do so.

To view my list of books read and their locations visit my Around the World page.

Movies/DVDs Watched in 2011

2011-12-31T12:30:00.000-05:00

Movies/DVDs/TV Seasons Watched in 2011

I have noted which ones I watched with my 10yo/11yo by starting off with a red (#).

Jan: 2

(#) 1. Thunderball (1965) (re-watch) (library) - Since this was Dad's second last night with us we let him pick the movies for us to watch and last year we started letting ds watch the James Bond movies as long as they were the Connery or Moore ones. This is a Sean Connery one and thoroughly enjoyed by all. All the grown-ups had seen it before but none could remember having seen it more than one time. (My dad originally in the the theatre!) . A lot of this one takes place underwater as Bond searches for two stolen missiles that have been hidden off the coast of Nassau somewhere and the secret boardings of the enemies ship. Lots of action, lots of James getting information out of the girl between the sheets and lots of Sean Connery with no shirt on! Ds loved the action sequences to pieces, laughing his head off at some of the antics (the violence is so low-key in these movies) My sil and I commented that if the movie was made today they never would have let Sean get away with that gorgeous chest of his. He would have been waxed within an inch of his life and we both said at the same time "YUCK!" Can't stand men with waxed chests! Anyway back to the movie, it's a great one, not one of the most remembered though as it doesn't really have any famous scenes in it but it's actually got a good plot and is a good movie. Tom Jones did the theme song. I absolutely l-o-v-e Tom Jones! Watch the opening sequence with theme song here.

2. Charlie Chan in Shanghai (1935) (library) - Dad's choice again. I watched a lot of the Charlie Chan movies as a kiddo but have no idea which ones I've seen before. This rang no bells in my middle age brain so I'll treat it as a first timer. I love the humour of these Chan movies. I know some people can't get past the 1930s representation of the Chinese people, but I have no problem with these particular movies. There are plenty of Asian actors in the movie (even if Charlie is a white guy) and never (from a 1930s mindset) are the Chinese people made out to be lesser human beings. Yes, there are stereotypes but from a 1930s pov it is not hateful in any sense. The movie was hilarious. Charlie Chan is the equivalent of a Chinese Hercule Poirot, very wise and solves the mystery with his mind. His Number One son, Lee, is his sidekick and they have a hilarious relationship, with Lee being an average American kid complete with slang, yet of course eager to please 'Pops' and show him his honorable Chinese side. Short 70 minute movie, for a fun mixture of humour and mystery. Unfortunately it got quite late and I fell asleep near the end of the movie and had to go to bed, so I just have to wait until Dad gets up to see if I was right as to whodunit. (ETA: Nope, I was completely wrong. The plot got even more wild at the end and I would never have guessed.)

Feb: 1

3. Therese: The Story of Saint Therese of Lisieux (2004) (library) - absolutely beautiful indie movie about the life of "The Little Flower". Our church has been run by Carmelites since the 1850s and the North American Shrine to Saint Therese is here in my hometown, which we visit often so it was very enjoyable to watch her story come to life. As an indie film it certainly isn't Hollywood standards, but a very nice job has been done and I thoroughly enjoyed it. My dh watched this with me and this is not his sort of movie. He told me straight off that he'd start to watch it with me but if it was too soppy or pious he was leaving. He didn't move an inch! It's wonderful to watch a thoroughly positive Catholic movie like this that also takes place in the not so distant past.

Mar: 1

(#)4. Gulliver's Travels (1996) (rewatch) (Inter-Library Loan) - After we finished reading our version of Gulliver (highly recommended, btw) I had planned all along on watching this TV mini-series starring Ted Danson with ds to bring the book further to life for him. This still being the most faithful rendition of the book to screen. There are still many, many, deviance's from the original but from our adapted version it was quite a satisfactory book to film experience. In the book Gulliver keeps going out on travels and coming home, then going back to sea again. But to create a better continuity for a movie, they made up a story where the movie begins with Gulliver arriving home after being gone all these years. As he tries to tell his story he is thought mad and put into an insane asylum. This is mostly due to the fact that another Dr. has taken over his practise and has been trying to get his wife to marry him. Most of this second story was over ds's head and I had to explain the deviousness that was going on with this part. But the actual Travel's part of the movie was wonderful and true to our version of the book; Ds loved it! We watched the mini-series over three nights.

Apr: 1

(#)5. The 1940s House (2001) (library) This is a British reality show and I've never seen any of the other House series. Having just finished studying the War, I decided this would be a good watch for us to get a feel for the homefront. I enjoyed this very much as this is the type of history that I enjoy and DS enjoyed it too, some bits went over his head but he really did appreciate the experience. I'm really glad we watched it!

May: 0

June: 0

July:2

6. Red Dawn. (1984) (Library) (re-watch) - I wanted to re-watch Taps; hubby wanted to re-watch this. The library had this and I had to put an ILL in for Taps, so we watched this first. I remember loving this when I originally watched it, which would have been at the movies in 1984. I've never seen it again since. So how did it hold up? Not very well. First of all, this is very much Patrick Swayze's movie and I was never a fan of his. This was Charlie Sheen's first feature film debut and he is such a cutie and has quite a decent part with lots of lines and screen time but hardly ever gets any close-ups which was disappointing. Story-wise, it was really over the top and felt like an extended episode of the A-Team with this small group of kids against a whole town full of enemy soldiers. We rolled our eyes a lot but took it for what it was, a movie of its times.

(#)7. Kicking & Screaming. (2005) (own) - This is hubby's movie not mine. I'm not a fan of Will Ferrell for the most part. Dh and ds were watching this and I decided to join in about 10 minutes into the movie to make it a family night. Pleasantly enough it ended up being a funny family movie. Ds didn't want to watch it at first as he does not like soccer but I convinced him that I even enjoyed sport movies sometimes (and he knows how much I hate it when his dad is watching any sports on TV). So in the end ds really enjoyed it and thought it was hilarious and so did dh. And I have no complaints for what it is, a fun, often silly, family comedy. An enjoyable evening.

August: 5

8. Taps (1981) (Inter-Library Loan) (re-watch) - As far as I remember I have only seen this when it originally came out. I have always had a spot in my heart as having loved this movie ever since. In the opening credits there are only two famous actors listed George C. Scott and a young Timothy Hutton. Brilliant performance for Hutton. I really enjoyed the movie again re-watching it this time as an adult but it didn't have the same impact on me. The rebel students who so endeared my teenage heart, now seem to be misguided youths with little plan and a false sense of what is right. So while the plot didn't exactly bowl me over this time, I did still enjoy the movie for the brilliant performances by said star Timothy Hutton and two newcomers who were only mentioned in the end credits, both very young but giving powerful performances were Tom Cruise and Sean Penn. This was Penn's first feature film. Cruise had had a bit part in a prior feature film and it is no wonder based on his performance here that he went on to be a part of the gang of young hotties in his next film, "The Outsiders"

(#)9. Charlotte's Web (1973) (Library) (re-watch) - I'd just finished reading the book to ds and had planned on us watching the original animated movie that I grew up watching on TV. It seemed like it was one of those perennial favourites that was shown once a year and I had fond memories of it. I haven't re-watched it since those days though and finally re-watching it as an adult it didn't really hold up for me. I had totally forgotten that it was a musical, and honestly it was a pretty slow movie. It was very true to the book though. Ds was glad that the movie followed the book, even the names were the same, something he's found often get changed when book turns to movie. But he hated the singing. Ds does not like musicals. He said there is no singing in the book, why do they have to sing in the movie? That annoyed him very much. But otherwise, he did enjoy the movie and enjoyed the humorous bits. In the book he loved the goose's double speak and was pleased as punch when the goose in the movie followed suit. I'd say that she was his favourite character, but of course he also liked Templeton, as did I. Though they made him much grumpier in the movie than in the book. Re-watching it has made me loose those warm, fuzzy memories I had for the movie but it does get an "A" for staying true to the book. We haven't watched the new version of the movie and I doubt we will as I can say we are both all Charlotte's Web-ed out for the time being.

10. The World According to Garp (1982) (Library) (re-watch) - Hubby and I have decided to watch all Robin Williams' movies in order, excluding the ones we know are really bad and the ones we've seen dozens of time. That means we skipped Popeye, which I had seen and thought was a terrible movie even as a young person. This movie was Robin's second feature film and he plays rather a normal guy, compared to what he'd done so far: said Popeye and Mork. I guess this would be classified as a dramatic comedy. It's quite a serious movie with a lot of humour from low key to witty to physical. Robin plays a find performance as T.S. Garp. I had previously seen the movie, but only once and originally at the theatre. Dh had not seen it ever before. I had thought the movie was wonderful previously and now with the re-watch it was only so-so. It was overly long, with long parts where nothing happened that seemed to stretch and it wasn't as funny as I remember it being. Dh, asked if he enjoyed the movie replies "Bits of it". OK but not great.

(#)11. Faerie Tale Theatre: The Tale of the Frog Prince (1982) (Library) - This is a continuation of the Robin Williams project. This is not a movie but a 55 min. TV episode of a TV Show that ran through most of the 80's with a few shows per year. Clocking in at 55mins, I would assume the TV shows were TV movie length 90mins episodes with commercials included. This episode was the first first to air and featured Robin Williams and since neither of us had seen it we decided to add it to our roster. Hubby thought it was ok, I really enjoyed it and ds had his funny bone tickled all the way through! So decent family entertainment all the way round. This is pure Robin Williams at this time of his life. Dressed up in a frog suit he is almost, but not quite, unrecognisable and he gives his stand up routines and impersonations making for a hilarious performance. Also of notice is Michael Richards role as the King who also performs with classic Kramer body language. Not recommended for young children though as there is disguised and blatant s*xual innuendo aplenty, the frog is called a "horny toad" and the princes is called "b*tchy". Really had fun with this. We may watch the whole series at some time or buy it if we find it cheap somewhere.

(#)12.Holes - (2003) (Inter-Library Loan) - Ds picked the movie. His teacher read the book to the class last year and they watched the movie but since ds only goes to school half days he only got to see a bit of the movie. He absolutely loved the book! As did I, which I read several years ago. I really enjoyed the movie. I'd call it a passive movie with lots of quiet humour and only a few moments of physical comedy. From what I remember the movie remained true to the book. Of course my memory of the book is fuzzy, by now. I enjoyed and loved seeing the big names show up we don't see too often Henry Winkler, Eartha Kitt and a very skinny Patricia Arquette. For some reason, the boys looked older than I had imagined they were in the book, but that may be memory again. Ds, on the other hand did not like the movie. He kept saying it was boring and nothing was happening. Too slow, too much talking and not enough actually happening for him. He got up several times and walked around the house before coming back to the movie. He did have his moments, where he enjoyed the comedy though. So for him, it was a case of the book being much better than the movie. While I enjoyed the movie, I wouldn't give it 5 stars, so I will have to concur with ds on this one.

Sept: 5

(#)13. Apollo 13 - (1995) (library) (re-watch) - I've only seen this the one time, on video, when it originally came out so I was pretty much watching it with fresh eyes. The whole family watched this movie together the actual reason being that ds had just finished studying about space travel and one thing he'd studied was the Apollo 13 mission so seeing the movie was rated PG I thought it would be fun to for him to watch. Dh wasn't looking forward to watching such a long movie, as his eyes get tired at anything 2 hours+ but even he stayed awake and enjoyed the movie as much as we all did. Ds talked through the whole thing though, asking all sorts of space/astronaut/vocabulary related questions. Even though he knew the outcome he twice asked me with a question in his voice that they did all survive, right? as the movie is quite intense. He absolutely loved the ending when they re-entered earth's atmosphere and then the parachutes opened. Myself, I enjoyed it very much, as if I'd never seen it before. If I gave ratings this would be one of the 5 star must see movies.

