2010 Challenges and Reading List

I am writing this post to help keep track of the various books that I am reading for my 2010 Challenges.

2010 Debut Author Challenge (all year) - COMPLETED
1. Leaving Gee's Bend by Irene Latham (completed Jan. 21)
2. Freefall by Ariela Anhalt (completed Feb. 20)
3. The Wish Stealers by Tracy Trivas (completed March 14)
4. 8th Grade Superzero by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich (completed April 25)
5. Lucky: Maris, Mantle and My Best Summer Ever by Wes Tooke (completed May 16)
6. Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins (completed May 28)
7. Three Rivers Rising by Jame Richards (completed June 5)
8. The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin by Josh Berk (completed June 6)
9. The Red Umbrella by Christina Diaz Gonzalez (completed July 18)
10. The Popularity Papers by Amy Ignatow (completed July 22)
11. A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend by Emily Horner (completed Sept 13)
12. The DUFF by Kody Keplinger (completed Oct 9)

YA Reading Challenge (75 books/all year) - COMPLETED
1. Mare's War by Tanita S. Davis (completed Jan. 8)
2. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater (completed Jan. 11)
3. Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison (completed Jan. 22)
4. Love, Aubrey by Suzanne LaFleur (completed Jan. 24)
5. Academy 7 by Anne Osterlund (completed Jan. 26)
6. Love You Hate You Miss You by Elizabeth Scott (completed Jan. 30)
7. Into the Wild Nerd Yonder by Julie Halpern (completed Jan. 31)
8. Story of a Girl (audio) by Sara Zarr (completed Feb. 3)
9. By The Time You Read This, I'll be Dead by Julie Anne Peters (completed Feb. 5)
10. Woods Runner (audio) by Gary Paulsen (completed Feb. 18)
11. Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer (completed Feb. 19)
12. Freefall by Ariela Anhalt (completed Feb. 20)
13. Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick (completed Feb. 22)
14. The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner (completed Feb. 25)
15. Conspiracy 365: January by Gabriella Lord (completed Feb. 26)
16. Broken Memory: A Novel of Rwanda by Elisabeth Combres (completed Feb. 27)
17. On the Bright Side I am Now the Girlfriend of a Sex God by Louise Rennison (completed March 1)
18. Tangled by Carolyn Mackler (completed March 3)
19. Calamity Jack by Shannon and Dean Hale, illustrated by Nathan Hale (completed March 7)
20. Shakespeare Bats Cleanup by Ron Koertge (completed March 11)
21. Get Well Soon by Julie Halpern (completed March 16)
22. City of Ashes (audio) by Cassandra Clare (completed March 16)
23. Conspiracy 365: February by Gabrielle Lord (completed March 30)
24. Rampant by Diana Peterfreund (completed April 2)
25. Knocked Out By My Nunga-Nungas by Louise Rennison (completed April 8)
26. Heist Society (audio) by Ally Carter (completed April 12)
27. 8th Grade Superzero by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich (completed April 25)
28. City of Glass (audio) by Cassandra Clare (completed April 27)
29. The Goose Girl (audio) by Shannon Hale (completed May 12)
30. Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder (completed May 16)
31. Going Bovine (audio) by Libba Bray (completed May 18)
32. Fifteen by Beverly Cleary (completed May 21)
33. Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green & David Levithan (completed May 23)
34. Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins (completed May 28)
35. Dancing in My Nuddy-Pants by Louise Rennison (completed June 4)
36. Three Rivers Rising by Jame Richards (completed June 5)
37. The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin by Josh Berk (completed June 6)
38. Fallen (audio) by Lauren Kate (completed June 15)
39. Artemis Fowl (audio) by Eoin Colfer (completed June 19)
40. The Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnell (completed June 27)
41. Away Laughing on a Fast Camel by Louise Rennison (completed July 2)
42. The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan (completed July 4)
43. The Sons of Liberty by Alexander & Joseph Lagos (completed July 5)
44. The Secret Life of Prince Charming by Deb Caletti (completed July 5)
45. Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident (audio) by Eoin Colfer (completed July 13)
46. The Red Umbrella by Christina Diaz Gonzalez (completed July 18)
47. Maximum Ride, The Manga Vol. 1 by NaRae Lee & James Patterson (completed July 28)
48. Maximum Ride, The Manga Vol. 2 by NaRae Lee & James Patterson (completed July 28)
49. Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code (audio) by Eoin Colfer (completed Aug. 5)
50. The Prince of Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (completed Aug 13)
51. Then He Ate My Boy Entrancers by Louis Rennison (completed Aug 17)
52. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (completed Aug 28)
53. Charles and Emma by Deborah Heiligman (completed Sept 4)
54. Glimpse by Carol Lynch Williams (completed Sept 6)
55. Annexed by Sharon Dogar (completed Oct 3)
56. Artemis Fowl: The Opal Deception (audio) by Eoin Colfer (completed Oct 9)
57. The DUFF by Kody Keplinger (completed Oct 9)
58. Bloody Jack (audio) by L.A. Meyer (completed Oct 11)
59. The Boyfriend List: 15 Guys, 11 Shrink Appointments, 4 Ceramic Frogs and Me Ruby Oliver (audio) by E. Lockhart (completed Oct 13)
60. The Last Summer of the Death Warriors (audio) by Francisco X. Stork (completed Oct 18)
61. Forge by Laurie Halse Anderson (completed Oct 23)
62. The Boy Book (audio) by E. Lockhart (completed Oct 28)
63. After Tupac and D Foster (audio) by Jacqueline Woodson (completed Oct 31)
64. The Abused Werewolf Rescue Group by Catherine Jinks (completed Oct 31)
65. Lockdown by Walter Dean Myers (completed Nov 2)
66. The War to End All Wars: World War I (audio) by Russell Freedman (completed Nov 5)
67. Sorta Like a Rock Star by Matthew Quick (completed Nov 5)
68. Wicked Girls: A Novel of the Salem Witch Trials by Stephanie Hemphill (completed Nov 10
69. The Lying Game by Sara Shepard (completed Nov 13)
70. Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick (completed Nov 15)
71. The Demon King (audio) by Cinda Williams Chima (completed Nov 19)
72. Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan (completed Nov 21)
73. The Mockingbirds - Daisy Whitney (completed Nov 21)
74. Janis Joplin: Rise Up Singing by Ann Angel (completed Dec 8)
75. Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen (completed Dec 9)

