Heading Out of the Holidays

Luckily I didn't make any New Years Resolutions about my blog, because I would have broken them already. This status post is already several weeks late, but I am actually still reading.

The big news this year is that I have a new book bag. Two, actually, one small for elegant evening carrying, and one larger to accommodate the stuff I'm actually reading concurrently. One was a present from my kids' stepmom, and one was a gift from someone in my book club (well, she asked if anyone wanted it, and I threw myself ahead of all the rest). It has Thomas Jefferson's quote "I cannot live without books" which is very true. The small one is a beautiful print of paintings from Madrid.

I finished most of my challenges from last year and I'm setting up for this year's reading. I want to read all the Cybils again, I'm really enjoying my 50 States, although I'll combine that with my countries tracking. And I'll probably do another What's In a Name.

And I'm doing C.B.'s TBR Double Dog Dare, which means I'm restricting new books. This year I'm letting myself buy them but putting all new books is a designated box, because it's not fair to the schools that have scheduled their reading fare's during the Dare. But I'm not reading them! Nothing new! Except that stuff that fits in my zillions of exceptions, of course.

One last event -- I'm doing the Comment Challenge and so far I'm on track with at least five comments a day. (I stop counting then, so I don't roll over. This will make me ineligible for many prizes, but will keep me sane.)

I'll go sign in at Book Journey's round-up of what people have read, are reading, and will read. And since almost all of my reading this week was middle grade, I'll also check in with Teach Mentor Texts, which specializes in books for the non-voting crowd.

This week I read:

• Toads and Diamonds, Heather Tomlinson (from my online TBR list). YA.
• Holes, Louis Sachar. A re-read, from my stacks. Kidlit.
• The Curse of the Wendigo, Rick Yancey. My whole family found this audio book far too gruesome for enjoyment, but I finished it. YA.
• Using the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics With Gifted and Advanced Learners,  Susan Johnsen. It's nice to see I was doing it right when I was homeschooling.
• Smart but Scattered, Peg Dawson. I need to reread the parts about how to help your kids when your own executive skills are weak.
• Ecstasia, Francesca Lia Block. From my stacks, but not to my taste. YA
• The Prairie Thief, Melissa Wiley. Fun. Kidlit.
• The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie,  Jennifer Ashley. Historical romance with a hero who reads as functioning autistic. NOOK.

Earlier this year I read: 

• Ways To Live Forever,  Sally Nicholls
• Princess Academy: Palace of Stone, Shannon Hale
• Legends of Zita the Spacegirl, Ben Hatke
• Grave Memory, Kalayna Price
• The Catholic Church in the Modern World, E.E.Y. Hales
• The Lost Fleet: Beyond the Frontier: Incincible, Jack Campbell
• Sunshine, Robin McKinley
• Stink the Incredible Shrinking Kid, Megan McDonald

The following books were all read before the New Year:

• Leverage, Joshua C. Cohen
• Jasper Dash and the Flame-Pits of Delaware,  M.T. Anderson
• How to Rig an Election, Allen Raymond
• The Sex Lives of Cannibals, Maarten Troost
• Buried Alive!, Elaine Scott
• Fever Crumb, Philip Reeve (audio)
• Elfhome, Wen Spencer
• Fair Game, Patricia Briggs
• The King Commands, Meg Burden
• Ten Miles Past Normal, Frances O'Roark Dowell
• Moon Over Manifest, Clare Vanderpool
• The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
• Bringing the Boy Home,  N. A. Nelson
• King of the Mild Frontier, Chris Crutcher
• Everybody Sees the Ants, A.S. King
• Sheltured From the Swastika, Peter Kory
• Frost, Marianna Baer
• Fargo Rock City, Chuck Klosterman
• The Phoenix in Flight, Sherwood Smith & Dave Trowbridge

What am I currently reading? Technically I have 23 books open, but really I'm only trying to read about five. I guess that doesn't make me sound much saner, does it?