(#)14. The Goonies - (1985) (ILL) (re-watch) - What a fantastic family movie. Something to entertain and catch the imagination of kids (boys in particular, I'd presume). Secret hidden pirate treasure, a map to the treasure, bad guys on their trail and they're all trying to find the loot so that their parent's houses won't be foreclosed to make room for a golf course. Absolutely hilarious, a bit of a cross between Indian Jones and Stand By Me, with it's all kid cast of heroes performing the derring do of Indie. BTW the little Chinese boy from Temple of Doom is the same actor who is in this movie. Making big hits are child actors of famous parents Sean Astin of Lord of the Rings fame (Patty Duke's son) and Joss Brolin (James Brolin's son) along with the ever popular 80's kid star Corey Feldman. I loved it the first time and really enjoyed it again. I also liked watching the special feature of Cyndi Lauper's theme song video which had all the 80s wrestlers in it, from back in the day when I used to be a wrestling fan. Andre the Giant even makes an appearance! Dh hadn't seen the movie before and he really enjoyed, needless to say it was a huge hit with the ds. Great night at the movies had by all.

(#)15. Up - (2009) (library) - Just looking at lists of kids' movies and this one showed up as one we'd never got around to watching so I put a hold on it. Dh was sick in bed so just ds and I watched together. First time just the two of us watched anything in a long time and we picked a winner of a movie for our mum/son night! Just absolutely wonderful! A real feel-good movie without being syrupy or anything like that. The sequence at the beginning that shows the old man's life from childhood to the loneliness after loosing his wife is brilliant. It's a whole story before the movie even starts. Ds had a great time, laughing at all the funny parts and I really enjoyed the humour as well. Ds was thrilled that there was no singing! I thought Ed Asner was perfect for the role as he is the epitome of the grouchy old man. Love John Ratzenberger showing up for his cameo bit part. He's got a deal that he has to be in every Disney/Pixar movie made till death do they part, right? I'm not a dog person but gotta say the "squirrel" joke with the talking dogs was hilarious. Great movie, watch it, even if you haven't got kids; it's got a good message for all of us adults.

16. - Moscow on the Hudson (1984) (ILL) (re-watch) - Continuing along with dh and my project to watch all Robin William's movies in chrono. order. The next movie was supposed to be Survivors with Walter Matthau (sp?) but the library came up empty handed. So I put a request in for the next one and said I wanted a DVD "but" would except a VHS as a last resort and I ended up with the VHS. So I put a request in again for Survivors but this time asking for a VHS and I haven't heard back yet, this is usually a good sign. Anyway onto the movie. It's surprising how laid back and dramatic Williams' early movies were. I guess he really wanted to get away from being characterized as "Mork". Both dh and I had seen this when it first came out and had enjoyed it at the time. Watching again now we still enjoyed but would classify it as an ok movie. It showed its age. Soviet Russia of course is gone along with the defection of its performing artists, but mostly the idea that the movie permeates that America is the land of the immigrant's dream, where anyone can make it if they only try, has gone by the wayside. The message is jaded today and no such movie could be made today either. It does make one long for the good old days.

(#)17. Secondhand Lions (2003) (Library) - I chose this one as a family watch as it just sounded like a good plot and I love Michael Caine. Dh was working the late shift so just ds and I watched it and we really enjoyed it. A touching story of a boy who has a flighty mother, who has never had a home, actually been in the orphanage at one time and how is mother drops him off with two never been heard of before brother great uncles. They are basically grumpy old men and while for the boy it is a coming of age story, for the men they learn how to enjoy life again and how to love someone again. Beautiful story, quite humorous. I was only startled by the amount of language used by the old men. I hadn't expected it and it wasn't that bad with mostly d*mns and h*lls, but some of the language was rather vulgar too. It was appropriate for these men seeing as what their background was and once I realized it wasn't going to get any worse, I relaxed and enjoyed the movie with my son. A good one!

Oct: 6

18. Braveheart (1995) (watched on DVD at my sister's in Edmonton) - If you can believe it, I have never seen this movie before but have always wanted to. It's one of my sister's favourites that she has seen multiple times and she's always said we'll have to watch it together some day. All I have to say is Magnificent! I loved it! I am partial to Scottish history and wish England had never killed off the Scottish heirs to the crown so came into the movie a fan of the subject matter. And I love Mel Gibson; he's at his prime here. My husband hates watching long epic historical movies so I don't get much chance to watch them, even though I love them. FREEDOM!

19. My Own Worst Enemy: The Complete Series (2008) (my sister has Netflix) - Absolutely loved this show! Never heard of it before and it only lasted 9 episodes so it just ended right in the middle of everything. Very similar to Alias with the twisting, violent spy plot. Loved every second of it! One of those unfortunate awesome shows that gets canceled while the junk keeps on getting renewed.

20. The Secret Life of Bees (2008) (my sister has Netflix) - I've read the book and suggested this as a good choice we could watch with my 12yo niece. A good movie, I really enjoyed. The book was much better though and they changed/or left out enough bits to make it not as wonderful as the book. I still enjoyed it though. I particularly enjoyed the portrayal of May and Rosaleen (Jennifer Hudson). So I give it an OK. On the otherhand my niece was bawling her eyes out and my sister was teary eyed several times. So not having read the book, the movie seems to make an impact.

21. Survival of the Dead (2009) (my sister's on Blu-ray) - Just me and my bil were home and he picked this movie to watch. I'm not into modern horror movies and thought it would be too gross for me. But it wasn't, just a good, fun, zombie movie with no real value to it. Stupid ending. Some fairly fake-looking scenes but some good zombie killing too. Had fun.

22. Red Riding: In the Year of Our Lord 1974 (2009) (my sister's DVD) This is the first in a trilogy of movies about unrelated serial killer sprees that took place in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England. This where I (and my family ancestry) hail from. The movie was dark, grim and boring. We turned it off before it was finished.

(#)23. Zoom (2006) (WE GOT NETFLIX) Ds picked this movie for family night. Tim Allen is a defunct super hero who is recruited to train a new bunch of kids with special powers to form a new team of super heroes to combat at immenent visit by a super villain. Some superhero funnies but basically a bad movie, scriptwise and acting wise. No funny moments for Tim Allen. Interesting seeing Courtney Cox as his co-star. When we were finished I asked ds what we should rate it. I was thinking 2, dh said under his breath 1 and ds yelled out 5. I asked if he was sure, that 5's were for best movies ever, but he was adament. I'll go back later and change it to a 3 so our suggestions aren't skewed. At least ds enjoyed himself. And it is a clean, non-offensive, kid-safe movie, which are few and far between these days.

Nov: 1

24. A Beautiful Mind (2001) (Netflixed) watched this on my own. Hadn't heard of it before or the man the true story was based on. I thought it was a good movie. Slow at first but quickly picked up once the reveal was made. I love how they showed the first half of the movie through Nash's point of view so that the audience is just as confused as he is when his life starts to fall apart and he is confronted with mentall illness. A beatuiful portayal of a husband and wife committed to each other so much that they hold each other up as Nash decides to deal with his symptons in his own way without the mind altering drugs of the era. Frank Nash evenutally becomes a Nobel Peace Prize Recipient for his mathematical theories of economics. A heart-warming story that shows people overcoming, without "curing" their mental illnesses, by sheer determination and will power, behaviour modification and logical reasoning if all else fails. This man and wife could have ended it so many times but they didn't beccause they had had love, and weren't about to give it up because things were tough now. No, they went on to prove that with that love they could live with, live well and happily, with Frank's schizophrenia using Frank's ideas rather than by losing his mind to electrical shock treatment and drugs that took away his personality, reasons for being, and his desire for his wife. A long movie, not fast-moving, but dark, and one I'm glad I watched. I've only seen a handful of Russel Crowe's movies but I've loved those I've seen; I might just start picking a movie because he's in it and see if I become a fan.

Dec:

25. Arrested Development: Season 1 (2003-2004) (Netflixed) I've always wanted to watch this show. Prior to this I had only seen one and a half episodes on TV, the episode where Tobias is painted as a Blueman (not in season 1) and a bit of an episode where the father is hiding in the attic (again not in season 1) but those two samplings had me itching to get season 1 and watch the show as it seemed to be my type of quirky humour. I am not usually a 1/2 hr. sitcom type of person. I absolutely loved this, I will say though that the first half of the season was better than the second. Though the last episode where everyone is on Atkins and can't eat any carbs is funny. I really enjoyed the guest stars. Liza Minella in her extended story arc and Julia Louise-Dreyfuss's two episodes were hilarious. Aside from loving Jason Bateman since I first saw him on Little House on the Prairie and Silver Spoons, my favourite character on the show is Buster and after that George-Michael. Even though it is mentioned in the credits at first I guessed Ron Howard was the narrator right away and thought that was pretty cool too, especially with the Henry Winkler connection. All around fabulous comedy for those who like quirky. Can't wait to watch Season 2 and I hear a movie follow-up is in the works.

26. Survivors Season 1 (2008) (Netflixed) This is a short British TV show with only two seasons. A post-apocalyptic show that is supposed to be a remake of a British show from the '70s and is based on the book by Terry Nation (which I've added to my Bookmooch wishlist). An excellent show! The first episode is movie length and brilliant in itself as it tells the tale of a virus leaking onto the public in Britain and within 24 hours 95% of the world's population is dead. The show then focuses on a small group of survivors, how they meet, join up and others they come across and of course there is a mysterious government connection as well. I absolutely love the actor playing Tom, the ex-convict, who at first is a cold-blooded murderer but whose character develops during the show and one can't but start to like him. He seems to be playing his role very close to David Caruso and his mannerisms and even looks a bit like him but much more sexy. I also like the young boy who plays Najid (sp); he is often more grown-up than some of the adults since he was brought up in a working family where he also did his part to support the household. Really good show, watch it if you get the chance.

27. Sherlock Season 1 (2010) (Netflixed) Watched with my 22yo while he visited home for 4 days. This is a short British television series with only 3 hour and a half episodes. Looking at imdb, I see that season 2 will air with three more episodes in 2012 which look to have already been filmed. This is a fantastic show! Set in modern times, Sherlock and Watson are their modern day counterparts from the books. Much of the original characterization of the characters in kept with a modern twist. Watson has returned home from the war (Afghanistan) and they end up sharing a flat together the same way as in the books, a mutual acquaintance introduces them to each other when they both remark, who would ever want to roommate with them. There are tributes to Holmesian references for die-hard fans to notice. Holmes is an ex-addict who does not smoke but wears three nicotine patches. The actor who places Holmes is brilliant, just what you would expect from such a man today and played as an egocentric who probably has some sort of mental issue. Watson is also well played in a serious role rather than the old bumbling Watson we are often used to seeing. A fantastic show, great acting, intense and exciting cases with plenty of humour added to offset the darkness. Mrs. Hudson is used for comic relief. Along with the familiar faces already noted we also meet Inspector Lestrade, Mycroft and the maniacal Moriarty. Highly recommended for mystery fans.

(#)28. Hoodwinked! (2005) (Netflixed) Watched Christmas Eve. Both ds and I had wanted to see this one for a while. We all enjoyed it. Not the best animated movie but still good and enjoyable. Quite different than the usual animated movie as well. Other than one cute creature, everyone else was shady, sneaky, mysterious or not what they seemed. Probably a 3.5.

