19th Challenge Completed!

This year's Notable Book Challenge was an expanded version of the NYT Notable Book Challenge of last year.  Many lists of books were available for the choosing and there was no minimum book requirement.  I, once again, chose 6 books - all being Young Adult, except one.  My original intent was not to read all YA, but that's how it evolved.  Rating wise, this turned out to be a pretty successful challenge.

Thank you Wendy from Notable Books for hosting this challenge!

Notable Book Challenge Reads:

The Invention of Hugo Cabret (Selznick)

2007 Publisher's Weekly Best Books

The Gathering (Enright)

2007 NYT Most Notable

Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Kenney)

2007 Publisher's Weekly Best Books

The Boy in Striped Pajamas (Boyne)

2007 International Reading Association Notable Books

Sold (McCormick)

2007 International Reading Association Notable Books

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (Alexie)

2007 Publisher's Weekly Best Books

Here is my original list of books with links to my thoughts.

Favorite:

Sold (McCormick)

Least Favorite:

The Gathering (Enright)

THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN

Author: Sherman Alexie

Genre: YA Fiction

Published: 2007

Personal Rating: 3/5

Yearly Count: 99

The main character, Arnold Spirit aka Junior, is a high school freshman and lives with his poor family on a reservation. Junior's experiences with other kids and adults alike, are not pleasant - to say the least. After a particular incident, Junior makes the decision to transfer from the reservation high school to the rich, all white high school well outside the reservation. His transfer helps him see the world in a different light.

This is another book that has left me with somewhat of a blah feeling and it is not the lack of writing skills by the author. The story line flowed and the descriptive writing allowed me to understand Junior, but in general, it just wasn't an enjoyable read. I'm not even so sure that Native Americans will appreciate how this book represents them. While girls may enjoy this, I think boys would wallow in its supposed humor.

*Since writing the above, I have discovered that the author has based this book upon his own life. That does put a different spin on my thoughts, but I will leave my rating as is.

SOLD

Author: Patricia McCormick

Genre: YA Realistic Fiction

Published: 2006

Personal Rating: 4.5/5

Yearly Count: 89

Lakshmi is a thirteen-year-old girl that lives in Nepal with her mother, stepfather and brother. Their living conditions are meager and food is often scarce, but they survive. One day after Lakshmi's stepfather squanders what money they had, he announces that it is time for Lakshmi to work. He sells her into a world of darkness under the guise of working in the city as a maid.

Whoa. I wasn't fully aware of what was going to happen to Lakshmi and frankly I was surprised. McCormick researched and interviewed women in Nepal making this story very accurate and in turn extremely disturbing. The writing - amazing. She delivered such a deplorable topic through a poetic style that swept me up. This fast-paced book helps build awareness through the life of Lakshmi that is truly palpable. McCormick is going on my "must read another soon" list.

THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS

Author: John Boyne
Genre: Fiction
Published: 2006

Personal Rating: 4/5

Yearly Count: 80

In the early 40's, Bruno is a naive nine-year-old boy that lives in Berlin. One day he comes home from school to find the maid packing his things. He discovers that his father has received a promotion and the family needs to move far away. Bruno hates his new home and longs for friends. One day he goes exploring and finds a boy . . . a boy in striped pajamas.

I've never read a book on the subject of the Holocaust from this perspective. It was very interesting and well done. Actually, all the characters gave good insight into their individual worlds that helped paint the picture of the time frame. While I was listening, I did feel that Bruno was extremely naive, but after listening to the author's explanation in an interview, I fully understand now. It was a quick read, not light or easy, but one worth reading.

Boyne also said in an interview with his publisher that he wrote this novel as a book - not as an adult or children's book, just a book. He believes that classifications are more for where to place a book in a store or library; however, it was published as an adult book.

DIARY OF A WIMPY KID

Author: Jeff Kinney

Genre: Children

Published: 2007

Personal Rating: 2.5/5

Yearly Count: 73

Greg Heffley's mother requires Greg to write journal entries throughout his first year in middle school. With terrific illustrations and Greg's language, we are taken on a bumpy ride - otherwise known as preteen angst.

This one is difficult to rate. I'm not a fan of promoting mean, manipulative behavior and that's what Greg is all about. While his antics are somewhat humorous (grins from me, not laughter), they have such a negative undertone that they are not appealing. Even though I'm ending on a below middle of the road rating, I will pick up the next one in this series. Maybe Greg will learn some humility or just plain kindness; however, I'm not holding my breath.

THE GATHERING

Anne Enright

Genre: Fiction

Published: 2007

Personal Rating: 1/5

Yearly Count: 38

Told from the middle child's perspective, the Hegarty family gather together for a loved one's funeral. Memories, future thoughts, today, dreams, truth, hallucinations - all jumbled up together - what a mess!