Support Your Local Library Challenge (100 books/ all year) - COMPLETED
1. A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck (completed Jan. 4)
2. The Unfinished Angel by Sharon Creech (completed Jan. 5)
3. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater (completed Jan. 11)
4. A Season of Gifts by Richard Peck (completed Jan. 15)
5. Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison (completed Jan. 22)
6. Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles: The Nixie's Song by Tony DiTerlizzi & Holly Black (completed Jan. 22)
7. Our Choice: How We Can Solve the Climate Crisis by Al Gore, text adapted for Young Reader Edition by Richie Chevat (completed Jan. 25)
8. One False Note by Gordon Korman (completed Jan. 26)
9. Academy 7 by Anne Osterlund (completed Jan. 26)
10. Love You Hate You Miss You by Elizabeth Scott (completed Jan. 30)
11. Story of a Girl (audio) by Sara Zarr (completed Feb. 3)
12. By the Time You Read This, I'll be Dead by Julie Anne Peters (completed Feb. 5)
13. Lunch Lady and the Author Visit Vendetta by Jarrett J. Krosoczka (completed Feb. 8)
14. The Sword Thief by Peter Lergangis (completed Feb. 9)
15. Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl (completed Feb. 10)
16. Woods Runner (audio) by Gary Paulsen (completed Feb. 18)
17. Freefall by Ariela Anhalt (completed Feb. 20)
18. Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick (completed Feb. 22)
19. The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner (completed Feb. 25)
20. Broken Memory by Elisabeth Combres (completed Feb. 27)
21. On the Bright Side I am Now the Girlfriend of a Sex God (completed March 1)
22. 39 Clues: Beyond the Grave by Jude Watson (completed March 1)
23. Tangled by Carolyn Mackler (completed March 3)
24. Green by Laura Peyton Roberts (completed March 7)
25. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (completed March 14)
26. The Wish Stealers by Tracy Trivas (completed March 14)
27. The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick (completed March 28)
28. The Night Fairy by Laura Amy Schlitz (completed March 31)
29. The 39 Clues: The Black Circle by Patrick Carmen (completed April 2)
30. Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverley Cleary (compleated April 2)
31. A Nest for Celeste by Henry Cole (completed April 5)
32. Knocked Out By My Nunga-Nungas (completed April 8)
33. Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper (completed April 14)
34. Ramona and Her Father by Beverly Cleary (completed April 15)
35. 39 Clues: In Too Deep by Jude Watson (completed April 28)
36. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (audio) by Douglas Adams (completed April 30)
37. Amelia Earhart: This Broad Ocean by Sarah Stewart Taylor, illustrated by Ben Towle (completed May 6)
38. 39 Clues: The Viper's Nest by Peter Lerangis (completed May 11)
39. Knights of the Lunch Table by Frank Cammuso (completed May 12)
40. The Goose Girl (audio) by Shannon Hale (completed May 12)
41. Mirror Mirror: A Book of Reversible Verse by Marilyn Singer (completed May 13)
42. Year of Goodbyes by Debbie Levy (completed May 13)
43. Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder (completed May 16)
44. Lucky: Maris, Mantle, and My Best Summer Ever by Wes Tooke (completed May 17)
45. Fifteen by Beverly Cleary (completed May 21)
46. Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green & David Levithan (completed May 23)
47. Big Nate: In a Class by Himself by Lincoln Peirce (completed May 26)
48. Princess Academy (audio) by Shannon Hale (completed May 27)
49. Birmingham Sunday by Larry Dane Brimner (completed May 28)
50. Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins (completed May 28)