(#)29. The Adventures of Tin Tin (2011) (went to the theatre) First let me say this was my very first 3D movie at the theatre. Well, the new 3D, ykwim. I don't see the point. So, the movie has depth, big deal. I have perfect eye vision and I found the glasses annoying and kept going to take them off then remembering I had to wear them. There was no extra fun because of the 3D. I hope this gimmick fades away. Now on to the movie. Three adults, 2 50-yo and 1 40+, plus an 11 yo absolutely loved it. It was just like an Indiana Jones movie!. Same concept, same over the top adventures and near death get-aways, amazing duels/fights with the bad guys, trips all over the world, to find a hidden treasure. The 11yo laughed and commented throughout the whole thing. Good thing we were surrounded by other children LOL! I have never read a Tin Tin comic in my life but now I want to read them more than anything! The movie is based on volume 11: The Secret of the Unicorn which has a direct sequel in volume 12: Red Rackham's Treasure, so I'm sure we can expect a movie sequel as well.

291 Books Read in 2011

2011-12-31T11:43:00.000-05:00

Books Read in 2011

I haven't posted reviews of the last few yet and I expect to finish the last 2 books today.

January: 21

1. Birth of a Killer by Darren Shan (4/5)
2. A Letter to Mrs. Roosevelt by C. Coco De Young (3.5/5)
x. Hide & Shriek by Sean Patrick O'Reilly (4/5) ds read this time
3. Incorruptible, Vol. 2 by Mark Waid (4.5/5)
4. Agatha Christie's Peril at End House by Didier Quella-Guyot (4/5)
5. The Zabime Sisters by Aristophane (4/5)
x. New Monster in School by Sean O'Reilly (4/5)
x. The Incredible Rockhead vs. Papercut by Scott Nickel (3/5)
6. Crogan's March by Chris Schweizer (5/5)
7. Luna Park by Kevin Baker (4/5)
8. Lola, A Ghost Story by J. Torres (4/5)
9. A Sickness in the Family by Denise Mina (5/5)
10. Jack of Fables: The New Adventures of Jack and Jack by Bill Willingham (5/5)
xx. Jimmy on Ice by Adam Beecher (3/5)
xx. End Zone Thunder by Scott Ciencin (4/5)
xx. Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves by Matthew K. Manning (4/5)
11. Who Was Amelia Earhart? by Kate Boehm Jerome (3/5)
12. Two Generals by Scott Chantler (5/5)
13. Stuart Goes to School by Sara Pennypacker (3/5)
14. The Last Airbender Prequel: Zuko's Story by Dave Roman & Alison Wilgus (3/5)
15. Children of the Dust Bowl: The True Story of the School at Weedpatch Camp by Jerry Stanley (4/5)
16. Genkaku Picasso, Vol. 1 by Usamaru Furuya (3.5/5)
17. Fire in the Sky: A Tale of the Hindenburg Explosion by J. Gunderson (3.5/5)
xx. Emmett's Pig by Mary Stolz (5/5)
18. Taro and the Magic Pencil by Sango Morimoto (5/5)
xx. Fire Fighter! by Angela Royston (4/5)
19. MAOH: Juvenile Remix, Vol. 3 by Megumi Osuga (5/5)
xx. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies adapted by Tony Lee. Based on Jane Austen (DNF)
xx. Escape From Pompeii by Terry Collins (3/5)
xx. Rescue in the Bermuda Triangle by Marc Tyler Nobleman (3/5)
20. Library Wars: Love & War, Vol. 3 by Kiiro Yumi (5/5)
21. The Stand by Stephen King (5/5)
xx. Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish (4/5)
xx. Falcon's Gold: Canada's First Olympic Hockey Heroes by Kathleen Arnason (4/5)
xx. The Dynamic World of Chemical Reactions with Max Axiom by Agnieszka Biskup (3/5)
xx. The Whirlwind World of Hurricanes with Max Axiom by Katherine Krohn (3/5)

February: 27
22. The Whicharts by Noel Streatfeild (4/5)
23. Children of the Sea, Vol. 4 by Daisuke Igarashi (3/5)
24. Batman: Mad Hatter's Movie Madness by Donald Lemke (3/5)
xx. Grasshopper on the Road by Arnold Lobel (4/5)
25. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand (5/5)
26. Bubble in the Bathtub by Jo Nesbo (3/5)
27. Death Note: Black Edition, Vol. 1 (5/5)
28. City in Peril! by Paul Collicutt (4/5)
29. Rust Attack! by Paul Collicutt (4/5)
30. The Indestructible Metal Men by Paul Collicutt (4/5)
31. Murder on the Robot City Express by Paul Collicutt (5/5)
32. Wonder Woman: Rumble in the Rainforest by Sarah Hines Stephens (3/5)
xx. How Do Apples Grow? by Betsy Maestro (4/5)
33. Ghostwriter by Travis Thrasher (3/5)
34. Superman: Cosmic Bounty Hunter by Blake A. Hoena (4/5)
xx. The Book of Revelation by John the Apostle
35. Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty by G. Neri (4/5)
36. Bone: Quest for the Spark, Book On e by Tom Sniegoski (4/5)
37. Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol by Scott McCullar (4/5)
38. Jack London The Call of the Wild by Lloyd S. Wagner (5/5)
39. Saints in Limbo by River Jordan (5/5)
40. Toy Story: The Mysterious Stranger by Dan Jolley (3/5)
xx. Frog and Toad All Year by Arnold Lobel (4/5)
41. The Girl Who Became a Beatle by Greg Taylor (4/5)
42. Jonathan Swift's Gulliver by Martin Jenkins (5/5)
43. Incorruptible, Vol. 3 by Mark Waid (4/5)
44. The Hollow People by Brian Keaney (4/5)
45. Irredeemable, Vol. 5 by Mark Waid (5/5)
46. Shantorian: Trackers, Book 2 by Patrick Carman (4/5)
xx. Animal Hospital by Judith Walker Hodge (4/5)
47. Tegami Bachi, Vol. 4: The Letter Full of Lies by Hiroyuki Asasda (4/5)
48. Genkaku Picasso, Vol. 2 by Usamaru Furuya (4/5)
xx. Silly Lilly in What Will I Be Today? by Agnes Rosenstiehl (5/5)
49. The Chestnut King by N.D. Wilson (4/5)

March: 33
50. The Lamb's Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth by Scott Hahn (5/5)
51. Daytripper by Fabio Moon & Gabriel Ba (5/5)
52. The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White (5/5)
53. Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, Vol. 1 by Hiroshi Shiibashi (5/5)
54. The Deadly Conch by Mahtab Narsimhan (5/5)
55. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (GN) by Eric Shanower (5/5)
56. Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann (5/5)
57. The Rukan Prophecy: Vermonia #4 by Yoyo (3.5/5)
xx. Super Hero Splash Down by Jane Mason (4/5)
58. Missile Mouse: Rescue on Tankium3 by Jake Parker (4/5)
59. The Dragon Seer by Janet McNaughton (4/5)
60. Winter's Child by Cameron Dokey (4/5)
61. There's a Wolf at the Door:Five Classic Tales by Zoe B. Alley(4/5)
xx. Chester by Syd Hoff (3.5/5)
62. MAOH: Juvenile Remix, Vol. 4 by Megumi Osuga (5/5)
63. A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley (5/5)
64. The Stand, Vol. 1: Captain Trips by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (4/5)
65. Wither by Lauren DeStephano (5/5)
66. Slog's Dad by David Almond (3/5)
xx. Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life by Rachel Renee Russell (DNF)
67. Journey to America by Sonia Levitin (3.5/5)
xx. Plenty of Fish by Millicent Selsam (3.5/5)
68. Travelers Along the Way: The Men and Women Who Shaped My Life by Benedict J. Groeschel, C.F.R. (4/5)
69. The Cay by Theodore Taylor (4/5)
70. Flight, Vol. 7 edited by Kazu Kuibishi (3/5)
71. The Kitchen Daughter by Jael McHenry (5/5)
xx. Merci Mister Dash by Monica Kulling (4/5)
72. The Seventh Princess by Nick Sullivan (3/5)
73. Greek Myths retold by Marcia Williams (4/5)
74. Stink and the Ultimate Thumb-Wrestling Smackdown by Megan McDonald (5/5)
75. Library Wars: Love & War, Vol. 4 by Kiiro Yumi (5/5)
76. Quiver by Holly Luhning (2/5)
77.The Joy of Being a Catholic Childby Rev. Jude Winkler, OFM Conv. (5/5)
78. Assassin: The Lady Grace Mysteries, Book 1 by Lady Grace Cavendish, Maid of Honor to Queen Elizabeth I by Patricia Finney (3/5)
79. Greek Myths by Ann Turnbull (4/5)
80. Death Note: Black Edition, Vol. II by Tsugumi Ohba (5/5)
81. Taro and the Terror of Eats Street by Sango Morimoto (2/5)
82. Mystify by Artist Arthur (3/5)
xx. DC Super-Pets: Royal Rodent Rescueby John Sazaklis (3/5)
83. The Mystery of Ireland's Eye by Shane Peacock (4/5)

April: 22
84. Lewis & Clark by Nick Bertozzi (4/5)
85. Excalibur, The Legend of King Arthur: A Graphic Novel by Tony Lee (5/5)
86. My Dad's a Birdman by David Almond (4/5)
87. Amaryllis in Blueberry by Christina Meldrum (2/5)
88. Nearly Nonsense: Hoja Tales from Turkey by Rina Stingh (3/5)
89. Riku vs. Gyuki, Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, Vol. 2 (4/5)
90. High Flight: A Story of World War II by Linda Granfield (4/5)
91. Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool (5/5)
92. Dragonbreath: Curse of the Were-Wieners by Ursula Vernon (4/5)
93. In Grandma's Attic by Arleta Richardson (5/5)
94. More Stories from Grandma's Attic by Arleta Richardson (5/5)
xx. DC Super-Pets!: The Fastest Pet on Earth by J.E. Bright (3/5)
95. Dragonbreath: Lair of the Bat Monster by Ursula Vernon (3.5/5)
96. Graphic Classics Vol. 20: Western Classics edited by Tom Pomplun (5/5)
97. Lost in Shangri-La: A True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War II by Mitchell Zuckoff (4/5)
xx. Mouse Tales by Arnold Lobel (5/5)
98. Love You More by Lisa Gardner (4/5)
99. The Mass for Children by Rev. Jude Winkler (5/5)
100. Shanghai Girls by Lisa See (4/5)
101. Aquaman: Deepwater Disaster by J.E. Bright (3/5)
102. The Lightning Thief Graphic Novel by Rick Riordan & Robert Venditti (3/5)
103. The Promises She Keeps by Erin Healy (5/5)

xxx. DC Super-Pets: Midway Monkey Madness by Sarah Hines Stephens (4/5)

104. The Door in the Wall by H.G. Wells (3/5)

105. Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan (3/5)

May: 27

xxx. Canadian Starters: People #3 - Alexander Graham Bell by Paul Miller

xxx. Canadian Starters: Wildlife #8 - Raccoon by Jim Bricknell

xxx. Canadian Starters: People #2 - Emily Carr by Paul Miller

xxx. Canadian Starters: Wildlife #5 - Moose by Jim Bricknell

106. The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan (5/5)

xxx. Frog and Toad Together by Arnold Lobel (4/5)

107. Sleeping Beauty, Vampire Killer by Maureen McGowan (4/5)
108. Cinderella, Ninja Warrior by Maureen McGowan (3/5)
109. The Secret of the Silver Mines by Shane Peacock (4/5)
110. Why Catholics Are Right by Michael Coren (5/5)