If it weren't for the fact that I received this book from the kind-hearted Gentle Reader of Shelf Life and that it is a Man Booker Challenge AND Notable Books Challenge choice, I would have abandoned it from the get-go.

THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET

Brian Selznick

Genre: Children

Published: 2007

Personal Rating: 4.25/5

Yearly Count: 28

Hugo Cabret, an orphaned child of twelve, lives in the walls of a train station in Paris and he has a secret. A secret that has kept him safe, thus far. The mystery behind this graphic novel is based on his secret and it's in jeopardy of being found out.

While reading this in one sitting, I found it to be fascinating - until the ending. Even though many characters had unflattering traits, the storyline was engrossing. The illustrations, which were created by the author himself, were impressive and appealing; they drew me deeper into the story. Every page turned steadily increased my curiosity and excitement. My thoughts often revolved around how much I was enjoying the build up and how children would just love this book. Unfortunately though, it fell apart with the ending. Well, maybe not "fell apart", but it didn't hold to the same standard as the rest of the book. Aside from that, it's a wonderful mystery, full of adventure for both boys and girls!

COMPLETED: July, 2008

Hosted By: Caribousmom

(6 books/January - December, 2008)

The Invention of Hugo Cabret (Selznick)

2007 Publisher's Weekly Best Books

(Finished: February, 2008)

The Gathering (Enright)

2007 NYT Most Notable

(Finished: March, 2008)

Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Kenney)

2007 Publisher's Weekly Best Books

(Finished: May, 2008)

The Boy in Striped Pajamas (Boyne)

2007 International Reading Association Notable Books

(Finished: June, 2008)

Sold (McCormick)

2007 International Reading Association Notable Books

(Finished: July, 2008)

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (Alexie)

(Finished:  July, 2008)

OTHER POSSIBILITIES:

The Cloud of Unknowing (Cook) ~ DNF

Firmin' (Savage)

The Whistling Season (Doig)

The Secret River (Grenville)

NYT Notable Book Challenge

THE WORST HARD TIME

Timothy Egan ~ BOiPod

Personal Rating: 3.5/5

Yearly Count: 106

Drought. Dust. Wind. If I hear any of those three words anytime soon, I think I might just scream! If that's how I feel with hearing the words, I can only imagine living with the meaning of those words as the people did in portions of 10 states during the 30's. It was devastating.

I found the first half or so of this book to drag, but eventually I got drawn into this horrible disaster. The information and details were so repetitive that at times I really wanted to give up, but once again ... what about those people who lived it? Many did give up on their land and moved, while many still stayed. They lived for approximately 8 years with, yes - drought, dust and wind. These conditions didn't allow proper farming, hence proper living. It caused hunger, powerful static electricity, inability to see past their own hand, drifts of dust that blocked their doorways and had to be shoveled liked snow and death from dust pneumonia.

The most incredibly sad piece of information out of The Worst Hard Time was that it could have all been prevented. The Dust Bowl was man-made.

NYT Notable Book Challenge

THE PLACES IN BETWEEN

Rory Stewart ~ BOiPod

Personal Rating: 2.5/5

Yearly Count: 103

Since reading The Only Road North (Mirandette), I've been looking forward to reading another travel book that crosses territory unknown to me. This was not a good choice. I was thoroughly disappointed.

Stewart, a British writer decides to walk on foot across Afghanistan following the path of another man's journey in 1506. He claims that he wanted to focus on the history and culture of Afghanistan. I suppose he did accomplish that, but it is almost void of any emotion. There were a few times when he expressed a glimmer of his feelings regarding his circumstances, but they were far and few between. The story truly lacked that personal component you would expect in a memoir. Other than that, there were some interesting tidbits of information, but nothing of value.

NYT Notable Book Challenge

BLACK SWAN GREEN

David Mitchell ~ BOiPod

Personal Rating: 2/5

Yearly Count: 97

In this novel, we are transported to a small town named Black Swan Green which is located in England. Through the eyes of Jason Taylor, we travel through his 13th year of life. We experience his family, friends, school and the general joys of growing up. Ha!

Well. Blah. Frankly, it was a dreary book. At first, I read a few chapters and found it to be a bit bland, but was still interested in knowing the story, so I decided to locate it on CD. I was able to do that, so I listened to the rest of it. It was a very difficult listen. After hearing so many vile words, descriptions and actions, I was in continual cringe mode and was often repulsed. I stayed with it because I knew that it was just crude, juvenile bathroom humor and had hoped that there would be a light at the end of the tunnel. There was no light.

I'm not sure what I disliked most, the appalling language and antics or the lack of any sympathetic or compassionate main characters. It was just, all around, not a good one for me.