51. 39 Clues: The Emperor's Code by Gordon Korman (completed June1)
52. Justin Case: School, Drool, and Other Daily Disasters by Rachel Vail (completed June 2)
53. Dancing in My Nuddy-Pants by Louise Rennison (completed June 4)
54. Three Rivers Rising by Jame Richards (completed June 5)
55. The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin by Josh Berk (completed June 6)
56. Falling In by Frances O'Roark Dowell (completed June 10)
57. Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok (completed June 15)
58. Best Friends Forever: A World War II Scrapbook by Beverly Patt (completed June 16)
59. Artemis Fowl (audio) by Eoin Colfer (completed June 19)
60. Shake, Rattle & Turn that Noise Down!  How Elvis Shook up Music, Me and Mom by Mark Alan Stamaty (completed June 21)
61. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (audio) by Lewis Carroll (completed June 22)
62. The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman (completed June 24)
63. The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger (completed June 24)
64. The Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnell (completed June 27)
65. Away Laughing on a Fast Camel by Louise Rennison (completed July 2)
66. The Ruin of Gorlan by John Flanagan  (completed July 4)
67. The Sons of Liberty by Alexander & Joseph Lagos (completed July 5)
68. The Secret Life of Prince Charming (audio) by Deb Caletti (completed July 5)
69. Melonhead by Katy Kelly (completed July 6)
70. Theodore Boone, Kid Lawyer by John Grisham (completed July 7)
71. The Wide-Awake Princess by E.D. Baker (completed July 10)
72. Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident (audio) by Eoin Colfer (completed July 13)
73. Frankie Pickle and the Pine Run 3000 by Eric Wight (completed July 15)
74. Attack of the Fluffy Bunnies by Andrea Beaty (completed July 17)
75. The Red Umbrella by Christina Diaz Gonzalez (completed July 18)
76. E is for Evidence (audio) by Sue Grafton (completed July 19)
77. Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm (completed July 19)
78. Sizzling Sixteen (audio) by Janet Evanovich (completed July 21)
79. The Dancing Pancake by Eileen Spinelli (completed July 21)
80. The Popularity Papers by Amy Ignatow (completed July 22)
81. The Total Money Makeover (audio) by Dave Ramsey (completed July 26)
82. The Hive Detectives by Loree Griffin Burns (completed July 26)
83. Maximum Ride, The Manga Vol. 1 by NaRae Lee & James Patterson (completed July 28)
84. Maximum Ride, The Manga Vol. 2 by NaRae Lee & James Patterson (completed July 28)
85. 39 Clues: Storm Warning by Linda Sue Park (completed July 30)
86. Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi (completed July 31)
87. Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code (audio) by Eoin Colfer (completed Aug. 5)
88. Star in the Forest by Laura Resau (completed Aug. 9)
89. Boom! by Mark Haddon (completed Aug. 9)
90. Spaceheadz by Jon Scieszka (completed Aug. 9)
91. Kira-Kira (audio) by Cynthia Kadohata (completed Aug 11)
92. Emily's Fortune by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor (completed Aug 12)
93. Word After Word After Word by Sarah MacLachlan (completed Aug 12)
94. The Unsinkable Walker Bean by Aaron Reiner (completed Aug 13)
95. Bobby vs. Girls (Accidentally) by Lisa Yee (completed Aug 13)
96. The Prince of Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (completed Aug 13)
97. Then He Ate My Boy Entrancers by Louise Rennison (completed Aug 17)
98. Alchemy and Meggy Swann by Karen Cushman (completed Aug 20)
99. Lincoln Tells a Joke: How Laughter Saved the President by Kathleen Krull (completed Aug 24)
100. Smells Like Dog by Suzanne Selfors (completed Aug 24)
101. Bran Hambric: The Farfield Curse by Kaleb Nation (completed Aug 26)