111. Twenty and Ten by Claire Huchet Bishop (4/5)

112. Cowboys and Aliens by Fred Van Lente & Andrew Foley (3/5)
xxx. Grimpow: The Invisible Road by Rafael Abalos (DNF)
113. Toy Story: Toy Overboard by Jessie Blaze Snider (4/5)
114. The Odyssey: Homer by Tim Mucci (2/5)
115. The Gates by John Connolly (4/5)
116. The Sindbad Trilogy: Sindbad (4/5); Sindbad in the Land of Giants (4/5); Sindbad's Secret (4/5) by Ludmila Zeman (4/5)
117. Genkaku Picasso, Vol. 3 by Usamaru Furuya (4/5)
118. Irma Voth by Miriam Toews (3/5)

xxx. DC Super-Pets!: Heroes of the High Seas by J.E. Bright (5/5)

119. Tegami Bachi: Letter Bee, Vol. 6: The Man Who Could Not Become Spirit by Hiroyuki Asada (3/5)

xxx. Little Henry to the Rescue by Eleanor Graham (4/5)

120. Genesis by Bernard Beckett
121. MAOH: Juvenile Remix, Vol. 5 by Megumi Osuga (4/5)

122. John F. Kennedy: The Making of a Leader by the Editors of TIME for Kids w/ Ritu Upadhyay (4/5)

123. Tales of an African Vet by Dr. Roy Aronson (4/5)
124. Death Note: Black Edition, Vol. 3 by Tsugumi Ohba (5/5)
125. A Study in Scarlett by Ian Edginton (5/5)
126. Alone in the Classroom by Elizabeth Hays (4/5)
127. Trickster: Native American Tales, A Graphic Collection edited by Matt Dembicki (5/5)
128. Yokaiden, Vol. 1 by Nina Matsumoto (5/5)
129. Yokaiden, Vol. 2 by Nina Matsumoto (5/5)
130. I Still Dream About You by Fannie Flagg (4/5)
131. Stones for my Father by Trilby Kent (4/5)
132. The Imposter's Daughter by Laurie Sanddell (4/5)

June: 16
133. The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner (4/5)
134. Library Wars: Love & War, Vol. 5 by Kiiro Yumi (4/5)
135. Nick of Time by Tim Downs (4/5)
136. Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, Vol. 3 by Hiroshi Shiibashi (4/5)
137. Astronaut Academy: Zero Gravity by Dave Roman (3/5)
138. Bone 1: Out From Boneville by Jeff Smith (5/5)

xxx. Pooches of Power by Sarah Hines Stephens (4/5)

139. If You Lived at the Time of Martin Luther King by Ellen Levine (5/5)

140. Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi (5/5)

141. Bone 2: The Great Cow Race by Jeff Smith (5/5)
142. The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (3/5)
143. Empire of the Ruins by Arthur Slade (5/5)
144. Bone 3: Eyes of the Storm by Jeff Smith (5/5)
145. Story of a Soul: the Autobiography of the Little Flower by St. Therese of Lisieux (5/5)
146. Hanako and the Terror of Allegory, Vol. 3 by Sakae Esuno (3/5)
DNF. Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld (DNF)
147. Chi's Sweet Home, Vol. 2 by Konami Kanata (4/5)

xxx. Arthur's Honey Bear by Lillian Hoban (3/4)

148. Twin Spica, Vol. 2 by Kou Yaginuma (5/5)

July: 14

xxx. Batman Returns: The Penguin's Plot by Michael Teitelbaum (4/5)

xxx. Human Body by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld (4/5)
149: Fallen by Karin Slaughter (4/5)
150. Think of a Number by John Verdon (4/5)

151. Canada's Maple Leaf: The Story of Our Flag by Ann-Maureen Owens & Jane Yealland (5/5)

152. The Devil All The Time by Donald Ray Pollock (5/5)
xxx. Capturing Joy: The Story of Maud Lewis by Jo Ellen Bogart (4/5)
xxx. Picasso: Soul on Fire by Rick Jacobson (3/5)
153. William Shakespeare: The Merchant of Venice by John F. McDonald (4/5)
154. Miguel de Cervantes: Don Quixote, Part 1 by Lloyd S. Wagner (5/5)
155. William Shakespeare: Romeo & Juliet by John F. McDonald (4/5)
156. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs (4/5)
157. Alexandre Dumas: The Three Musketeers by Bruce Buchanan (4/5)
158. The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo (3/5)
159. The Dusk Society by Sidney Williams & Mark Jones (4/5)
160. Fables #15: Rose Red by Bill Willingham (5/5)
161. Jack of Fables #8: The Fulminate Blade by Bill Willingham (3/5)
162. Taro and the Carnival of Doom by Sango Morimoto (4/5)

Aug: 29
163. Mercy by Jussi Adler-Olsen (5/5)
164. Death Note: Black Edition, Vol. 4 by Tsugumi Ohba (5/5)
165. Surprise Island by Gertrude Chandler Warner (4/5)
166. In Defense of the Realm by Sanjay Deshpande (5/5)
167. Photo Booth by Lewis Helfland (5/5)
168. The Flight of Dragons by Vivian French (4/5)

169. Spacebusters: The Race to the Moon by Philip Wilkinson (4/5)

170. The Beginner's Bible by Zondervan (4/5)

171. Charlotte's Web by E.B. White (5/5)
172. The Long Walk by Stephen King as Richard Bachman (5/5)
173. Mother Teresa: In My Own Words by Mother Teresa (5/5)
174. Bone #4: The Dragonslayer by Jeff Smith (5/5)
175. Bone #5: Rock Jaw: Master of the Eastern Border by Jeff Smith (5/5)
176.The Leopard by Jo Nesbo (4/5)

177. Marvin Redpost: Kidnapped at Birth? by Louis Sachar (3/5)

178. Bone #6: Old Man's Cave by Jeff Smith (5/5)

179. Bob and Shirley: A Tale of Two Lobsters by Harriet Ziefert (3/5)

180. Everything Is Grace: The Life and Way of Therese of Lisieux by Joseph F. Schmidt, FSC (5/5)
181. Peter Nimble and his Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier (4/5)
182. Frankie Pickle and the Mathematical Menace by Eric Wight (5/5)

XX. Charlotte's Web: Wilbur's Prize by Jennifer Franz (3/5)

183. Hera: The Goddess and Her Glory by George O'Connor (4/5)
184. Defiance by Carla Jablonski (5/5)
185. Bone Beds of the Badlands by Shane Peacock (5/5)
186. Sita: Daughter of the Earth by Saraswati Nagpal (4/5)
187. Space Race by C.E.L. Welsh (5/5)
188. H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds by Ryan Foley (4/5)
189. Tegami Bachi: Letter Bee, Vol. 6 by Hiroyuki Asada (4/5)
190. Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, Vol. 4 by Hiroshi Shiibashi (4/5)

Sept: 35
191. MAOH: Juvenile Remix, Vol. 6 by Megumi Osuga (5/5)
192. The Color of Lightning by Paulette Jiles (4/5)
193. Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol (5/5)

194. Crisis in Space: Apollo 13 by Mark Beyer (4/5)

195. Sinking Deeper or My Questionable (Possibly Heroic) Decision to Invent a Sea Monster by Steve Vernon (4/5)
196. Vermonia Vol. 5: The Warriors' Trial by Yoyo (3/5)
197. After the Challenger: A Story of the Space Shuttle Disaster by Robert Marsh (5/5)
198. The Mysteries of Angkor Wat: Exploring Cambodia's Ancient Temple by Richard Sobol (4/5)
199. The Midnight Charter by David Whitley (3.5/5)
200. Nola's Worlds #1: Changing Moon by Mathieu Mariolle (5/5)
201. The Floor of Heaven: A True Tale of the Last Frontier and the Yukon Gold Rush by Howard Blum (4/5)

202. Canada, Our History: An Album Through Time by Rick Archbold (4/5)

203. Shimmer by Alyson Noel (4/5)
204. Nola's Worlds #2: Ferrets and Ferreting Out by Mathieu Mariolle (5/5)
205. Nola's Worlds #3: Even For a Dreamer Like Me by Mathieu Mariolle (5/5)
206. Hamlet & Ophelia by John Marsden (2/5)

207. Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the U.F.O. by David Adler (4/5)

208. The Life of Rice: From Seedling to Supper by Richard Sobol (4/5)

209. Monster in the Mountains by Shane Peacock (4/5)
210. Fevre Dream (Graphic Novel) by George R.R. Martin & Daniel Abraham (4/5)
211. The Tiffin by Mahtab Narsimhan (5/5)
212. Jeannie Out of the Bottle by Barbara Eden (4/5)
213. Still More Stories from Grandma's Attic by Arleta Richardson (4/5)
214. Treasures from Grandma's Attic by Arleta Richardson (5/5)
215. Small Pig by Arnold Lobel (4/5)
216. Breakfast in the Rainforest: A Visit with Mountain Gorillas by Richard Sobol (3/5)
217. Graphic Classics: Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Mystery edited by Tom Pomplun (3/5)
218. Orcs: Forged for War by Stan Nicholls & Joe Flood (4/5)

219. Construction Zone by Cheryl Willis Hudson & Richard Sobol (5/5)

220. Ancient Egypt: Tales of Gods and Pharaohs by Marcia Williams (5/5)
221. The Clockwork Girl by Sean O'Reilly & Kevin Hanna (5/5)

222. An Elephant in the Backyard by Richard Sobol (5/5)

223. One More Elephant: The Fight to Save Wildlife in Uganda by Richard Sobol (4/5)

224. Down the Yukon by Will Hobbs (4/5)

225. The Blue Umbrella by Mike Mason (5/5)

Oct: 14
226. The Marvelous Land of Oz by Eric Shanower (5/5)
227. Good Little Wolf by Nadia Shireen (4/5)

228. Adelina's Whales by Richard Sobol (4/5)

229. Horrid Henry by Francesca Simon (5/5)

230. Green Lantern: Web of Doom by Michael Anthony Steele (4/5)
231. Bleeder by John Desjarlais (5/5)
232. The Remains of War: Suriving the Other Concentration Camps of World War II by G. Pauline Kok-Schurgers (4/5)
233. Kaspar, Prince of Cats by Michael Morpurgo (3/5)
234. Avalanche Annie by Lisa Wheeler (3/5)
235. Mean Margaret by Tor Seidler (4/5)
236. Alone by Lisa Gardner (4/5)
237. Hide by Lisa Gardner (4/5)

238. Seal Journey by Richard Sobol (3/5)

239. Green Lantern: Savage Sands by J.E. Bright (5/5)
DNF: Daddy's Girl by Lisa Scottoline (DNF)

Nov: 24
240. I Am Half-Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley (5/5)
241. The Flash: Master of Mirrors by Laurie S. Sutton (5/5)
242. The Flash: Trickster's Bubble Trouble by Michael Dahl (3/5)
243. First Descent by Pam Withers
DNF. Our Daily Bread by Lauren B. Davis (DNF)
244. Tales From India: Stories of Creation and the Cosmos by Jamila Gavin (4/5)
245. The Dragon Turn by Shane Peacock (5/5)
246. Around the World by Matt Phelan (3/5)
247. My First Catechism by Fr. Lawrence Lovasik (5/5)
248. Straw House, Wood House, Brick House, Blow by Daniel Nayeri (4/5)
249. In the Bag! Margaret Knight Wraps It Up by Monica Kulling (4/5)
250. Gargoyles: Monsters in Stone by Jennifer Dussling (5/5)
251. The White Ballets: Swan Lake, Giselle, and La Bayadere by Rajka Kupesic (5/5)
252. The X'ed-Out X-Ray by Ron Roy (4/5)
253. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness (5/5)
254. Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick (5/5)
255. Felix on Stage by Kathryn Lasky (4/5)
256. That Fatal Night by Sarah Ellis (4/5)
257. Good vs Evil: The Awakening by Donald Lemke (5/5)
258. Exploding Gravy: Poems to Make You Laugh by X.J. Kennedy (3/5)
259. Healthy Snacks, Healthy You! by Sally Lee (3/5)
260. Holy Women by Pope Benedict XVI (4/5)
261. Blood and Iron: Building the Railway by Paul Yee (5/5)
262. Bone: Ghost Circles by Jeff Smith (5/5)
263. Bone: Treasure Hunters by Jeff Smith (4/5)

