nmhale's 999

Even though the challenge is still three months away, I'm so excited that I've already thought up some categories, although these may change. I've decided not to list any books, though, until I read them (more closure that way), so these lists will remain blank for a while.

The categories, as of this point, are:

1) Biographies, Autobiographies, and Memoirs 1/9
2) Unfinished College Books 1/9
*these will have to be ones that were unread or mostly unread
3) Books Read to My Daughter 9/9 Completed!
4) Norton Critical Edition Classics and Virago Modern Classics 3/9
*that's the English lit major coming out in me
5) Fairy Tales or Fairy Tale Re-tellings 3/9
6) Magical Realism 0/9
7) New Books by Favorite Old Authors 2/9
8) Non-Fiction 4/9
9) YA Lit and Children's Fiction 5/9




Since I just started the 50 book challenge, and made the ground rule for myself that half have to be non-fiction, I decided to include some non-fiction categories for this challenge. I rarely read in any non-fiction genres, so this will be good for me.

I already have some books in mind. Now the hard part will be waiting for 2009. :) Oh well, plenty of other books to read until then.

Category 1: Biographies, Autobiographies, and Memoirs

1) Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
4/5 stars

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Category 2: Unfinished College Books

1) Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce
3.5/5 stars

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Category 3: Books Read to my Daughter

1) The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
4/5 stars

2) Spot Goes to School by Eric Hill
3/5 stars

3) Good Night Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
4/5 stars

4) Cinderella Skeleton by Robert San Souci
3.5/5 stars

5) How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight by Jane Yolen
4.5/5 stars

6) Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
3/5 stars

7) Gossie by Olivier Dunrea
4/5 stars

8) Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr.
4.5/5 stars

9) Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathman
5/5 stars

10) Hey, Al by Arthur Yorinks
3/5 stars

11) Noah's Ark by Peter Spiers
4/5 stars

12) The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle
4/5 stars

Category 4: Norton Critical Edition Classics or Virago Modern Classics

1) Plagued by the Nightingale by Kay Boyle
4/5 stars

2) A View of the Harbor by Elizabeth Taylor
4/5 star

3) The Third Miss Symons by F.M. Mayor
3/5 stars

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Category 5: Fairy Tales or Fairy Tale Re-tellings

1) Cinderellis and the Glass Hill by Gail Carson Levine
3.5/5 stars

2) A Wolf at the Door and Other Retold Fairy Tales by Datlow and Windling
3/5 stars

3) Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall by Bill Willingham
3/5 stars

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Category 6: Magical Realism

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Category 7: New Books by Favorite Old Authors

1) The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary
4/5 stars

2) Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce
3.5/4 stars

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Category 8: Non-Fiction

1) Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin
2/5 stars

2) Sippy Cups Are Not for Chardonnay by Stefanie Wilder-Taylor
3/5 stars

3) Hiroshima by John Hersey
4/5 stars

4) Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson
4.5/5 stars

5)
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Category 9: YA Lit and Children's Fiction

1) The Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli
3/5 stars

2) Stories to Solve by George Shannon
3/5 stars

3) Still More Stories to Solve by George Shannon
3/5 stars

4) The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman
4/5 stars

5) The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
4.5/5 stars

6)
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8)
9)

I just read The Snow Queen by Mercedes Lackey and I really enjoyed it. That would fit in your fairy tale category.

Thanks! I've never read a Mercedes Lackey, although often thought about it. I'll have to check it out (although I own quite a few that I haven't read yet, so it may have to wait).

Mmmph, I hate to change a category, because they all sound like fun, but others suggested in the general post creating a category of "books read with my daughter" and I absolutely can not leave that out.

So, I guess I'll drop New Books by Old Authors and replace it with my new category. Actually, this will probably make my odds of finishing this challenge more likely. :)

Ah, yet another change. Well, since I just started to get involved in Virago Modern Classics (thank you FleurFisher), I think I will combine that with Norton Classics. As another plus, Norton's are all extremely long, since they always include a couple hundred pages of essays and criticisms about the book. So this will make my challenge a little easier!