• The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict, Trenton Steward. For my family book club.
• Tears of the Sun, S.M. Stirling. The next one is already out, so I'm behind on these Changes books.
• Succubus Blues, Richelle Meade. NOOK. Old Vaginal Fantasies book club pick.
• Killbox, Anne Aguirre. NOOK. The library doesn't own this one, although they have the earlier and later books in the series. So now I own it.
• Fleas, Flies, and Friars, Nicholas Orme. I've lost this one! It's almost time to confess to the library and pay my fine.
• The Scorpio Races, Maggie Stiefvater. (audio). Still popular, but slow going now that we aren't driving that much.
• A Parent's Guide to Developmental Delays,  Laurie Lecomer. My sister gave this to me five years ago when I had some concerns. Now I'm starting it. I have some delays of my own.
• The Whys of a Philosophical Scrivener, Martin Gardner. Dipper from my nonfiction shelf.
• The Pickwick Papers, Charles Dickens. Dipper. Now I get all the jokes from Little Women.
• Senrid, Sherwood Smith. Dipper. From my kidlit shelf.
• The Borrowers Afield, Mary Norton. Dipper. Winter is coming.
• War With the Newts, Karel Capek. Dipper. The slow build of menace is a bit slow.
• The Enemy, Charles Hudson. NOOK. This was almost our December family book club pick, but no longer. I guess I'll finish it anyway, after I get it back from the library. It expired on me.
• The Righteous Mind, Jonathan Haidt. (NOOK) Another expiration failure.
• Kushiel's Dart, Jacqueline Carey. Paused.

The list of the books I started but didn't finish is now a leetle bit shorter. The TBR Dare is a good time to attack these:

• The Tunnel of Hugsy Goode, Eleanor Estes. Was getting dull.
• 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.

2013 Challenges:

1. TBR Double Dare: Six books down so far. (I don't count library books.)
2. Cybils: 4/74. I spend so much time reading last years books that I've read very few of this years.
3. Where Am I Reading?: I have to re-sign up.
4. Science Book Challenge: Need to re-sign up.
5. Reading My Library:  Finished two more, by Nelson and Nicholls. Got the next six, some of which fit into the other challenges.
6. Best of the Best 2012: 36/25. Wendigo is almost done, and several Cybils books pushed this along.
7. Summer Reading Goal: I finished Ecstacy, and the next one is waiting its turn.

Most Challenging of All

And it's not even a challenge -- it's a DARE. Worse than that, a TBR Double-Dog Dare, hosted by Ready When You Are, C.B. This year I'm going to make it! Not like last year, when I fell in the last week or something.  I learned about this incredibly tough event from Teacher Ninja, and this year I'm pumped, I'm psyched, I'm hoping to finish the twenty books I started last August and somehow never finished.

The gist of the Dare is to not acquire new books. I shall read from my shelves. Everything on hold at the library or in the mail counts as in my possession, btw.

I'm also going to allow myself any book club books (from my evening club, my elementary school club, my family club, or Vaginal Fantasies). And of course I can get books for the Cybils challenge, although I will limit myself to two of those at a time (and any picture books I can get my hands on). It goes without saying that I can continue to work through my Goodreads TBR list, again two at a time (one in the bag, one on the waiting shelf).

Needless to say, if I  run out of unread books on my NOOK, then it's open season because obviously you win the DARE if you read all your books, right? And library books that I started on my NOOK but which expired don't count either.

One result of this challenge is that I should manage to tame my library account, which is starting to spiral up a bit. Oh, that reminds me of another exception -- I'll still check out books for my kids. I just won't sneak over and read them. OK, that's all the exceptions I can think of for now.

To cheer me on, I'll list here the books I finish that come from my shelves (no library books).