December:
264. The Children of the Lost by David Whitley (4/5)
265. Running Wild (Upchuck and the Rotten Willy 3) (3/5)
266. Uncle Elephant by Arnold Lobel (4/5)
267. The Exquisite Corpse Aventure edited by The National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance (5/5)
268. Deadly Voyage: RMS Titanic, Jamie Laidlaw, Crossing the Atlantic, 1912 by Hugh Brewster (5/5)
269. Bone: Crown of Horns by Jeff Smith (5/5)
270. Prisoner of Dieppe: World War II, Alistair Morrison, Occupied France, 1942 by Hugh Brewster (5/5)
271. Bone: Rose by Jeff Smith (3/5)
272. Tommy O'Toole and Larry by Anna D. Cordts (5/5)
273. Library Wars: Love & Evil, Vol. 6 by by Kiiro Yumi (3/5)
274. Good vs Evil: Alien Snow by Michael Dahl (4/5)
275. Circle Nine by Anne Heltzel (4/5)
276. Death Note: Black Edition, Volume 5 by Tsuguni Ohba (5/5)
277. The Man in the Moon by William Joyce (5/5)
278. A Catholic Christmas by Kathleen M. Carroll (4/5)
279. The Incredible Vegetable Group by Marcia Aboff (3/5)
280. Happy Pig Day! by Mo Willems (4/5)
281. Death Note: Black Edition, Vol. 6 by Tsugumi Ohba (5/5)
282. Romeo & Juliet: A Graphic Novel by Martin Powell (3/5)
283. The Danger Box by Blue Balliett (4/5)
284. A Midsummer Night's Dream by Nel Yomtov (4/5)
285. The Luck of the Buttons by Anne Ylvisaker (3/5)
286. Power at the Plate by Scott Ciencin (4/5)
287. Drop In (Tony Hawk's 900 Revolution) by Donnie Lemke (3/5)
288. Riptide Pride by Brandon Terrell (4/5)
289. Aliens and Energy by Agnieszka Biskup (3/5)

will finish today
290. Vampires and Cells by Agnieszka Biskup
291. Dragon Seer's Gift by Jant McNaughton

285. The Luck of the Buttons by Anne Ylvisaker

2011-12-31T09:33:00.000-05:00

The Luck of the Buttons by Anne Ylvisaker. (Canada) - (US)

Pages: 224
Ages: 7+
Finished: Dec. 27, 2011
First Published: Apr. 12, 2011
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Genre: children, historical fiction, realistic fiction, mystery
Rating: 3/5

First sentence:

Tugs Button darted past Zip's Hardware, stumbled over the lunch specials sign at Al and Irene's Luncheonette, and pushed through the door of Ward's Ben Franklin as if the devil himself were chasing her.

Acquired: Received a review copy from Candlewick Press.

Reason for Reading: The time period attracted me.

Set in 1929, small town Iowa, tomboy Tugs Button belongs to the Buttons clan, a family who just naturally expects bad luck and misfortune to come their way, if any luck is to be handed out it won't be handed to any of them because it's rigged, don't ya know. Besides the Buttons enjoy their yearly family reunions where they get together to grumble, complain and go over the good ole' stories of family misfortunes. But Tugs has had enough and has decided she's not going to be unlucky, in fact she openly invites luck to come her way and her family looks at her as if she'd just "declared herself Swedish". As Tugs sets off around town with this new attitude about life she makes a new unlikely friend and when the stranger comes to town Tugs is the one who wonders what he's really up to.

A fun, easy read. This little book is most suitable for the 8 to 10 age range and gives a good look at everyday life for a poor family just before the depression. The story examines both friendship and bullies, how randomly friendship can happen and how a bully can be deflated in the end. The added mystery makes this more than just a slice of life story and while I, an adult, figured out what was up very early on, the story and Tugs' attempts at private investigation should keep young readers entertained. Altogether a quiet, wholesome read.

Memorable Memoirs Reading Challenge 2012

2011-12-30T08:26:00.000-05:00

And here's my last challange I'm signing up for next year. This chllenge is hosted by The Betty & Boo Chronicles and sign-ups can be found here. I'm a great fan of memoirs and always read a few every year so will be signing up for the first level "Diarist". I'm already reading the diaries of someone which is a chunkster of a book, so I know I'll get at least one book read!

Diarist: read 1-4 memoirs

Autobiographer: read 5-9 memoirs

Memoirist: read 10+ memoirs

Books I've Read:

1.

Read Dystopia Challenge 2012

2011-12-30T08:19:00.000-05:00

Another challenge that is perfect for me. Dystopia is one of my favourite genres and I'm always reading several books each year so should have no problem coming out on top of this one. But just to be on the safe side I'll sign up for the 7-10 books level. The host of this challenge is Book Journey and sign ups are here.

1-3 Dytstopia Books read in 2012: beginner

4-6 Dystopia Books read in 2012: Intermediate Post World Trainee

7-10 Dystopia Books read in 2012: Leader of Your District

11+ Dystopia Books read in 2012: SURVIVOR!

Books I've read:

1.

284: Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night's Dream: A Graphic Novel by Nel Yomtov

2011-12-30T07:42:00.000-05:00

Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night's Dream:A Graphic Novel by Nel Yomtov. Illustrated by Berenice Muniz (US) - (Canada)
Shakespeare Graphics

Pages: 77
Ages: 10+
Finished: Dec. 25, 2011
First Published: Aug. 1, 2011
Publisher: Stone Arch Books
Genre: children, YA, graphic novel, classic, play, comedy
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

Ancient Greece, in the palace of Theseus, the Duke of Athens...
"Fair Hippolyta, in four days we shall be married!"

Acquired: Received a review copy from Capstone Press.

Reason for Reading: I enjoy retellings of Shakespeare rather than reading the olde English (which I did plenty of at one time.) I've read a couple of children's retellings of this play, and seen the old b/w version of the movie with Mickey Rooney plus seen it performed live once. I cannot recall if I've read the original play.

As to the original story, I am only somewhat partial to it. I guess you could say it fits in the middle group of the Shakespeare plays I love, I think are OK, and I hate. This one can be quite confusing since it is two stories in one containing a play within a play. The main story is set in Ancient Greece and revolves around two couples in love, though not happily paired off, more of a triangle with an odd man out. These characters' king and queen are being entertained by a troupe of players who are putting on a play which is based on "Pyramus and Thisbe" (the same play Shakespeare based Romeo and Juliet upon). Both the star-crossed lovers and the troupe players enter the woods and get caught up in the faerie realm where tricks are played, go wrong and cause much confusion, as typical in a Shakespeare comedy.
This is a very nice retelling. The format is well done with a two page spread showing the main characters to start off with. Divisions separating the play into the original five acts and an informational note at the end on the "History Behind the Play". The writing, while adapted for young readers, keeps the formality of the original and keeps the prose poetic even though no longer in verse. One must keep one's wits about them to keep the story in order as a lot goes on in this play while keeping the s*xuality of the original at bay. I love the illustrations in this adaptation; they are bold, bright and farcical, while many of the characters have a slight manga look about them which all goes toward making the book visually appealing. This would be an excellent resource to use along side the study of the original play for older ages. The younger end of the age group would do well to read a short summary of the play first perhaps by the Lambs or Nesbit.

283. The Danger Box by Blue Balliett

2011-12-29T10:48:00.000-05:00

The Danger Box by Blue Balliett (Canada) - (US)

Pages: 306
Ages: 8+
Finished: Dec. 23, 2011
First Published: Sep. 1, 2010
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Genre: children, mystery
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

Twelve words were painted in gold ink on the wall of an office in Dearborn, Michigan: Survival of the fittest is a deadly game.

Acquired: Received a review copy from Scholastic Canada.

Reason for Reading: I really only read this because I had received a review copy in the mail. I don't think it would have normally appealed to me otherwise.

I'm sorry it took me so long to read this book as I really enjoyed it. I love mysteries, as an adult, but don't usually read kid mysteries often except as read alouds and then I stick with tried and true authors I already know. Blue Balliett is new to me, so I haven't read her other critically acclaimed books but if this is only a sample of her work then I know I'm in for a treat reading her backlist.

This was a fun, exciting mystery based on a real missing item. Mixing science, history and mystery together with real life issues such as having only one parent or being raised by grandparents this is a gripping story and mystery. Add quirky characters and humour and you get a great book. One of the fun things about the book is that it is written in short chapters that vary in length, to as short as one page. Interspersed between the chapters is a kid produced newsletter that gives details of someone's life and asks the reader to guess "who am I?" in each issue.

While the mystery and side stories are entertaining, it is the two main characters that make the book. First is Zoomy, a half-black boy being raised by his white grandparents who has never met his real parents and has Pathological Myopia. He also has obsessive and anxiety issues making him a truly quirky character. When he meats his new friend she nicknames him Brain Boy. The other character is Firecracker Girl, Zoomy's nickname for her, until he learns her real name is Lorrol. Lorrol is loud, says what she wants as soon as it comes to her head and always on the go. She lives with her mother, a bad speller (just look at her name!), and doesn't even know who her father was/is. These two make a great team and are endearing characters.

One small caveat. As a Christian I did have a slight issue with one of the topics, which I can't mention because of the mystery, being Catholic it wasn't that big a deal to me, as it may be to some others, but the author was pushing her opinion against a religious one and I found one of her arguments of 'truth' to be fallacious.

Otherwise I am looking forward to reading Ms. Balliett's backlist and glad to have found such an exciting new-to-me author.

2012 ARC Reading Challenge

2011-12-28T14:50:00.019-05:00

The lovely Teddy Rose is hosting this challenge as usual, and once again I will be joining. I find it keeps me accountable for the massive amount of ARCs I manage to get myself buried under. This year Teddy has added a new level of 35 or more books which I will sign up for. Last year I found myself humming and hawing as to whether I should add smaller books to this challenge, like picture books and some graphic novels. So my personal rule for this challenge, this year, will be to only include my ARCS that have 100 pages or more.

ARCS (of 100+ pages) read this year:
Post reviews here.
1. Drop In (Tony Hawk's 900 Revolution #1) by Donnie Lemkie
2. Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, Vol. 5 by Hiroshi Shiibashi
3. Who Cut the Cheese? by Jo Nesbo
4. Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, Vol. 6 by Hiroshi Shiibashi
5. MAOH: Juvenile Remix, Vol. 7 by Megumi Osuga
6. The Translation of the Bones by Frances Kay
7. MAOH: Juvenile Remix, Vol. 8 by Megumi Osuga
8. Green River Killer: A True Detective Story by Jeff Jensen
9. No Such Thing as Dragons by Philip Reeve
10. Super Dinosaur, Vol. 1 by Robert Kirkman
11. 50 Underwear Questions: A Bare-All History by Tanya Lloyd Kyi
12. The Last Dragon by Jane Yolen
13. The Fathomless Fire by Thomas Wharton
14. Tegami Bachi: Letter Bee, Vol. 7 by Hiroyuki Asada
15. African-American Classics edited by Tom Plumplun
16. The Betrayal of Trust by Susan Hill
17. 101 Puzzle Quizzes by The Grabarchuk Family
18. Nicholas St. North and the Nightmare King by William Joyce
19.