I really enjoy Magical Realism, can't wait to see what ends up on your list. I may end up expanding my TBR:)

Another magical realism fan, hmm? Even though I love it, I don't know how broad my experience has been. Heavy emphasis on Marquez, with some Borges, Allende, and Castillo thrown in. I did some research on Wikipedia for the origins of magical realism, and was hoping to try some of those out next year.

Like Water for Chocolate perhaps for more magical realism?

Looking forward to see what will end up in your Magical Realism category, I only read some Marquez.

#17 > Yes, I actually own Like Water for Chocolate and am planning (so far) to read it for this category.

Marquez is wonderful. I just picked up one of his books on a buying trip today -- The Autumn of the Patriarch. I've seen the movie version of Like Water for Chocolate and loved it, maybe I can add it to my stack this coming year.

I'm still trying to wrap my head around the difference between magical realism and urban fantasy. The other half and I were just discussing that yesterday in the car. Would you accept urban fantasy suggestions?

#21> So glad you liked Marquez! I've neither seen the movie nor read the book of Like Water for Chocolate, even though it's sitting on my shelf. Looking forward to reading it for this challenge.

#22>Oh yes, please do! I also enjoy urban fantasy, even if it's not on my 999 challenge. :) I do think it's different than magical realism. For me, magical realism blends fantasy into extremely realistic settings in such a way that it seems natural, and the characters all accept it as part of the normal world. Urban fantasy, on the other hand, is set in modern day settings, blended with fantasy elements, but generally these supernatural elements are secret from the majority of the human population, and they are very much aware that they are not part of the "normal" world. That's how I distinguish them. Regardless, I like them both!

OK, I didn't see any of these in your library but you may have read them already. This is probably a mixed bag of both genres. The touchstones were hung up, so I didn't bother with them.

War for the Oaks by Emma Bull
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
Angels on Fire by Nancy A Collins
The Good Die Twice by Lee Driver

by Elizabeth Hand
The Glimmering
Black Light
Waking the Moon
Last Summer at Mars Hill

by Sergei Lukyanenko
Night Watch
Day Watch
Twilight Watch
Last Watch
(ETA: there are vampires in the Watch series too, but it's mostly about Witches/Warlocks)

I don't know if you like vampire tales. I enjoyed Peeps by Scott Westerfeld

This one is very dark in tone and has pervasive language in it (wanted to warn you).
Those Who Walk In Darkness by John Ridley

Not as fast as some of you speedy readies, but I have finished up my first entry. Hooray!

Um, it's not exactly the book that I thought would start my challenge, though. :) I was on vacation over the holidays with a friend, and she bought this book, and on the plan ride home, she finished it and loaned it to me.

Down side: not a big fan of the book.

Up side: it's nonfiction, and will fit my dewey decimal challenge, and was a fast read

I am very surprised to start off my challenge with a)non-fiction, b)a book I hadn't planned, and c)this particular choice (not really my type of reading pick). But here it is, my first entry.

Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin
I had mixed feelings about this book. I only read it because a friend loaned it to me, but I did ask her about it because the tone sounded funny, and it describes itself as a healthy eating book, which I can use at this time of the year!

As I read, though, I realized that the book sells itself under false pretenses. It actually is a book that explains and promotes the Vegan lifestyle. Yes, yes, being a Vegan will make you super healthy and skinny. I just feel that if you are writing a nonfiction book about something, you should be up front with your agenda. Marketing it as a diet book and using controversial language just to boost sales (which they declare in the final chapter) compromises the integrity of your message. I think they're of the opinion that the the ends justify the means, because they are very passionate about animal cruelty, and while I admire their compassion, I do not agree with their approach. The shock tactics, foul language and bullying efforts, just distanced me.