NYT Notable Book Challenge

THE BLIND SIDE

Michael Lewis ~ BOiPod
Personal Rating: 3.5/5
Yearly Count: 67

This was a surprise. I never anticipated listening to a book about football, but it landed itself on the New York Times Notable Books 2006 list, so I picked it up for the challenge. It's not that I don't like football, I do; I just didn't think I'd listen to all the details of one such game. And so not surprisingly, I really didn't relish the football fest, but it was okay. The history and stats didn't draw my attention, yet Grover Gardner as the narrator, presented it very well.

What I enjoyed most was the story of Michael Oher, the Memphis, virtually homeless, young black man just trying to survive in the world. A wealthy, white family emotionally and physically adopts him into their hearts and home. His story is inspiring and touching.

Merging the two stories seemed to forfeit a gentle flow. The stories bounced around and sometimes it felt very scattered, but in the end, I learned a bit here and there, so it worked out. My recommendation is that you should have a little more than a slight interest in football to make this book be worth your while. If you're a fan of this pigskin sport, it's a winner.

NYT Notable Book Challenge

ONE GOOD TURN

Kate Atkinson

Personal Rating: 3/5

Yearly Count: 40

One big disappointment was my feeling as I concluded this chunkster. I loved the cover and title, the author was new-to-me, the plot was intriguing and unfortunately I was let down. An "okay read" ends up as a real literary bummer when you anticipate something great.

The "across the pond" setting produced mixed emotions in me. I like exploring cities that I've never physically been to, but I also like to be familiar with (or made to feel familiar with) the lingo, names of places and buildings, etc. I sometimes felt like I had to read at a slower pace just to make sure I didn't miss an important piece of the puzzle. I was at a disadvantage.

The beginning opens with a road rage scene that really drew me in and then I was flooded with a stream of characters that ultimately held no water. Their personalities did not entice me, yet I thought it was going to happen at any moment. There were plenty of hopefuls and with a very prolific author I was surprised that none of them panned out. I experienced the same with the plot. Great ideas and some really good scenes, but something was missing or maybe it was just too bland for a thriller. I don't know. ???

Making the NYT Most Notable Books of 2006 is interesting. I'm not sure how that whole process works, but this book doesn't qualify in my opinion. Rating this book a 3 seems like a gift, but it's not. I'm just miffed that I spent hours and hours reading it (a chunkster no less) and wasn't satisfied.

NYT Notable Book Challenge

EVERYMAN

Philip Roth ~ BOiPod

Personal Rating: 1.5/5

Yearly Count: 39

If you like to read or listen to someone complaining about aches and pains, medications, surgery, sickness, infidelity, divorces, estranged relationships, and death - this one is for you. It was NOT for me!

Personal Genre Challenge & NYT Notable Book Challenge

THE ROAD
Cormac McCarthy
Personal Rating: 4.25/5
Yearly Count: 25




NO, I did not read this as an Oprah Book Club member! I checked it out from the library and had it nicely nestled in a pile of TBR books days before she announced it. However, I did put it on the top of the pile once I knew I wouldn't be able to renew it because hordes of people would be placing it on hold.

*I'm not sure why I felt compelled to share the above, but I feel better now. :)

Normally when I finish a book, I run to the computer (okay, I don't run, but I do make it there rather quickly) and type out my thoughts. I don't feel 100% finished until I click "PUBLISH", and then I can move on to the next book. I tell you that because that didn't happen this time. It couldn't. I couldn't. I couldn't put my thoughts together enough to make any sense. (I'm not quite sure if I waited long enough now!) Anyway...

Wow! Bleak. Powerful. Thought-provoking. This author was as new-to-me as was the subject matter, so I had two whammies at once. What a well-written post-apocalyptic novel, although on occasion it felt a little drawn out. I attributed that to my traveling "the road" with this father and son duo and feeling every pothole and pebble along the way. I continue to feel a little battered from the ramifications of that journey and suggest all readers be prepared.

I have been left in somewhat of a funk. I am in need of something a little more uplifting. I'm off to find some happiness...


*Recommended By: A Fraternity of Dreamers

NYT Notable Book Challenge

BEASTS OF NO NATION

Uzodinma Iweala

Personal Rating: 3.25/5

Yearly Count: 23

You can't let the light-weight of this book fool you; it is very heavy in content. It was an extremely difficult book to read and to rate. The language in which the narrator speaks is broken pidgin English, but I found it to be easy to comprehend; however, it may cause some to be annoyed.

The story of civil war is told through the eyes of Agu, a young boy, that is torn from his place of hiding to either join the rebel soldiers or die. Agu's experience is horrifying and leaves him stripped of all innocence. What else would you expect with the oxymoron "child-soldier"?

This by no means is a pleasurable read. It is filled with brutality and sadness. I learned from it, so ultimately I'm glad I read it, but it's not for everybody.