Victorian Challenge 2012

2011-12-28T14:28:00.000-05:00

Laura's Review's is hosting this challenge. The Victorian Era is covered between 1837 and 1901. We can read books written during this time period, taking place during this time, or non-fiction about the people, history, culture, etc. of the time period. We can even watch movies with a Victorian theme. I pretty much read something Victorian every month so this is a good challenge for me. And the goal is to only read/watch between 2-6 Victorian items. Other than reading YS Lee's new Agency book, I'm just going to go with the flow on this one and see what comes my way. I'd like, of course, to get another Victorian true crime read, always a favourite topic of mine.

Books/Movies:

1.

2012 Picture Book Reading Challenge

2011-12-28T14:04:00.003-05:00

An Abundance of Books is hosting this challenge and I'm always reading picture books. My son is growing out of them now, though he still does enjoy a well told picture book an I have to admit I read them for my own pure enjoyment half the time. I have quite a few picture books on my lists for this year plus the ones on the shelves so I should have no problem signing up for the top Level which is to read 24 books over the year.

Post Reviews:
Books I've Read:

1. It's A Snap! George Eastman's First Photograph by Monica Kulling
2. Out of Slavery: The Journey to Amazing Grace by Linda Granfield
3.

The Telling Tales Reading Challenge 2012

2011-12-28T13:47:00.001-05:00

I'm always reading fairytales and mythology, whether it be the real deal or retellings or vaguely "based upons" so this is the perfect challgenge for me. This challenge is hosted by An Armchair by the Sea and runs all year. Rather than taking the space to copy all the categories down, anything goes here. Originals, retellings, graphics and even non-fiction discussing fairytales/mythology.

I'm choosing the Mix n Match category which means I can read a combination of any of the above and I will commit to Level 2 with the hopes of progressing up the levels as the year goes on:

Level 1: Read 5 books
Level 2: Read 10 books
Level 3: Read 15 books
Level 4: Read 20 books
Level 5: Read 25 books

Books I've Read:

1. The Last Dragon by Jane Yolen
2.

282. Shakespeare: Romeo & Juliet: A Graphic Novel by Martin Powell

2011-12-28T11:38:00.000-05:00

Shakespeare: Romeo & Juliet:A Graphic Novel by Martin Powell. Illustrated by Eva Cabrera (US) - (Canada)
Shakespeare Graphics

Pages: 88
Ages: 10+
Finished: Dec. 12, 2011
First Published: Aug. 1, 2011
Publisher: Stone Arch Books
Genre: children, YA, graphic novel, classic, play, romance
Rating: 3/5

First sentence:

The city of Verona, Italy, in the early 14th Century.

Acquired: Received a review copy from Capstone Press.

Reason for Reading: I enjoy retellings of Shakespeare rather than reading the olde english (which I did plenty of at one time.) But honestly, I do not like the story of Romeo & Juliet and simply read this as a review copy was sent my way.

I won't bother with the plot; everyone is familiar with this one and I have a low opinion of the tale myself. However my review will be of this adaptation. The play is divided into the original 5 acts and the langauage has been adapted for todays modern young readers. That said, some famous lines are kept in the original such as "Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?" and while the language has been simplified and modernized it has carefully mainted a formal manner and a poetical value that the original has, with lines such as "I take you at your word. Call me your love; from then onward, I will never be Romeo.". I loved the art in this adaptation; it's bold and uses either muted or dark colours depending on the mood of the scene. The close-ups of facial expressions are goreous, though the faces in crowd scenes are hard to make out. A dark haired Juliet and blond Romeo look very good together and I'm actually pleased that they don't mention Juliet's age in this book, as she certainly looks older than 14 and that premise makes the story a little bit more palatable for my tastes. Anyway, a good book for what it is. Would make a good introduction to the story of the play. Recommended for ages 10 to highschool. Could also be used along with a study of the original play to help students "get" what is going on, act by act.

281. Death Note: Black Edition, Vol. 6 by Tsugumi Ohba

2011-12-27T16:38:00.001-05:00

Death Note: Black Edition, Vol. 6 by Tsugumi Ohba. Art by Takeshi Obata. (Canada) - (US)
Death Note, Vol. 11 & 12

Pages: 424
Ages: 16+
Finished: Dec. 21, 2011
First Published: 2003, this edition Nov. 1, 2011
Publisher: viz media
Genre: YA, manga, paranormal, crime
Rating: 5/5

First sentence:

Looking back at all the criminals Kira has judged, I feel that Kira should set a basic standard, and...

Acquired: Received a review copy from Simon & Schuster Canada.

Reason for Reading: Next and last in the series.

Amazing! Absolutely amazing! A fantastic ending to the best manga series I have read to date. Volume 11 was intense with the death of two more major characters, one I saw coming, the other totally threw me for a loop. Everything builds up for the final showdown in Volume 12, which does not disappoint. I'm not going to say anything about what happens, but reading the entire series is well worth the journey to the final volume. A stunning, satisfying ending.

This whole series has been a complete joy to read. Each book is intense and it has been 5 stars all the way for me. The duel of wits and logic between Kira and L is pure pleasure for any pundit of crime deduction. Mr. Holmes would have been kept on his toes by these two and Sir Conan Doyle would have appreciated the paranormal aspect of the story as well! This series would make a good start for someones first manga, especially if they are a crime fan, or if they are not too heavily into fantasy. However, if you already are a manga fan then this is an absolute must read series.

Clocks, Cogs and Mechanisms Reading Challenge 2012

2011-12-27T06:53:00.001-05:00

This is a good challenge for me as I always seem to read a few steampunk books every year, with that increasing yearly. This challenge is hosted by Sarcastic Muse and again runs for the entire year of 2012. Old and new steampunk is allowed. Sign-ups are here.

These are the levels:

Brass Gears: Read 1-3 steampunk books
Flight goggles: 4-6 books
Button-up boots: 7-12 books
Clockwork Corset: 13+ books

I'll sign-up for Brass Gears (1-3 books) and then hope to work my way up the levels by years end. But 1-3 will definitely be doable!

Here's my list of books read:
Post reviews here.
1. Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King by William Joyce
2.

280. Happy Pig Day! by Mo Willems

2011-12-26T08:57:00.000-05:00

Happy Pig Day! by Mo Willems (Canada) - (US)
An Elephant & Piggie Book, #16

Pages: 57
Ages: 4+
Finished: Dec. 20, 2011
First Published: Oct. 4, 2011
Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children
Genre: children, easy reader, graphic novel, humour
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

Gerald!

Acquired: Received a review copy from Hachette Book Group Canada.

Reason for Reading: I love Mo Willems!

Piggie is celebrating his favourite day "Pig Day" but when he finds his friend Gerald has left the festivities he goes looking for him to find out what is the matter. Can Gerald the Elephant enjoy Pig Day when he is an Elephant. I don't have a lot to say about this book. It's Mo Willems and Elephant & Piggie! You can't go wrong. Fun story with a little lesson about accepting and participating in others' festival or holidays. Illustrations are what we expect from Willems and these books are going to become classics for future generations. The end pages are their usual fun to look at, watch for Pigeon to show up. I'll just say this book is not quite up to par with most of the others in this series. It's cute and fun but didn't quite hit the hilarious mark this time but, hey!, it's still Mo Willems, so that's not saying much.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T05:13:00.001-05:00

279. The Incredible Vegetable Group by Marcia Aboff

2011-12-24T08:13:00.000-05:00

The Incredible Vegetable Group by Marcia Aboff. Illustrated by Kyle Poling (Canada) - (US)
First Graphics

Pages: 24
Ages: 6+
Finished: Dec. 19, 2011
First Published: Aug. 2011 English
Publisher: Capstone Press
Genre: children, easy reader, graphic novel, non-fiction, health
Rating: 3/5

First sentence:

It's lunchtime, and you're starving.

Acquired: Received a review copy from Capstone Press.

Reason for Reading: Ds read aloud to me as his reader.

Part of the First Graphics series, this book has a lot of panels with narrative text and minimal comic balloons to help the beginner get used to the graphic format. We read another book in this series and found it to be on the young side for ds but this book was not and could be read by any age of reluctant reader. The reading level though stated as K-3, same as the other book, was much harder for ds as there were a lot of topic specific vocabulary words that just couldn't either be sounded out or guessed by context. Otherwise, we happily enjoyed the information and ds realized that he does not eat enough vegetables (surprise, surprise) and should maybe try to use dips more often for the ones he doesn't like but can stand. I think this series is entertaining and educational while not being 'in your face' with the lessons. This book will be interesting to the target age group and older as it discusses vegetables, how they are grown, their vitamins/minerals and how they help the body, along with entertaining ways to eat vegetables.

War Through the Generations 2012: WWI

2011-12-23T18:05:00.003-05:00

I've always wanted to join this challenge since I really do read a lot of war books, both historical fiction and memoir plus the occassional biography/true story. Sign-ups are here. World War I is the theme this year and I already have a book that qualifies on hold at the library so I'm going to officially sign up for the 1-3 books level but will, of course, try move up to higher levels by year end. A movie or two is also allowed. There is also going to be a group read along of A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway.

Here are the levels:

Dip: Read 1-3 books in any genre with WWI as a primary or secondary theme.
Wade: Read 4-10 books in any genre with WWI as a primary or secondary theme.
Swim: Read 11 or more books in any genre with WWI as a primary or secondary theme.

These are my books read:
Email links to reviews @ warthroughgenerations at gmail.com
Reviews listed here.

(possibles War Horse by Michael Morpurgo & movie, Dear Canada books)

1. Shot at Dawn: World War I, Allan McBride, France, 1917 by John Wilson
2.
3.

277. The Man in the Moon by William Joyce

2011-12-23T10:29:00.001-05:00

The Man in the Moon by William Joyce (Canada) - (US)
The Guardians of Childhood, book 0

Pages: 56
Ages: 5+
Finished: Dec. 18, 2011
First Published: Sep. 6, 2011
Publisher: Atheneum
Genre: children, picture book, steampunk, fantasy
Rating: 5/5

First sentence:

Of course you know the Guardians of Childhood.

Acquired: Received a review copy from Simon & Schuster Canada.

Reason for Reading: I received this book unsolicited but it captured my fancy as soon as I saw it.

This is an absolutely beautiful book. First of all it reminds me of a late 19th century picturebook with the lavish illustration, the text and the layout when looking at the endpages, the title page, the first page and so on. It has that old-time feel about it, but as one really starts looking the illustrations one recognizes the steampunk theme, the clockworks, the airships. Pure delight! In fact I'm not sure whether I enjoyed the pictures or the story most here. A whimsical story of how the man in the moon got to be there, what he does and how he gathered the guardians of childhood together. Starting with himself, the keeper of lost balloons and secret wishes, he also found Santa Clause, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, the Sandman and others who would protect children from Pitch the keeper of Nightmares. This is a book for all ages and just the beginning of a new series that will include picture and chapter books. This one must be bought in the 'tree' version though, you simply will not get the same aesthetic experience from an ereader!

276. Death Note: Black Edition, Vol. 5 by Tsugumi Ohba

2011-12-22T06:51:00.000-05:00

Death Note: Black Edition, Vol. 5 by Tsugumi Ohba. Art by Takeshi Obata. (US) - (Canada)
Death Note, Vol. 9 & 10

Pages: 384
Ages: 16+
Finished: Dec. 17, 2011
First Published: 2003, this edition Sept. 6, 2011
Publisher: Viz Media
Genre: YA, manga, paranormal, crime
Rating: 5/5

First sentence:

You should get some sun.