The ending redeemed it a bit. In the last two chapters, they admit that they're not perfect and don't always stick to a perfect diet (yay for a little healthy humanity!), they call upon the reader to think for themselves and analyze everything, even the book, and they tell readers that the most important part of their lifestyle is loving yourself for who you are, and taking care of your body. Too little too late, unfortunately. Not a book I plan to keep, and though I still admire and respect Vegans for the strong choices they make, I am not inclined to become one, even after reading this book.

Since I don't own this title, I will give my star ranking here:
2.5/5 stars

Still, one down and 80 to go!!

Bonus Category: Graphic Novels

1) Hana Kimi Volume 23
2) Fruits Basket Volume 1
3) Fruits Basket Volume 2
4) Fruits Basket Volume 3
5) Ouran High Host Club Volume 6
6) Persepolis*
7) Fruits Basket Volume 4
8) Fruits Basket Volume 5
9) Ouran High Host Club Volume 7
10) Ouran High Host Club Volume 8
11) Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall*
12) Marmalade Boy Volume 6
13) Duklyon: Clamp School Defenders Volume 1
14) Clamp no Kiseki Volume 12
15) Clamp no Kiseki Volume 5
16) Clamp no Kiseki Volume 6

I love my graphic novels, including manga, but I generally consider them the fluffiest of my fluff reading. (Of course, some graphic novels are quite serious and literary, but most I read are not.) I don't want to count them as part of my challenge, but I'll just make a bonus category here to document. Especially since I am going a little manga crazy here at the start of a new year.

*Since this is just a bonus category, I will list all my overlaps (like Persepolis which counts as a more literary and serious type) here.

Eh heh - I was wrong. These stories I finished first, before my nonfiction book.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

A classic, and a well-deserved one, at that. A caterpillar is born, and is hungry! He eats his way through a variety of foods before building his cocoon, and ends the book by emerging as a beautiful butterfly. The illustrations, as with all Eric Carle books, are collages, with small little holes through all the foods the caterpillar eats.

My daughter loves this book! Especially the pages with holes in them. I have a whole new appreciation for the book now.

Spot Goes to School by Eric Hill

The Spot series is great for young children. The stories are extremely simple, so it moves quickly and can keep the attention of a six month old baby. This one had lift the flaps, which is wonderful. My daughter loves lifting them over and over again, and it helps her with hand-eye coordination and discovering the permanence of objects. The story is nothing special, but the illustrations are cute and its simplicity is geared for the teeny ones.

Aubrey has already torn one flap.

Ooops, I forgot about my easy category! Category 7: Bedtime Books Read to My Daughter. My husband and I try to read to Aubrey every night, so this one should be quick to fill up. However, we read a lot of simple board books, and I am going to limit this category to books that actually tell stories.

I love the Hungry Caterpillar. I don't think we have that one, but we have The Grouchy Ladybug. I liked that one because some people around here (no names) tend to get a little grouchy. And she - oops, I gave it away! - still does! Maybe we should read it again. Teenagers might still like it, right?

Teenagers will definitely like it! :) At least, I liked picture books when I was a teen, and I like them even more now that I'm an adult. But I always was an odd one when it came to books (that probably describes a lot of people here on LT!).

Finished my first for Category 4: Norton and Virago Classics

Plagued by the Nightingale by Kay Boyle

This was my second Virago, and quite a different novel from the first VMC I read, The Way Things Are. The tone of this story was much heavier, the tragic elements not hidden in humor or satire. The whole novel had a thick, languid, hot summer feel, which was very appropriate to the story. A newly married woman has moved to France, to live with her husband's family while he tries to rest and recuperate from the genetic bone disease he inherited, and for which there is no cure. Bridget loves her husband, Nicolas, very much, but soon begins to think that moving back to his homeland was a mistake, as Nicolas becomes increasingly bitter and despairing. The sickness that is wasting away his bones is also seeping into his soul, and he blames everyone around him, especially his family.