YA Through the Decades
One book from the following decades, 1930 or before, 1940, 1950, 1960, 1970. 1980. 1990. and 2000.
1. Fifteen by Beverly Cleary (completed May 21)


The Middle Challenge (10 middle grade books Jan. 17-Dec 31, 2010) - COMPLETED
1. The Nixie's Song by Tony DiTerlizzi & Holly Black (completed Jan. 22)
2. One False Note by Gordon Korman (completed Jan. 26)
3. Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat by Lynne Jonell (completed Feb. 3)
4. Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Practicing the Piano by Peggy Gifford (completed Feb. 5)
5. How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell (completed Feb. 15)
6. Smile by Raina Telgemeier (completed March 4)
7. Green by Laura Peyton Roberts (completed March 7)
8. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (completed March 14)
9. The Wish Stealers by Tracy Trivas (completed March 14)
10. The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick (completed March 28)
11. The Night Fairy by Laura Amy Schlitz (completed March 31)
12. A Nest for Celeste by Henry Cole (completed April 5)
13. Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper (completed April 14)
14. Ramona and Her Father by Beverly Cleary (completed April 15)
15. 8th Grade Superzero by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Peerkovich (completed April 25)
16. One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia (completed April 27)
17. In Too Deep by Jude Watson (completed April 28)
18. The Viper's Nest by Peter Lerangis (completed May 11)
19. Knights of the Lunch Table by Frank Cammuso (completed May 12)
20. Lucky: Maris, Mantle, and My Best Summer Ever by Wes Tooke (completed May 17)
21. Big Nate: In a Class by Himself by Lincoln Pierce (completed May 26)
22. Princess Academy (audio) by Shannon Hale (completed May 27)
23. The Emperor's Code by Gordon Korman (completed June 1)
24. Justin Case: School, Drool, and Other Daily Disasters by Rachel Vail (completed June 2)
25. Countdown by Deborah Wiles (completed June 5)
26. Falling In by Frances O'Roark Dowell (completed June 10)
27. Best Friends Forever: A World War II Scrapbook by  Beverly Patt (completed June 16)
28. The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman (completed June 24)
29. The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger (completed June 24)
30. Melonhead by Katy Kelly (completed July 6)
31. Theodore Boone, Kid Lawyer by John Grisham (completed July 7)
32. The Wide-Awake Princess by E.D. Baker (completed July 11)
33. Attack of the Fluffy Bunnies by Andrea Beaty (completed July 17)
34. Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm (completed July 19)
35. The Dancing Pancake by Eileen Spinelli (completed July 21)
36. The Popularity Papers by Amy Ignatow (completed July 22)

I can't wait to get started!  My TBR pile is getting pretty long, but it should be a fun year.

New Year Read-A-thon

Just decided to take part in the New Year Read-A-thon hosted by Bookworming in the 21st Century, since I plan on reading this evening and it the New Year.

Now, what is the Read-a-thon all about? Promoting reading in the new year - 2010!

Starts: 5 pm on Thursday, December 31st
Ends: 10 pm on Sunday, January 3rd

You can read as little or as much as you want! Also, I'm planning on having a smaller event called Reading Into the New Year - where us bookworms can read as it turns midnight! I will be posting the sign up for that event next. Please partake in either or both!!!

Here is what I am planning on reading
Finish Viola in Reel Life and start Mare's War
Read pictures books (~10) that I am going to be reviewing later in January

I think that will be good for me, since I do have one last family Christmas on New Year's Day and I have to work on Saturday, this should be an attainable goal for myself.  (Plus I want to get some x-c skiing in this weekend, since we are getting snow every day this weekend!)