Acquired: Received a review copy from Simon & Schuster Canada.

Reason for Reading: Next in the series.

This is the second last book in the "Black Edition" of this series, which combines 2 volumes into one book. With volumes 9 and 10 of the series combined here, as expected, is a powerhouse packed full of action and wits and logic facing against each other as L is joined by Mello and Near in tracking down Kira. Another major character is killed off in this volume and it was a major shock that I did not see coming. If one thought L was strange the two new characters M and N are even weirder by L's standards and pretty creepy as well. N pretty much sides along character-wise with L, while on the other hand M has an unethical side which makes him an even more dangerous character than Kira to this reader. While not giving any plot away at this point in the series, I will say that things have certainly changed from the beginning and gone in a different direction than I would have ever expected, but the books still contain everything I love about the series: the crimes, the witty logical repartee between L (M & N) and Kira. Another new character is introduced who takes over the role as the second Kira and he is a devoted follower of Kira. The book is bringing into play some deep ethical questions now. I've always liked Light, even though I abhor what he does and have wanted him to lose in the end, but he is a hard guy to totally dislike. Highly anticipating the last volume, which will be my next read coming up soon.

275. Circle 9 by Anne Heltzel

2011-12-21T07:22:00.000-05:00

Circle 9 by Anne Heltzel. (Canada) - (US)

Pages: 260
Ages: 14+
Finished: Dec. 16, 2011
First Published: Sept. 13, 2011
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Genre: YA, psychological suspense, realistic fiction
Rating: 5/5

First sentence:

I wake up and there is a boulder in my skull and a hand on my cheek.

Acquired: Received a review copy from Candlewick Press.

Reason for Reading: The plot intrigued me.

Generally, I think this is going to be one of those books that you either love or hate. I loved it! Upon closing the book, I spoke quietly to the empty room, "Wow...that was something." and gave the book a gentle reassuring pat. This is the story of an episode in Abby's life and then is divided into the following 14 weeks and then the next 30 days. Therefore normal plot and character development is not followed which may annoy some readers. However because of the intense focus on this period in time the book's unusual development provokes deep thought in the reader and great suspense in plot.

Sixteen year old Abby wakes up. She is in pain, can smell smoke and a handsome young man is telling her to hurry up "they" will be here soon. So together they run fast and far to his glorious cave home. Here Abby realises she has no memory. She knows her name is Abby. Sam is calling her that, it sounds right and she is wearing a necklace with the name on it. She knows random bits of information, but she has no idea who she really is, where she came from, how she knows Sam, just that they love each other, or why she has nowhere else to be. Sam continuously reads to her from Dante's Inferno and calls the world outside their cave "Circle 9". It is a place that she should avoid and never go; it is a bad place and he will protect her. Abby is happy, safe and sound ... until memories start to come back. Short and small at first and with very painful headaches. Then she begins to realise that her world with Sam is distorted, not what it seems. Something is wrong, perhaps even sinister, and her reality begins to crack at the seams.

A brilliantly written novel. Incredibly suspenseful. The reader is as much in the dark as Abby and it is only through careful attention to the details that one notices that what Abby is relating is not necessarily what is real. That what Abby talks about happening to her is not so innocent as she takes it to be. The book starts with the incident, though we only see it from Abby's broken mind. Then the book is divided into two parts, written from Abbie's perspective. First, the fourteen weeks before she gets her memory back and then the thirty days after she regains her memory. A fascinating story, highly suspenseful as the truth is slowly revealed and one which creates a lot of pathos for the only two main characters in the book. I highly enjoyed this read!

278. A Catholic Christmas by Kathleen M. Carroll

2011-12-20T08:49:00.000-05:00

A Catholic Christmas by Kathleen M. Carroll. Foreword by Sister Rose Pacatte, F.S.P. (Buy)

Pages: 114
Ages: 18+
Finished: Dec. 20, 2011
First Published: Oct. 1, 2011
Publisher: St. Anthony Messenger Press
Genre: non-fiction, Catholic, religion, Christmas
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

We all know the story of Jesus' birth in Bethlehem.

Acquired: This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on A Catholic Christmas. They are also a great source for a Catechism of the Catholic Church or a Catholic Bible.

Reason for Reading: Before my conversion to Catholicism, Christmas had lost most of its meaning for me. It was a day for the 'kids'. Otherwise I was sick and tired and just plain fed up with the commercialism, materialism and Santa Clause-ness of the holiday. And "day" was the optimum word here. Since my conversion, I've learned Christmas isn't a "day"; it is a season and I've discovered the true reason for the season. I especially love Advent out of all the Church holidays. I thought this book would be interesting to learn a little more about all the special feast days that are a part of the Christmas season.

This is a little book and I mean both in number of pages and in physical size; it's about the size of a spread man's hand. But regardless, it manages to pack a lot of information within its covers. While not only informational, the author has a pleasant writing voice and is enjoyable to read. Almost like listening to a knowledgeable friend. The book starts off with the Roman roots of Christmas, the mostly political reason the Church chose December 25th and why that's OK. Then it goes on to explain the Liturgical Year. This chapter is wonderful for anyone who doesn't really understand the Church calendar as it explains it all very simply and nicely, yet in detail.

After these beginning chapters starts what we have been expecting, a detailed look at the entire Christmas season. Christmas is not a one day holiday for Catholics. It starts with Advent which lasts for the four weeks of Sundays prior to Christmas day and ends with Epiphany (this is when we take our tree down) which is traditionally, Jan. 6 otherwise known as the 12th day of Christmas. Yes, contrary to popular belief the 12 days of Christmas start (not finish) on Christmas Day. The book then spends one chapter on each Feast or Holy Day during the season, giving an historical background, traditional celebrations, suggestions for celebration today and ends with contemplative questions to help you get into the spirit of the feast. While I already knew the basic information, some of the historical and much of the traditional information was new and educational for me. We already celebrate Advent weekly with a wreath, hymns and special family time but I will most certainly be putting the information to use next year to make more of the Feast days than just acknowledging them. The book then ends with the following Sunday which celebrates the feast of the Baptism of the Lord which is a more spiritual way to celebrate new beginnings rather than the secular world's "New Year's" resolutions. A wonderful little book that proves good things come in small packages. The only complaint I could have would be that it is too short!

274. Good vs. Evil: Alien Snow by Michael Dahl

2011-12-19T07:00:00.000-05:00

Alien Snow by Michael Dahl. Illustrated by Roberta Pares (Canada) - (US)
Good vs Evil series

Pages: 48
Ages: 10+
Finished: Dec. 15, 2011
First Published: Aug. 1, 2011
Publisher: Stone Arch Books
Genre: children, graphic novel, easy reader, science fiction
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

Welcome. Are you here for the globe?

Acquired: Received a review copy from Capstone Press.

Reason for Reading: Ds read aloud to me as his reader. He loved the first book in the series that he read.

Ds eagerly grabbed this book when I presented it to him as he had loved the other "Good vs Evil" book we had read. Written with the story told from the evil character's perspective on one half of the page and from the good character's on the other half. One can read the book up to three times for a different viewpoint each time. DS read this twice, once from each point of view. First he read across the top of the pages covering up the bottom half while reading from the evil point of view which is about an alien creature disguised as an old man who runs an antiques store, but who secretly has his own collection of planetary specimens. Then ds read the story along the bottom half of the pages from the good perspective, that of a boy who sees something neat in the window of the store and goes in but never comes out again. This time we kept the top uncovered and watched how the two points of view merged together as the good side unrolled.

A creepy little Twilight Zone-type of story. Ds highly wants the other two books in the series. He is a reluctant reader and never asks for books, and he's specifically said he doesn't want to get these out of the library, he wants his own. Since this is such a rarity I am going to get the books for him. I hope the series continues and perhaps uses more text as of right now the books are highly picture based with a minimum of text.

273. Library Wars: Love & War, Vol. 6 by Kiiro Yumi

2011-12-18T07:08:00.000-05:00

Library Wars: Love & War, Vol. 6 by Kiiro Yumi (Canada) - (US)
Library Wars, Vol. 6

Pages: 200
Ages: 16+
Finished: Dec. 14, 2011
First Published: 2010 Japanese, Sep. 6, 2011 English
Publisher: viz media
Genre: YA, manga, graphic novel, science fiction, romance
Rating: 3/5

First sentence:

Rumour has it that acting director Toba will be reassigned.

Acquired: Received a review copy from Simon & Schuster Canada.

Reason for Reading: next in the series.

Volume six mostly continues on in an expected manner. Iku and Dojo are continuing there quarrelsome infighting with each other which is starting to get on my nerves; I know it is the whole point of these types of relationships but I'd really like to see them become honest with each other soon. Iku isn't hiding her feelings any more but Dojo still is and his rudeness has gone up a level in this volume with his anger fits at Iku and his constant use of the name "blockhead" for her :-( On the other hand, we have a very interesting chapter which focuses on Shibazaki, exposing her background and revealing some surprise information about her past and what she is really like (on the inside). We also learn some interesting information about Hikaru and meet a new character who may just turn out to be a new recurring character. I particularly liked the Bonus Material which included a short story about our characters which added to our knowledge of them as viable people (and had an innocently fun Iku and Dojo bath scene... awe!). Then had a couple of hilarious shorts. A fun entry in the series, but I'm waiting for some more excitement on the sci-fi level of the plot and for I & D's relationship to turn serious or at least open and honest in the next volumes.

272. Tommy O'Toole and Larry by Anna D. Cordts

2011-12-17T06:44:00.001-05:00

Tommy O'Toole and Larry by Anna D. Cordts. Illustrations by Vic Harvel Studios. Out of Print
Tommy O'Toole, Grade 1

Pages: 96
Ages: 7+
Finished: Dec. 13, 2011
First Published: 1957
Publisher: Benefic Press
Genre: children, realistic fiction
Rating: 5/5

First sentence:

It was night.

Acquired: Purchased a used copy at a book sale.

Reason for Reading: Ds read aloud to me as his reader.

Wonderful Benefic Press! They had tons of "readers" that were actually novels and were graded for each year from Gr.1 to 5 or 6. I never used them in school but they were in both my school library and public library and I signed out anything they published without even seeing what it was about. I don't remember any titles but I do remember series about race car driving, underwater diving, cowboys, an outer space family. Gee, they all seem boy-targeted don't they? I'd never heard of "Tommy O'Toole" before but wouldn't pass up owning this delight for anything.

This is the first in the series, written for the Grade 1 class; it progressively increases in reading ability from short easy sentences to longer on level sentences with a few above-level words by the end of the book. Like a normal school reader of the time, it has a vocabulary page and after that is a section of school phonics lessons (we didn't read this part, my son wanted to actually, but I said let's just enjoy the story and leave it there).

Ds loved the book! The story is about Tommy O'Toole, age unknown, but a young working man, possibly in his middle twenties. Some illustrations make him look almost teenage, while others definitely make him almost "Dad" age, but he is certainly a man. Tommy finds a stray, hungry collie dog and takes him in. Tommy works at the railroad as a "hoop-man" and he trains Larry to retrieve the hoops. The book is filled with adventures and local children often come to the train yard, are friends with Tommy, love Larry and get involved with the action. The story is surprisingly not very old-fashioned at all except in the time period which is easy to explain away by looking at the book as historically set in the fifties. Otherwise the children include boys and girls and the adventures are quite exciting. There is one where the dog goes missing and is found caught in an animal trap. There is a small picture on every page done in two tones, red/gray, but there is more text per page than picture. Even though the book is Gr. 1, I think the expectations in 1957 were higher than today and the book is more equal to at least Gr. 2. A very impressive story, and ds read it very well.