NYT Notable Book Challenge & Personal Genre Challenge

THE INHABITED WORLD

David Long

Personal Rating: 4/5

Yearly Count: 22

I had an 'on again/off again' relationship with this book. I first was introduced to it by Kristin at Books for Breakfast (see link below) and was very intrigued, so I put it on my forever long TBR list. Then, I decided I wasn't interested in reading about a ghost and crossed it off. However, when the NYT Notable Book Challenge came along (it being on the list of choices) and my desire to stretch myself in genres, I decided to take the plunge. All in all, it was a bit somber, but I'm glad I read it.

What stands out most to me is the in-depth emotional content and well-developed characters. Long's ability to weave deep connections to these characters was very well done. The concept of Evan (the main character) being a 'ghost' is far from freaky or scary, despite his ability to 'live' on the premise where he lived and died, as he seeks the reason "why?" he was led to suicide. So, we go on the journey with him, going from who lives in the house now back to Evan's childhood and forward again.

Closure to the plot was there, yet I had hoped for a more satisfying ending. I feel a vague sense of being left to dangle. Maybe that's how Evan felt. Hmmm, something to ponder.

*Recommended By: Books for Breakfast

COMPLETED ON: 11-08-07

Yep...I have decided to join in on this one, as well. All you have to do is choose books from the New York Times Notable Books 2006 list, then you are in, too! If you'd like to engage in some booktalk with others reading from the same list, click here.


1. Half of a Yellow Sun (Adichie)
Reshelved


*2. One Good Turn (Atkinson)
Finished on 5-26-07


*3. Eat, Pray, Love (Gilbert)
Finished on 1-15-07

*4. The Inhabited World (Long)
Finished on 3-25-07

*5. The Road (McCarthy)
Finished on 4-3-07

*6. Black Swan Green (Mitchell)

Finished on 10-16-07


7. Suite Francaise (Nemirovsky)
Reshelved


*8. Beasts of No Nation (Iweala)

Finished on 3-29-07


9. The Echo Maker (Powers)
Did Not Finish

*10. Reading Like a Writer (Prose)
Finished on 11-5-06

*11. Everyman (Roth)
Finished on 5-22-07


*12. Digging to America (Tyler)

Finished on 9-7-06

ALTERNATES:

*The Blind Side (Lewis)

Finished on 8-6-07

Arthur and George (Barnes)

Did Not Finish

Skinner's Drift (Fugard)

*The Worst Hard Time (Egan)

Finished on 11-08-07

*The Places In Between (Stewart)
Finished on 10-31-07

*Clicking on a title will link you to "Thoughts of Joy..."

EAT, PRAY, LOVE
Elizabeth Gilbert ~ BOiPod
Personal Rating: 4/5
Yearly Count: 5




This is the recollection of Elizabeth Gilbert's healing, spiritual journey. She traveled to Italy, India, and Indonesia in search of self and the meaning of life, ultimately seeking peace and tranquility. I admire her independence and determination to pursue this right and privilege as a human being.

While there are numerous bits of wisdom or sheer observations that can be taken from this book, here are just two nuggets that happened to stick with me:

"This is what rituals (ceremonies or celebrations) are for...to create a safe resting place for our most complicated feelings of joy or trauma so we don't have to haul these feelings around with us forever weighing us down."

"Make peace with what you were given."

Both of these quotes are not necessarily profound, yet in their own way have made an impact on me. I do think they are a good representation that being in a reflective mood when reading this book will contribute to it being a pleasant and thought-provoking experience.

A few times throughout the book, I wanted her to stop being so self-absorbed, but when that happened I would say to myself, "Hey, it's HER memoir. I think that's allowed." :)

"P" Author-Based A ~ Z Reads

READING LIKE A WRITER
Francine Prose
Personal Rating: 3/5





Anything goes. That's what I gleaned from this book. I chose to read this as a reference book for me as a teacher, not as a writer. Therein lays the reason for my rating. Even though I understand and agree with all that Prose discussed, from the get-go, I just wasn't on the same page. Maybe I wasn't in the right frame of mind or thought it would be different, I'm not exactly sure, but my rating remains my rating.

I do believe that this book could be a useful tool for those that need to look at their personal writing from a new perspective. Reading though purposefully chosen excerpts to show different styles in word choice, sentence structure, paragraphing, narration, character development, dialogue, details, and gestures could definitely be a help to those in need. Her selections were well-chosen and depict exactly what she was trying to convey.

Prose also touches on the mentality of writers and how many feel trapped or compelled to follow the "rules" of writing, when those "rules" are consistently and effectively broken throughout literature. Here's how Prose relays that very same message:

"...literature not only breaks the rules, but makes us realize that there are none."

Ultimately, Prose believes (which I agree and teach) that the light that guides the path of writing and is the core encourager is ... reading.