1. The Catholic Church In the Modern World, E. Haley
2. Princess Academy: Palace of Stone, Shannon Hale
3. Ecstasia, Francesca Lia Block
4. Smart But Scattered, Peg Dawson
5. Using the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics With Gifted and Advanced Learners, Susan Johnson
6. Holes, Louis Sachar
7. Killbox, Ann Aguirre (NOOK)
8. The Borrowers Afield, Mary Norton
9. Shadow of the Wind, Carlos Ruiz Zafon
10. Twenty and Ten, Clare Bishop
11. Gone, Michael Grant  (and here I cheated)
12. Steel's Edge, Ilona Andrews
13. King of Attolia, Megan Whelan Turner (reread)
14. Soup's Hoop, Robert Peck
15. Alanna, Tamora Pierce (reread)
16. In the Hands of the Goddess, Tamora Pierce (reread)
17. The Woman Who Rides Like a Man, Tamora Pierce (reread)
18. Lioness Rampant, Tamora Pierce (reread)
19. Bloody Jack, L.A. Meyer
20. The Tunnel of Hugsy Goode, Eleanor Estes
21. The Serpent's Shadow, Rick Riordan

Cybils 2012 Shortlist Challenge!

It's time for the 2012 Cybils Challenge -- reading all the finalists chosen, from every book category. This means that I try not to know about the winners until next year's books are chosen, so don't spoil me after February! I finished last years challenge on New Years Eve, but this year I think I'm starting from a smaller base so we'll see how it goes.

Oh, I have to skip all the BookApps since I don't have a smart phone. I'll put a background color on the ones I've read, which right now is very few. Also, I seem to have copied over the Amazon links with the book titles, which is nice, and I hope they are still set up to benefit the Cybils committee and pay for all the bookmarks and prizes they give out.

Easy Readers/Early Chapter Books - DONE!~
Easy Readers

1. A Trip to the Bottom of the World with Mouse (Toon)  by Frank Viva
2. Bink and Gollie, Two for One by Kate DiCamillo 
3. Penny and Her Doll by Kevin Henkes
4. Penny and Her Song by Kevin Henkes
5. Pinch and Dash Make Soup (Pinch & Dash by Michael J. Daley

Early Chapter Books - DONE!

1. Ivy and Bean Make the Rules (Book 9) by Annie Barrows
2. Marty McGuire Digs Worms! by Kate Messner
3. Rabbit and Robot: The Sleepover by Cece Bell
4. Sadie and Ratz by Sonya Hartnett
5. Violet Mackerel's Brilliant Plot by Anna Branford

Fantasy & Science Fiction (Middle Grade)

1. Beswitched by Kate Saunders
2. Geeks, Girls, and Secret Identities by Mike Jung
3. The Cabinet of Earths by Anne Nesbet
4. The False Prince: Book 1 of the Ascendance Trilogy by Jennifer A. Nielsen
5. The Last Dragonslayer (The Chronicles of Kazam) by Jasper Fforde
6. The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
7. The Peculiar by Stefan Bachmann

Fantasy & Science Fiction (Young Adult) DONE!

1. And All the Stars by Andrea K Höst
2. Every Day by David Levithan
3. Planesrunner (Everness, Book One) by Ian McDonald
4. Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
5. The Curiosities: A Collection of Stories by Brenna Yovanoff, Tessa Gratton,  and Maggie Stiefvater
6. The Drowned Cities by Paolo Bacigalupi
7. Vessel by Sarah Beth Durst

Fiction Picture Books DONE

1. Black Dog by Levi Pinfold
2. Chloe and the Lion by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Adam Rex
3. Creepy Carrots! by Aaron Reynolds, illustrated by Peter Brown
4. Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassen. Cute.
5. Home for Bird, A by Philip C. Stead
6. Infinity and Me by Kate Hosford, illustrated by Gabi Swiatkowska
7. One Special Day by Lola M. Schaefer, illustrated by Jessica Meserve

Graphic Novels
Elementary/Middle Grade

1. Annie Sullivan and the Trials of Helen Keller (Center for Cartoon Studies Presents) by Joseph Lambert
2. Giants Beware! by Jorge Aguirre and Rafael Rosado
3. Hilda and the Midnight Giant byLuke Pearson
4. Little White Duck: A Childhood in China (Single Titles) by Na Liu
5. Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales: Big Bad Ironclad! by Nathan Hale

Young Adult   DONE!

1. Darkroom: A Memoir in Black and White by Lila Quintero Weaver
2. Drama by Raina Telgemeier
3. Friends with Boys by Faith Erin Hicks
4. Ichiro by Ryan Inzana
5. Marathon by Boaz Yakin. 