Unfortunately, I do not have the second book, but I do have the 3rd one. So we will get to that when the time is right.

If you have a copy of "Tommy O'Toole and Larry at the Fair" that you are finished with, I would love to swap with you. Perhaps we can work something out using Bookmooch, where you can get points for listing the book for me to mooch! Would highly appreciate it!

271. Bone: Rose by Jeff Smith

2011-12-16T07:00:00.000-05:00

Rose by Jeff Smith. Illustrated by Charles Vess. (Canada) - (US)
Bone, Prequel

Pages: 136
Ages: 9+
Finished: Dec. 12, 2011
First Published: 2009
Publisher: Graphix/Scholastic
Genre: children, graphic novel, fantasy
Rating: 3/5

First sentence:

When the world was very, very new, and dreams had not yet receded from the waking day...
the first dragon was a queen named Mim.

Acquired: Purchased a new copy from an online retailer.

Reason for Reading: A prequel to the series, but the last book published in the series.

This was a really hard book to give a rating to. The story is written by Jeff Smith and the cover illustration is by him as well but once one opens up the book all familiarity is gone. The illustrations are by Charles Vess, who has a completely different style than Smith, and the font used is actually a little hard to read. I loved the story but did not like, at all, the illustrations, even though Vess won an award for them. I was not impressed as I started to read because of the change in illustration but as the book progressed the story won me over and I stopped thinking about the artwork, however my rating does reflect my opinion of both the text and illustrations.

On to the story, which was as wonderful as I could have expected. Though being a prequel, it was predictable as we already knew the outcome. This tells the story of when Rose and Briar were young princesses together training to become one of the Veni-Yan. It tells how Briar turned evil and how the Lord of the Locusts started his plan to escape his trap, as well as why and how the rat creatures broke their centuries old peace with the humans. An exciting story with lots of action, an insightful look back at Rose's (Gran'ma Ben) background and her early history with Lucius. I enjoyed the story and the familiar faces (though there were no Bones) very much, but the illustrations did put a damper on it for me.

270. Prisoner of Dieppe by Hugh Brewster

2011-12-15T17:23:00.000-05:00

Prisoner of Dieppe: World War II, Alistair Morrison, Occupied France, 1942 by Hugh Brewster (Canada) - (US)
I Am Canada, 1882

Pages: 222
Ages: 12+
Finished: Dec. 11, 2011
First Published: Sept. 1, 2010
Publisher: Scholastic Canada
Genre: YA, historical fiction, Canadian Author, WWII
Rating: 5/5

First sentence:

"You're the new Limeys, eh?"

Acquired: Received a review copy from Scholastic Canada.

Reason for Reading: I'm reading the books in this series.

This is Hugh Brewster's second book in the series and once again he breaks form by writing in chapters rather than in journal format. He also sets his story up again as an elderly person writing back about their experiences, in the first person, rather than an as-they-happen-format as we are used to in the Dear Canada series and the first book I read in this series. I do prefer the epistolary format but Brewster is a formidable writer and this novel is excellent.

Set up as a grandfather finally setting down in words what happened to him in the war from his training, his part in the failed Canadian attack on Dieppe, and his subsequent time as a POW at the hands of the Germans. He's writing this solely for the eyes of his grandson, who has an interest in history and who is now also the age he was when he went to war.

Brewster has written non-fiction books on the topic and extensively interviewed veterans who survived Dieppe so while his story and main characters are fictional, the events and information are based on truth and actual happenings. He has also included a host of true life characters as he explains in the note at the back. I'm recommending this book for older readers (12+) than the others of this series as it deals with the war experience realistically and is intense while also including some harrowing moments. The book is not overly graphic but some descriptions are certainly not for the young or the squeamish and the main characters are at least in their late teens. A compelling, fast-paced, dramatic and sobering story of the heroism and defeat of war. Recommended!

269. Bone: Crown of Horns by Jeff Smith

2011-12-14T12:05:00.002-05:00

Crown of Horns by Jeff Smith. (Canada) - (US)
Bone, Vol. 9

Pages: 214
Ages: 9+
Finished: Dec. 10, 2011
First Published: 2004 (colourised edition, 2009)
Publisher: Graphix/Scholastic
Genre: children, graphic novel, fantasy
Rating: 5/5

First sentence:

Thorn?

Acquired: Purchased a new copy from an online retailer.

Reason for Reading: next and last in the series.

A powerful, exciting finale to a most enjoyable series. Coming up to this last book I had some trepidation. Would it be worth the journey? Would it be a satisfying end? I can wholeheartedly say yes to both those questions. First off we are presented with a nice fat volume considerably larger than previous volumes, letting us know we can settle down for a good read. Action-packed, with a conclusion worthy of the eight previous volumes it took to get here. All major characters have their fates determined and get closure and it is not all "happy, happy, joy, joy" for everyone either. I'm not going to say anything about plot in this review, you'll just have to read this far yourself to find out on your own. But I highly recommend the series. Some volumes are better than others, but all rated high with me, either 4 or 5 stars. The story takes turns towards the darkside and is lightened up every now and then with a humorous side story. And all throughout the story, even though it does get mighty dark at times the humour is always there too. My favourite characters were the Red Dragon, Ted the leaf bug, and Bartelby. My favourite of the main characters was Smiley Bone. If you haven't had the pleasure yet, take some time out and read the series as it is a great ride with a satisfying ending.

100th Anniversary Titanic Reading Challenge

2011-12-13T07:11:00.000-05:00

This is my own challenge that I'm hosting. There are three levels and I'm going for the second level of reading/watching 6 titanic media. The challenge lasts from now until Dec. 31, 2012. I have no predetermined reads, except I do intend to watch James Cameron's Titanic which {gasp!} I've never seen (Two reasons: it's a romance and I'm not fond of Leonardo Dicapprio) but it's one of those movies everybody has seen.

These are the books/movies/documentaries I've read/watched:

1. That Fatal Night by Sarah Ellis
2. Deadly Voyage: RMS Titanic by Hugh Brewster
3.

268: Deadly Voyage: RMS Titanic by Hugh Brewster

2011-12-13T06:21:00.000-05:00

Deadly Voyage: RMS Titanic, Jamie Laidlaw, Crossing the Atlantic, 1912 by Hugh Brewster (Canada) only
I Am Canada, 1912

Pages: 195
Ages: 9+
Finished: Dec. 11, 2011
First Published: Sept. 1, 2011
Publisher: Scholastic Canada
Genre: children, historical fiction, Canadian Author
Rating: 5/5

First sentence:

Waterloo Station, London, April 10, 1912, 9:30 a.m.
"Jamie, do hurry on," my father called out over the noise of the station.

Acquired: Received a review copy from Scholastic Canada.

Reason for Reading: I love this series and I am a huge Titanic buff.

The book begins with a prologue; it is now 1987 and Jamie has been informed that he is the last Canadian survivor alive of the Titanic disaster. He's been asked to come to various engagements but at his age and health he is not able to travel much and instead he is encouraged to write down his memories of the sinking. Feeling the time is now right to delve into the past that he has not talked about much he sets down his story on paper. Hence the book.

Not quite in the same format as the first "I Am Canada" book or the "Dear Canada" books. Brewster's version is written in chapters though each chapter is marked with a date and time as if in a journal style, though we know these are an old man's memories, they read as if the boy himself is talking in the present tense. A very vivid and exciting story of the Titanic which starts off with the boarding of the ship, some brief background of the ship from what the passengers know and a good section is spent on the days before the crash letting us know what life was like aboard the "floating hotel".
The story is told without sensationalism and tells the real story, debunking the myths that have always surrounded the sinking. The main character, 14 year old Jamie, explores the ship, makes a few friends, and we see the difference between 1st class and 3rd class. The causes of the crash are discussed and the "if onlys". Jamie is a fictional character, as are his interactions with the others, but all other characters are actual people and their actions are true to history with the fabrication of Jamie inserted into them. A fast and entertaining read, with a real sense of an author who has done the research and knows his topic. While this series is aimed at boys, girls with interest in the topic are sure to enjoy as well.

I enjoyed Brewster's writing style and had not read him before, my next book up is also written by him and I see he has an interesting backlist so I will certainly be looking into more works by this author.

267. The Exquisite Corpse Adventure

2011-12-12T06:04:00.000-05:00

The Exquisite Corpse Adventure: A Progressive Story Game Played by 20 Celebrated Authors and Illustrators by the National Children's Book and Literary Alliance (Canada) - (US)

Pages: 276
Ages: 8+
Finished: Dec. 11, 2011
First Published: Aug. 23, 2011
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Genre: children, adventure, fantasy, science fiction, humour
Rating: 5/5

First sentence:

This story starts with a train rushing through the night.

Acquired: Received a review copy from Candlewick Press.
.
Reason for Reading: I read a book like this a long time ago when the great mystery writers got together, including Agatha Christie, and did the same thing. This sounded like it would be a lot of fun.

Sixteen different top children's authors played a game where they each wrote the next chapter of an ongoing middle grade adventure story. The book is also illustrated in the same way by five different illustrators. With 27 chapters this has some of our authors writing two chapters while others only write once. John Scieszka starts things off with a wild premise giving the book a plot and many possible scenarios that may possibly happen. Each author was to read the book written so far when they received it and add on the next chapter. It is hilarious seeing how the authors manage to bring the elements together, while using their own unique writing styles. This makes for an adventure-filled plot and each chapter ends in either a cliffhanger or an unknown moment. It had the feeling of one of those old serials they used to play before the main movie back in the old b/w days. Never a dull moment as the authors played with elements that other authors started and managed to keep running jokes going.

The story involves twins Joe and Nancy who have been raised at the circus since infants. On there 11th birthday they discover their parents are alive but trapped in another dimension and they must rescue them by finding the scattered pieces of a robot and reassembling it so it can open the door to said dimension. All this must happen before weird alien creatures from *another* dimension take over the bodies and control of Joe and Nancy's world. An exciting, non-stop action, funny story with a sci-fi adventure theme and some fantasy thrown in for good measure. A really fun ride!

266. Uncle Elephant by Arnold Lobel

2011-12-11T06:26:00.000-05:00

Uncle Elephant by Arnold Lobel. (Canada) - (US)
An I Can Read Book, Level 2

Pages: 64
Ages: 6+
Finished: Dec. 6, 2011
First Published: 1981
Publisher: HarperCollins
Genre: children, easy reader
Rating: 3/5

First sentence:

Mother and Father went for a sail in their boat.

Acquired: Purchased a used copy at a thrift shop.

Reason for Reading: Ds read aloud to me as his reader.

A nameless little elephant is left alone as his parents go for a sail and end up lost at sea in a storm. Out of the blue Uncle Elephant arrives, takes him to his house where they have a wonderful series of getting-to-know-you adventures, until everything works out in the end.

This book is more like a collection of short stories, like the Frog and Toad books, than a comprehensive story but it is held together by the first and last chapters which deal with the boy's missing parents. Some of the chapters are hilarious and had ds laughing out loud, like when Uncle put all his clothes on, on top of one another, and others were just so-so. The book was a little on the young side for him but he enjoys humorous stories and the reading level is spot on now. He is very confidant with Level 2s in this series now and I'm using the few we have left unread as an "easy" read for him. In conclusion, not our favourite Lobel, the story is a bit strange when you really think about it, but still an okay read. I love Lobel's illustrations and animal stories but prefer his earlier work.