Favorites of 2009

Quite a few bloggers have posted their favorite books from this past year.  So I thought I would compile a list of my favorite books read in 2009 (not just books with a 2009 publish date).  Without further ado, here is my list.

Every Soul a Star by Wendy Mass (completed Jan. 4)
Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson (completed Feb. 17)
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (completed March 10)
Lucky Breaks by Susan Patron (completed March 23)
If I Stay by Gayle Forman (completed April 2)
Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson (completed April 8)
Paper Towns by John Green (completed April 21)
Graceling by Kristin Cashore (completed May 7)
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (completed July 25)
My Most Excellent Year by Steve Kluger (completed Aug. 16)
The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt (completed Aug. 26)
The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams (completed Sept. 1)
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (completed Sept. 7)
Anything but Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin (completed Nov. 1)
All the Broken Pieces by Ann Burg (completed Nov. 2)
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin (completed Nov. 26)
Fire by Kristin Cashore (completed Nov. 29)
Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream by Tanya Lee Stone (completed Dec. 28)

Out of the 163 (a personal best) books read in 2009 I  narrowed my list down to the top 18, but I don't think I will be able to narrow it down any further.  I read some pretty amazing books this year and hope 2010 will be more of the same.  Have a safe and wonderful New Year!  Happy Reading!

Picture found through Creative Commons search.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/candiedwomanire/ / CC BY-SA 2.0

Picture Book Thursday: Dec 31 [3]

Here Comes Jack Frost by Kazuno Kohara.  Roaring Book Press, 2009.
Review copy provided by my local library

Synopsis
One cold morning a lonely boy wishes for something to do. His animal friends are hibernating, and he has nobody to play with-even all the birds have flown south. When he meets Jack Frost, the last thing he expects is to make a new friend... or to discover how enchanting winter can be! 

Here Comes Jack Frost is a great winter picture book.  There is a little boy who is sad because all of his friends are hibernating for the winter.  But one morning he looks at his window to see strange patterns forming on the window.  When he heads outside he finds his house and surrounding covered with frost and ice.  He see a white figure and asks who he is, why I'm Jack Frost.  Here the two become friends.  This allows the boy to discover the wonders of winter, even though everything is covered in snow and frost.  You can go ice skating, build a snowman, or go sledding.  A great book to share with young readers to help them realize the joys that winter can bring.

I loved the simplicity of the illustrations.  The white figures against the blue background just pop.  This would be a perfect book to read with your preschooler on a cold wintry day.  This is going to be an up coming story time book in January and I can't wait to read it to my story time kids.

Waiting on Wednesday (1) - Green by Laura Peyton Robert

Release date: January 12, 2010 from Random House Children's Books

Synopsis (from Barnes and Noble)
Turning thirteen starts off with a bang for Lily. Literally. A birthday present explodes on her porch . . . and soon after a trio of leprechauns (yes, leprechauns) appears in her bedroom. They whisk her away to a land of clover, piskies, a new friend, a cute boy, and lots of glimmering, glittering gold. A world of Green.

It turns out that Lily, like her grandmother before her, is next in line to be keeper for the Clan of Green, and in charge of all their gold. That is, if she passes three tests. And she has to pass them. Because if she doesn’t she may never get to go home again. She’ll be stuck with the Greens.

Forever.

Looking through Barnes and Noble's website I came across this book while looking for book suggests for our children's librarian.  I think this coming year is going to be a great year for children's and young adult novels.  Happy Reading!

2010 Reading Goals

Wow how time flies when you are having fun.  Time once again to list my reading goals and just general goals for 2010.  It will be a nice change to enjoy a year without taking classes, all of the read I do this year will be purely for my own enjoyment!

This year I will be participating in a number of challenges.  At this time I am currently participating in the 100+ Reading Challenge, YA Reading Challenge, Support Your Local Library Challenge, YA through the Decades, Chunkster Reading Challenge and the 2010 Debut Author Challenge.  I am excited about this year long challenges, these should help keep me on track with some of my goals.  I am challenging myself to read 170 books (in this count I will be including children's chapter books and above, I will not be including picture books or easy/beginning reader books as those do not take much time for me to read). Within the 170 total books for the year, I plan on reading 75 YA books (YA Reading Challenge) also they will include YA books from previous decades that I have not read previously, 12 Debut Authors, and I will be checking out at least 100 of those books from the library.  I hope this will broaden my reading horizons and get me to checkout some new and exciting books to me.