Middle Grade Fiction

1. Almost Home by Joan Bauer
2. Chomp by Carl Hiaasen
3. Fourmile by Watt Key
4. Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead
5. The Adventures of Beanboy by Lisa Harkrader
6. The Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine. I read this on my way around the library.  A good sense of history, if from a well-worn perspective.
7. Wonder by R. J. Palacio

Nonfiction for Tweens & Teens DONE

1. Bomb: The Race to Build--and Steal--the World's Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin
2. Last Airlift: A Vietnamese Orphan's Rescue from War by Marsha Skrypuch
3. Moonbird: A Year on the Wind with the Great Survivor B95 by Phillip Hoose
4. Temple Grandin: How the Girl Who Loved Cows Embraced Autism and Changed the World by Sy Montgomery
5. Titanic: Voices From the Disaster by Deborah Hopkinson

Nonfiction Picture Books DONE 

1. Balloons over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade by Melissa Sweet
2. Dolphin Baby! by Nicola Davies
3. Eggs 1, 2, 3: Who Will the Babies Be? by Janet Halfmann
4. Island: A Story of the Galapagos by Jason Chin
5. Looking at Lincoln by Maira Kalman
6. Mrs. Harkness and the Panda by Alicia Potter
7. Nic Bishop Snakes by Nic Bishop

Poetry DONE

1. BookSpeak! Poems About Books by Laura Purdie Salas
2. In the Sea by David Elliott
3. Last Laughs: Animal Epitaphs by J. Patrick Lewis
4. Lies, Knives, and Girls in Red Dresses by Ron Koertge
5. National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry: 200 Poems with Photographs That Squeak, Soar, and Roar! by National Geographic Children's Books
6. UnBEElievables: Honeybee Poems and Paintings by Douglas Florian
7. Water Sings Blue by Kate Coombs

Young Adult Fiction

1. Boy21 by Matthew Quick
2. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
3. Endangered by Eliot Schrefer
4. I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga
5. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
6. Storyteller, The by Antonia Michaelis
7. Theory of Everything, The by J.J. Johnson

Book Apps

1. Bats! Furry Fliers of the Night written by Mary Kay Carson
2. Dragon Brush created by John Solimine and Andy Hullinger
3. Rounds: Franklin Frog written by Emma Tranter illustrated by Barry Tranter
4. The Voyage of Ulysses developed by Elastico Srl
5. Where Do Balloons Go? An Uplifting Mystery written by Jamie Lee Curtis illustrated by Laura Cornell

74/74

Odds and Ends -- The Unreviewed States Books

I managed to complete the 2012 Where Am I Reading Challenge, but I was better about finding the books than reviewing them. For completeness sake, I'm listing short responses to all the neglected books:

Fargo Rock City, Chuck Klosterman. A discussion of the impact glam rock and heavy metal had on society, specifically Klosterman's society in his tiny North Dakota hamlet and his later drunken career through college. My knowledge of heavy metal is minuscule, so much that I haven't even heard of most of the bands he discusses even though we aren't that far apart in age. (I did buy a KISS album once.) Also, I find people who use drugs as a form of recreation really boring, so a lot of the book kept making me fall asleep.

Chihuahua of the Baskervilles, Esri Allbritton. An amusing cosy mystery that took its characters seriously enough to hold my attention. Both the investigating characters and the murder suspects were quirky without being caricatures, and the humor avoided getting too grisly even as the body count climbed. I remember the tone fondly even as I've forgotten all the clues and possibly even the solution.

Jane, April Lindner. I enjoyed this retelling of Jane Eyre even though the story followed the plot closely enough that I never worried about what happened next. The writing held my interest without dealing the power of the original, but on the other hand I also had the enjoyment of seeing how L managed to get the next twist to make sense in the modern world.

Jasper Dash and the Flame Pits of Delaware, M.T. Anderson. It felt good to make my final state book be emphatically about the state it was set in, although I suspect that it might be hard for many Delawarians to recognize their state in this book. The silly story kept rollicking along, tossing in a few reality based details every few pages to ground the dinosaurs and arboreal squids.

