December Round-Up

Another week of reading but not reviewing. I do actually miss the chance to reflect on what I'm reading, but as long as I check in with this weekly update I feel I'm keeping a toe in the blogging world. Right now I'm very focused on the challenges left over; I'm feel strangely guilty when I'm not reading a Cybils book or one of my geography challenge slots. But there's so much else in the world!

Next week I need to read at least two more state books, at least one Cybils, and I need to look around for another South America book. I want to finish my last Early Review book from librarything. And I want to spend time in Robin McKinley's Sunshine, although I can dally there since I've read it so many times already. Oh, did I mention that my last two Reading My Library books are due on Thursday? So not really a lot of wriggle room there.

Last week I managed to finish seven books, as well as a few picture books. I'll go sign in at Book Journey's round-up of what people have read, are reading, and will read. And since once again most of my reading this week was YA or younger, I'll also check in with Teach Mentor Texts, which specializes in books for the non-voting crowd.

• Chucaro, Rancis Kalnay. This Newbery honor book is set in Argentina -- go Global!
• The Hum and the Shiver, Alex Bledsoe. I really enjoyed this Foolscap treasure, and as a bonus, it's set in Tennessee.
• The Geometry of Sisters, Luanne Rice. NOOK Rhode Island is for families that hurt each other.
• Words in the Dust, Trent Reedy. The story in this Cybils finalist is important, but the writing wasn't stellar.
• Super Human, Michael Carroll. Nifty Best of the Best choice, as well as a Nebraska tale (a pleasant surprise).
• Commodore Perry in the Land of the Shogun, Rhoda Blumberg. I'm surprised at how much I like kidlit nonfiction.
• Elfhome, Wen Spencer. NOOK. Pure delicious candy rereading.

I also read some picture books with my youngest nephew:

• Spike, the Mixed-Up Monster, Susan Hood.
• Bear Has a Story to Tell, Philip Stead.
• Bear Says Thanks, Karma Wilson.

What am I currently reading? Technically I have 24 books open, but really I'm only trying to read about six. I guess that doesn't make me sound much saner, does it?

• Milagros, Meg Medina. A Reading My Library pick which also happens to be set in the Caribbean, finishing my North America requirement. Score!
• Sunshine, Robin McKinley. Rereading my favorite vampires & chocolate book.
• Sheltered From the Swastika, Peter Kory. Present from LibraryThing. Memoir of hiding from the Nazis in World War II.
• Frost, Marianna Baer. (NOOK). Still waiting for the library to give me this Cybils pick again.
• The Curse of the Wendigo, Richard Yancy. (audio) Two disks left; it's about to get gross again.
• The Righteous Mind, Jonathan Haidt. (NOOK) My brother recommended this to me.
• Phoenix In Flight, Sherwood Smith & Dave Trowbridge. (NOOK).  Wow, the many characters are now on the same planet.
• Elfhome, Wen Spencer. (NOOK, reread) Well, I finished it but I'm still going back to the really fun parts. That doesn't mean the sex.
• The Pickwick Papers, Charles Dickens. Dipper. New book from my classics shelf.
• The Borrowers Afield, Mary Norton. Dipper. Stop with the Spiller hating!
• War With the Newts, Karel Capek. Dipper. We have met the newts/
• The Catholic Church in the Modern World, E.E.Y. Hales. Dipper. Europe has just separated church and state, often with disrespect to the True Church. 
• Stink: The Incredible Shrinking Kid, Megan McDonald. They garborated the class newt!
• Smart But Scattered, Peggy Dawson. Good stuff. I like the kids agreeing to plans because they are sure they know what they are doing...
• Kushiel's Dart, Jacqueline Carey. Paused.

The list of the books I started but didn't finish over the summer remains depressingly static:

• The Tunnel of Hugsy Goode, Eleanor Estes. Was getting dull.
• Ecstasia, Francesca Lia Block. I find her mythic stories harder going than her Weezie Bat books.
• Bob, Son of Battle, Alfred Ollivant. I'm not liking the dialect, and I think the guy I hate is supposed to be the hero. Oops.
• Tricksters, Margaret Mahy. I have no excuse for not finishing this yet.
• Tessie, Jesse Jackson. The author makes me giggle.
• Puddleby Adventures, Hugh Lofting. I had too many Dolittle books back-to-back.
• The Avion My Uncle Flew, Cyrus Fisher. I lost this while reading it, but now I know where it is.
• The Eye of the Warlock, P.W. Catanese. Mixed-up fairy tale.
• Redskin and Cowboy, G. A. Henty. Waiting for the boy to run away from home.

Challenges:

1. Cybils: 70/73. Three YA books left; one in my bag and one half way done.
2. Global Reading Challenge: 18/21.  I've started the final North America, then I need another South America and ideally an Oceanea set somewhere other than Australia or New Zealand.
3. Where Am I Reading?:  41/50.  Finished books in Tennessee, Rhode Island, and Nebraska. Have library books waiting for North Carolina, New Hampshire and North Dakota. Noticed books on my shelves in Kansas and maybe Delaware. Still need Idaho. 
4. Science Book Challenge: 3.1415/3.14159. Done, but I'd like more. I wonder if Righteous Minds will be science?
5. Reading My Library:  Chugging along.
6. Eclectic Challenge: 11/12. Still need a classic.
7. Best of the Best: 32/25. Really liked Superhuman, and Wendigo is sliming along. I have the next one waiting.
8. Summer Reading Goal: All over but the cleanup. My bare shelf is filled up again, but two boxes have disappeared from my living room.