I am also going to keep reading Newbery Winner and Honor books.  I have rather enjoyed this personal challenge.  Over this past year I have read some pretty amazing books and I am looking forward to some more wonderful books for children and teens.  I will continue to read one Newbery Winner or Honor book every month.  Plus since I will be reading a lot of YA books this coming year, I would also like to include a Printz Winner or Honor book at least every other month. 

Looking through my list of books I finished this year, there is one area that stands out as needing some improvement and that is children's and teens non-fiction.  For 2010 I would like to include at least one to two non-fiction titles every month to help broaden my horizons.  I tend to enjoys fiction, especially fantasy, so this should give me a chance to check out some of the great non-fiction that is out there. 

As for my blog, since I am out of school now I am going to challenge myself to write a review for every book that I read in the coming year.  I reserve the right to allow some of the reviews to be just my brief thoughts on the book and not a full in depth review.  I just want to post my thoughts on the various books that I read, that way it leaves me with a record of the books that I have read throughout the year.  (A great tool for my work at the library as well)  So I have decided to come up with a schedule for my posts to help keep myself organized this year:
Monday - Book Reviews
Tuesday - Teaser Tuesdays
Wednesday - Waiting on Wednesday/Library Loot
Thursday - Picture Book Thursdays
Friday - Book Reviews

Well this should keep me busy throughout the year.  Can't wait to get started, this should be a great year for reading and writing about books.

Chunkster Reading Challenge

Finally one more reading challenge.  And this one is perfect for those cold winter afternoons when all I want to do is curl up with a nice big book.

February 1, 2010 - January 31, 2011

Many thanks to Dana who has hosted this challenge for the past couple of years and has generously handed over the reins to me in 2010. I am keeping most of Dana's rules and definitions...Why? Because why fix something that isn't broken?!??!

Definition of a Chunkster:

• A chunkster is 450 pages or more of ADULT literature (fiction or nonfiction) ... A chunkster should be a challenge.
• If you read large type books your book will need to be 525 pages or more ... The average large type book is 10-15% longer or more so I think that was a fair estimate.

The Rules:

• No Audio books in the chunkster. It just doesn't seem right. Words on paper for this one folks.
• No e-Books allowed - we are reading traditional, fat books for this challenge.
  
• Short Stories and Essay collections will not be counted.
• Books may crossover with other challenges
• Anyone may join. If you don't have a blog, just leave me a comment on this post with your progress (and to let me know you are playing)
• You don't need to list your books ahead of time.
  
• Once you pick a level, that's it...you're committed to that level

 For this challenge I will be entering the Chubby Chunkster, since I don't have too many chunky books on my TBR list.  Plus it will force me to continue to read some adult literature since most of the time I read children's and YA lit.

Here is my list of books for this Challenge:

1. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by  David Wroblewski

2. The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

3. World Without End by Ken Follett

YA through the Decades 2010 Challenge

Since it is snowy out today along Lake Michigan, I have been curled up on my couch browsing around the book blogging world looking for new blogs and possibly a new challenge or two.  Well I found one and it would work well with a few of my other challenges for 2010. 

Straight from Youth Services Corner:
January 1, 2010 – December 31, 2010
I only started reading YA literature a few years ago and tend to read current books. With the recent release of the Shelf Discovery by Lizzie Skurnick, which looks back at teen lit from decades past, I’ve been itching to read some older YA books. So, why not start a reading challenge?

There’s some debate about when YA lit first started. In Michael Cart’s “Naming Names” column from March 15, 2009’s Booklist, he lists The Outsiders (1967), Catcher in the Rye (1951), Seventeenth Summer (1942), Sue Barton Student Nurse (1936) and even Little Women (1868) as contenders for the first book for teen readers. For the purposes of this challenge, though, I’m defining early YA pretty broadly, in that the book should feature a teen point of view and be accessible to young people, even if it wasn’t published for teens.