King of the Mild Frontier, Chris Crutcher. The memoir shows where Crutcher gets many of the themes, characters, and settings for his books about kids with anger management issues, and he writes it in an amusing tone that doesn't disguise how annoying he must have been as a kid.

Home For a Spell, Madelyn Alt. Stumbling into the middle of this Midwestern cosy mystery series wasn't completely successful; it wasn't hard figuring out the recurring characters and their relationships but I didn't have quite enough empathy with them as the author counted on.

Moon Over Manifest, Clare Vanderpool. I can see how this won the Newbery -- weaving stories from two world wars, a girl's coming of age, and a mystery involving stories-within-stories are all elements aimed right at a librarian's heart. Some kids will also love it, but I don't think it will endure as a highly popular choice, though.

Oracle's Moon, Thea Harrison. This showed up from Felicia Day's book club, and charmed me immediately by working for my 50 states challenge. I also enjoyed it enough that I'll put other books in the series in my TBR list as a fun paranormal with the romance letting the action story take precedence.

Deadlocked, Charlaine Harris. I'm still enjoying the Sookie Stackhouse stories, but there is no question that the large overhead of complex histories and relationships are becoming a major drag.

Written in Bone, Sally Walker: I enjoyed the details of anthropological forensics covering several bodies uncovered in Maryland, although I was surprised at the end to discover it was meant as a YA nonfiction book. I just thought it was popular science. Also, my NOOK didn't handle the pictures well, so I missed all the illustrations.

Alvin Ho, Lenore Look: These early chapter books about a timid grade school boy and his accepting family are fun reads although I'd prefer a bit less tall tell elements; my favorite parts are the chapters that seem perfectly real and loving.

School of Fear, Gitty, Daneshvari: There is sort of a mini-genre of macabre kidlit, and the Fear School books fall into it. I enjoy them but I don't rush about pushing them into kids' hands.

Fair Game, Patricia Briggs. Brigg's books are becoming comfort reads for me; I enjoy their empowering characterization and also the actiony bits, although I tend to forget the plots rather quickly. I think I read this one twice this year, and I'm looking forward to her next urban fantasy release.

North Winds Blow Free, Elizabeth Howard. Solid historical fiction describing the lives of some workers on the Underground Railroad, with interesting ideas about what people owe to each other, even to strangers, and no modern sensibilities about women's rights or parental empathy.

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter, Tom Franklin. I don't think I was supposed to be so distracted with sorrow over the wasted life in this book; the action thriller concentrated on the new murders happening around town and how those ripples affect the people, but I never got over the changes forced by the back story killings.

The Ghost Belonged to Me, Richard Peck. Rereading this book was interesting as I could compare my reactions to my memories. I remembered my response much better than any of the plot, so it's fun to see what events pulled that bittersweet emotion from my teen aged self.

Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead. I found the angst a bit annoying in this story about superpowered vampire kids at a boarding school, with royalty and blood drinking and forbidden love and all that. The wold building was interesting but the kids themselves not as much.

Super Human, Michael Carroll. My son raved about this book, so I planned to dislike it (I don't like being oversold) but the ending made me a believer, enough that I bought him the next book. And its location in Nebraska charmed me as well.

How to Rig an Election, Allen Raymond. A confessional by a Republic election manager describing the completely cynical and ethics-free approach to handling a candidate, including the shenanigans that got him sent to prison for a few months. Depressing look at modern politics indeed.

Wild, Wild Death, Casey Daniels. A paranormal mystery that never really engaged me, perhaps because I don't share the main character's passion for clothes. Or her really selfish worldview, for that matter. Maybe I'm just old.

Ten Miles Past Normal, Frances Dowell. The stresses of being a high school student on a goat farm give a good lens to this book about life in high school, with the problems of finding your own place, navigating the dating game, and figuring out how mature you really are. Fun even before I figured out it was set in North Carolina.

Geometry of Sisters, Luanne Rice: I was expecting a fluffy romance from the cover, but instead got a real book about a family dealing with grief from many directions. I kept tripping over how selfish all the characters were, claiming their love for each other even as they needlessly inflicted incredible pain on their family. I hope my family has a better sense that love is an action as much as an emotion.