Rules:

1. Books should be considered YA or, for older books, should feature a teenaged main character or point of view. Let’s say from roughly ages 12-18.
2. Read at least one book from each decade: 1930s or earlier; 1940s; 1950s; 1960s; 1970s; 1980s; 1990s; 2000s. Re-reads are fine. Check the main challenge page for book ideas for each time period.
3. Sign up either by commenting or signing the Linky at the bottom of the page. You can use the graphic on your blog to promote the challenge if you wish. You can start this challenge at any time during the year.

This sounds like a great challenge, plus I have been meaning to read some older YA novels, but with school I just didn't have the time to read older books and try and keep up with current YA.  No more school, means more time for me to read this year (along with getting started on my digital and traditional scrapbooks).  I can't wait to get started.  2010 is going to be the best year yet for reading!

Here is my list of books for this challenge:
1930's or earlier: Little Women by Louis May Alcott (I read this one years ago, now seems like the perfect time to re-read it)
1940's: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
1950's: Fifteen by Beverly Cleary
1960's: The Outsiders by S.E Hinton
1970's: Forever by Judy Blume
1980's: Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers
1990's: Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause
2000's: I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak

2009 Reading Goals - Newbery

With the end of the year fast approaching, I decided to look through my Goodreads and see how I was doing with some of my 2009 Reading Goals. 

One area that I wanted to work on this year was reading Newbery Winner and Honor titles since I am now working primarily with children and tweens at my library.  I made it a goal to read at least one title per month.

The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo (Read in January)
The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron (Read in Feburary)
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (Read in March)
Savvy by Ingrid Law (Read in March)
Holes by Louis Sachar (Read in April)
The Surrender Tree by Margarita Engle (Read in May)
Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan (Read in June)
The Underneath by Kathi Appelt (Read in July)
The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt (Read in August)
Feathers by Jacqueline Woodson (Read in September)
The Courage of Sarah Noble by Alice Dalgiesh (Read in September)
Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko (Read in October)
The Watsons Go To Birmingham - 1963 by Christoper Paul Curtis (Read in October)
Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo (Read in November)
A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck (Read in December)

I was able to exceed my goal which is always great.  In 2010 I plan on continuing this challenge for myself, since this will come in handy for library work with children and tweens.

Audiobook Review: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson, performed by Elaine Stritch. Grades 2 and up.  HarperCollins, 2006.  Review copy provided by my local library.

It wouldn't be Christmas without the Herdmans.  The Herdmans are just about the worst kids in the history of the world.  They lie, steal, smoke, swear, and hit little kids.  But when the Herdmans hear about this thing called Church, no one is prepared for what will happen next.

The Herdmans never attend Church, so they have never heard the Christmas Story.  So when they decide that they want to participate in the Christmas Pageant no one wants to get in the way.  Their interpretation is down right hilarious, the Wise Men are a bunch of dirty spies and King Herod is in of a good beat down.  This of course has the whole town up in arms.  But this will make this year's pageant the most memorable one and the best one ever.

The audio is even better since they got Elaine Stritch to narrate this crazy story.  She has the perfect voice to make each character distinct and makes this an enjoyable book to listen too.  I have read this one numerous times and this was the first time I listened to it, I think this will become a yearly tradition that will care over once I have children of my own.  A perfect book to share with the family this time of year and will help remind us why we are celebrating in the first place.  Highly recommended for all families.

Bad Kitty Gets a Bath

Bad Kitty Gets a Bath by Nick Bruel.  Square Fish, 2008.
Preschoolers through adult will enjoy this humorous story!
Review copy provided by my local library.

I absolutely loved this book.  It had me rolling on the floor laughing.

Kitty needs a bath, but cats HATE baths.  Each chapter goes through how to prepare Kitty for a bath, where to find Kitty, how to give Kitty a bath and so on.

Some of the items needed for Kitty's bath are: a tub, warm water, vet approved cat shampoo, soap, washcloth, brush, towels, and of course a Kitty-shaped robe with hood.  But don't forget you will also be needing the following if you plan on giving Kitty a bath: a suit of armor, doctor on speed dial, letter to loved ones, lots of plasma, lots of bandages, clean underwear, scratching post made to look like you, and finally an ambulance in your driveway with the engine running.

I loved the science facts mixed in the rest of the text, kids are learning a little something while laughing hysterically.  Bruel's illustrations are off the wall and add another layer of humor to the story.  A perfect chapter book to read to preschooler and older children alike.

*After reading this book, I made my husband read this one as well, since he is determined to give our kitty Steve a bath.  Maybe he will think a little more about that important decision.

Picture Book Thursday: Dec. 24 [2]

Heart of a Snowman by Mary Kuryla & Eugene Yelchin

Every Christmas Eve, Owen builds the very best snowman that he can.  But by Christmas Day his snowman has melted away.  Owen begins to think that there must be a way to make his snowman last longer.

This launches Owen on an adventure that will lead me to a magical place animals study his snowman by each piece in an effort to make the perfect snowman.  But can you ever make a perfect snowman and that is what the animals find out.  But Owen is able to supply the animals with the one thing that they need to make a perfect snowman, a heart.

Written and illustrated by a husband and wife duo, Heart of a Snowman will send readers on a magical journey about the importance taking enjoyment in the small things in life.  Building a snowman is a fun way to spend a snowy winter afternoon.  Each snowman is at the very heart of them a perfect snowball and it built upon that, if you have that then your snowman will have heart and will always be with you, even after the snowman has long since melted.

The illustrations a beautiful, perfect to share with young children as a bedtime story.  A great story for this time of the year, curl up with a warm cup of hot chocolate and you loved ones and enjoy heart warming story.

Other Information:

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (September 22, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061259268
• ISBN-13: 978-0061259265
• Source: My Local Library
  

Picture Book Thursday: Dec 17 [1]

Chicken Dance by Tammi Sauer, Illustrated by Dan Santat

The minute I saw this one on display at my library, I had to check it out.  A book about chickens and other barnyard animals, I'm there!

Marge and Lola are two chickens on a mission.  They want to win the barnyard talent show, in order to win two tickets to see their hunky chicken Elvis Poultry.  But first they must come up with enough talent to beat out the Ducks (who win every year).

They try everything from bowling to tightrope walking, to swimming, but everything fails.  They have no idea what they are going to do until they get up on stage and start dancing like they always do.  But is it enough to beat out the Ducks and win the tickets, maybe not, but they win the affection of the singer of their dreams.

The illustrations are beautiful, they a level of humor to the story that would make this book perfect for reading during a storytime.  I will definitely adding this one to my storytime list.  This would make a perfect gift for a younger reader and I'm sure they will love the humor.  Inside the front and back cover there are dancing steps that readers can learn from Marge and Lola.  Perfect to get kids up and moving and have a little fun dancing.


Other Information:

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 36 pages
• Publisher: Sterling (August 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402753667
• ISBN-13: 978-1402753664
• Source: My Local Library
  

Let It Snow

Let It Snow: Three Holiday Romances by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle

What do you get when you combine a blizzard, stuck train, a Waffle House, a Starbucks, romance, and a pig?  Why you get Let It Snow, this was a cute light winter romance novel, written by three of the most popular Young Adult authors. 

I wanted to read this one last year, but between school and life I did not get the chance, so this year I knew I had to read this one.  I'm glad I did it was something light to give me a break from some of my reading for school.  The novel is comprised of three novellas: The Jubilee Express by Maureen Johnson, A Cheertastic Christmas by John Green, and The Patron Saint of Pigs by Lauren Myracle. 

I have to say that my favorite story was Maureen Johnson's tale.  I loved the girl meets boy during blizzard at the Waffle House.  It was just a cute story that I didn't want to end, so I was pretty happy that all three stories had a common thread though them. 

A perfect book to curl up on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate and watch the snow fall.  (Which is exactly what I did last week, when we got a snow storm here in Michigan)  Recommended for anyone looking for a holiday romance to fill their heart with Christmas cheer.

Other Information:

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Speak; Reprint edition (October 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0142414999
• ISBN-13: 978-0142414996
• Source: My Local Library
  

Time Flies When You Are Having Fun

I can't believe it is already December and Christmas is two weeks away.  Time to finish shopping and start wrapping presents. 

Between Christmas and finishing up my last semester of my MLIS, I have been pretty busy.  Then on top of that, this week we got hit with a big winter storm.  But I am loving this of course, because now I can go cross country skiing this weekend!!!  Once all of the craziness comes to an end, I will be back to posting on a more regular schedule.  I am currently working on my reading goals for 2010 and a few other posts for the end of the year.  But for now here are some pictures of my puppy Berrie and her first snow.  Enjoy!

Now that she has been introduced to the snow, she LOVES it!  And we have plenty of it here in Michigan.