Hot Water, Erin Brockovich. The intrepid environmental activist wanders down to South Carolina, leaving her EVIL father-in-law behind to work shenanigans on her son.

The Hum and the Shiver, Alex Bledsoe. Although some might find it slow-moving, I enjoyed the leisurely pace of this coming-home novel, where we slowly learn about both the characters and the magical powers permeating their valley home.

The Same Stuff as Stars, Katherine Paterson. I'm at exactly the wrong age to be reading books about neglected children -- too old to appreciate their agency (as a kid, I never troubled myself about loser parents, because who needs 'em anyway?) and too young not to scream abuse at the parents. So I'm not a good judge of this book.

The Azalea Assault, Alyce Carlson. A cosy mystery around a Virginia public relations committee, which was pleasant reading but not very memorable. I think I found the bestie's tendencies towards violence tedious.

Rock Bottom, Erin Brockovich. Two star-crossed lovers separated by a misunderstanding, although at least an entire town has collaborated together to create the problem and to prevent the couple from talking to each other. It was important not to look too closely to the plot of this environmental thriller.

Close Range, Annie Proulx. Wyoming appears to be a desperately unhappy place to live, where the only flickers of happiness tend to be generated by drug abuse. Let's just say that the last story, "Brokeback Mountain" brought a little extra cheer to the book.

Drama City, George Pelecanos. A cop story stalking the gritty streets of D.C., with few glimpses of hope.

Heading Into the Holidays

I continue to neglect this little blog, but I'm also getting stressed about the holidays approaching. I still need to finish all my challenges! And if I have time around that, I might do some Christmas shopping or decorating or maybe baking. Hmm. I can probably delegate that last to my kids; they make better cookies anyway.

This week I only read five books, and four were middle school books. None were from my Cybils challenge, none gave me new states, and one filled in my final North America slot. What they had in common was the library calling them home - all five had no renews left.

Next week I REALLY need to read at least two more state books, although I'm partly through at least one, as well as making progress on two Cybils books. I got a last South America book from the library from my latest READING MY LIBRARY gathering, although now I note that I need another South Pacific book.  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. But the library strain is lifting, and I should make it into January, where I'll institute some kind of Read-Your-Own-Silly-Shelves discipline.

I'll go sign in at Book Journey's round-up of what people have read, are reading, and will read. And since almost all of my reading this week was middle grade, I'll also check in with Teach Mentor Texts, which specializes in books for the non-voting crowd.

• Milagros, The Girl From Away, Meg Medina. A Reading My Library book that also takes place in non-USA North America.
• The Clone Codes #2, Patricia C. McKissack. Continuing the series that my school book club is reading.
• War Horse, Michael Morpurgo. RML book that makes me all trendy.
• The Magnificent 12: The Key, Michael Grant. Third in the series; lots of fun although the kids liked it more than I did.
• Master and Apprentice, Sonya Bateman. Sequel that grew on me the longer I read it.

What am I currently reading? Technically I have 28 books open, but really I'm only trying to read about six. I guess that doesn't make me sound much saner, does it?

• Sunshine, Robin McKinley. Rereading my favorite vampires & chocolate book. Yum. I don't mind how long this reread takes.
• Everybody Sees the Ants, A.S. King. Cybils book, and also a Best of the Best pick. Looks like it will be depressing.
• Fargo Rock City, Chuck Klosterman. History of heavy metal that is set in NORTH DAKOTA. It emphasizes how out of it I was in my youth.
• Moon Over Manifest, Clare Vanderpool. I bought this for the Newbery sticker, and it's set in KANSAS.
• The King Commands, Meg Burden. Sequel to an earlier Cybils book and top of my TBR list.
• Sheltered From the Swastika, Peter Kory. Present from LibraryThing. The war just ended, and bureaucracy has a plan for Peter.
• The Curse of the Wendigo, Richard Yancy. (audio) Paulos can't understand why Xan and I stick with this; the scene with the kid trying to rip out a corpse's heart started this conversation again.
• Frost, Marianna Baer. (NOOK). I got it back! I have to say, modern boarding schools are tough reading for me; the kids just seem less interesting on their own.
• The Enemy, Charles Hudson. NOOK. This was almost our December family book club pick, but no longer. I guess I'll finish it anyway.
• The Righteous Mind, Jonathan Haidt. (NOOK) My brother recommended this to me, but it keeps getting buried beneath challenge books.
• Phoenix In Flight, Sherwood Smith & Dave Trowbridge. (NOOK).  Deaths and dismemberments in the final battle!
• 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, which Spencer doesn't do particularly well.
• 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. Dipper. 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 has not budged:

• 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 almost finished, one started, and one waiting. I'm calm.
2. Global Reading Challenge: 19/21.  I finished North America, I have a South America waiting, and I need an Oceanea. Slightly stressed.
3. Where Am I Reading?:  44/50.  Currently reading Kansas and North Dakota. Have New Hampshire waiting. I think I have North Carolina waiting as well. Need to check on Delaware, and I think I still need Idaho. Stressed.
4. Science Book Challenge: 3.1415/3.14159. Done, but I'd like more. I wonder if Righteous Minds will be science? And if I'll get to read it this year?
5. Reading My Library:  Finished two more, by Medina and Morpurgo. Got the next six, some of which fit into the other challenges.
6. Eclectic Challenge: 11/12. Still need a classic. Stressed.
7. Best of the Best: 32/25. Wendigo is sliming along, and I picked two more audios from the list for our holiday traveling. Some overlaps with Cybils will also notch this up. No stress at all.
8. Summer Reading Goal: I think I'll try to finish the cleanup during the January no-new-books period.

Journey Into the Past

A huge chunk of my historical knowledge comes from the historical fiction I read, so I hope that the authors try to get things right. Sometimes it's realistic, and sometimes magic is used to get modern day characters with their comprehensible perspectives into the right place. I enjoy getting the feel of life in a different place, especially when the author is able to give the sense of a different culture, one with different moral codes and expectations.

Lolah Burford gives a double dose of this, as her book wanders between the distant world of Stephen and the less different but still alien world of the children his visits in his visions. Stephen himself agrees to things that would astonish my kids, especially in terms of what he owes his parents and the justice in punishment for rules he broke with a very good reason. Erik Haugaard's version of historical Japan doesn't dally with any fantastical elements, but manages to give a strong sense of place without lapsing into a didactic tone too often. And the fairy tales of Hausman read like ones from long ago, when fairy tales were told to families and not reserved for children or sanitized for tender adult sentiments.

The Vision of Stephen, Lolah Burford. One of the titles that Noel Perrin recommended in A Child's Delight, his book of neglected children's literature.  I found it fascinating, and I would have loved it as a kid, but I'm not sure whom to recommend it to. There is torture and death, which may turn off the young kids, but there isn't sex, so YA may see it as young. I liked the strong historical sense of Stephen's life, even as he finds himself in an untenable position. (I tried to get Xan interested, but the hazy cover didn't grab him and the book had to go back to the library.)

The Revenge of the Forty-Seven Samurai, Erik Christian Haugaard. I enjoyed the glimpse into historical Japan, where Jiro's lowly position gives him a reader's eye perspective on the world of samurai in the changing society.  I did occasionally wonder where the viewpoint was coming from -- it seemed too mature to be Jiro's childhood thoughts, but not removed enough to be his memories as an adult.  I enjoyed learning about Japanese customs and mores in the 1700's too much to worry about it much. Haugaard does a good job of letting Jiro question the samurais' willingness to face execution without making him appear as a modern character somehow plunked in a historical novel. In general I like Haugaard matter-of-fact approach to historical fiction, and I've read several of his books from Vikings through Japanese history.

The Rat-Catcher's Daughter, Laurence Housman. Noel Perrin also recommended the stories by A.E. Housman's forgotten brother, who apparently was the famous one during their early careers. These are beautiful fairy tales that remind me of my childhood book Great Swedish Fairy Tales. They are ruthless in the way only fairy tales can be (lots of kids and babies die, and the small child who grows up trapped in Sleeping Beauty's cursed castle is heartbreaking). Well done, Housman's younger brother.

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.