The beginning of the book was slow going. The author writes in vivid detail, with words like strokes of paint, and she has a very lyrical style. It's beautiful. Some of her descriptions are so unique, describing people and trees and hats and skies in ways I never would have imagined. However, the first few chapters are more scene description than story, and I was worried that I wouldn't enjoy this book. Once the characters begin to interact, though, and the plot unfolds, I was drawn in to the very serious heart of the novel. By the conclusion, I felt I had just devoured a lovely painting, heart breaking and beautiful simultaneously, and furthermore I highly esteemed her writing abilities. I can't say enough about how perfectly suited are the plot, tone, and themes. Well worth the slow start.

Boyle juxtaposes the cheerful French family, who take everyday life one step at a time and are happy with everything exactly as it is, with the unhappy couple, who feel entrapped by the very good natures around them, and desperately want a change. The mask slowly slips, and we learn that the young daughters are also seeking an escape from their fates, which are apparently set in stone. Boyle works with the ideas of fate and freedom, escape and entrapment. The nightingale is a wonderful metaphor ... and I am embarrassed to say that I kept wondering at its significance until about halfway through, when I remembered the fairy tale and smacked myself on the head for not seeing the connection sooner.

Not a pick me up read, but a beautiful story, and the ideas and characters will leave a haunting echo in your mind afterward. I highly recommend it.

Finished two more for Category 3: Books Read to My Daughter

Good Night Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

Well, we've read this one before, but this is the first time in 2009. :)

Goodnight Moon is an old classic, and at first glance, you might wonder why. The pictures aren't bright and cheerful like more modern picture books, and the story is just a listing of a room, and the little bunny saying good night to all his possessions. Read it out loud, though, and you'll see - the story is a lullaby, a bedtime story, and the simple sentences are soothing and lulling. The pictures are comforting, a small room, lit by firelight, darkened by night. This book is a simple scene of domestic peace and sleepiness, and a perfect story to read to Aubrey right before bedtime.

Cinderella Skeleton by Robert San Souci

What a delightful retelling of the Cinderella story! This tale has been redone so many times, but San Souci takes a whole new approach. Cinderella is a skeleton living in a huge mausoleum in the graveyard, and wants to go to the (Halloween) ball that Prince Charnel is having. The only problem: her skeleton stepmother and stepsisters.

It's morbidly hilarious. Cinderella doesn't just lose a shoe; the Prince accidentally snaps off her entire foot bone. Her coach is from a jack-o-lantern, and she doesn't have horses, but rats that turn into dragon-nightmares.

The story is told in verse, which can be really irritating when poorly executed, and lilting when done well. Fortunately, San Souci turns a pretty rhyme. (I just hate reading kid's books with a couplet rhyme scheme where the author feels like they have to make the rhyme work, even if the sentence sounds wretched.)

Some parents might object at reading this to a six-month-old, but she really enjoyed it. The pictures are bright (strange, I know, but true), Cinderella is actually very fetching, for a skeleton, and frankly, my girl is too little to understand the more disturbing elements. We had fun reading this together.

This category is going to fill up fast!

Yay, I figured out the ticker thing! Not really that impressive, but I am so webpage inept (for instance, it took me about half an hour of poking around to figure out how to make it work), I'm glad they make it easy even for the computer illiterate like me. :)

It's a very nice ticker!

Thank you, I'm quite proud of myself. ;)

A couple more books that Aubrey and I read together, for Category 3: Books Read to my Daughter

How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? by Jane Yolen

A newer picture book that is quickly becoming a classic. The text is simple with a great read aloud quality, and the illustrations are just adorable. Huge dinosaurs squashed into little kids' rooms, stomping and pouting and throwing fits like two year old children. I love the picture of the Tyrannosaurus Rex "peeking" out of his bedroom door. I bought this book before I had kids because I thought it was great, and I am so delighted that I finally have a chance to read it to my daughter.

Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

This winner of the Caldecott award has adorable pictures, but an average story. I love the sight of the little boy in his snowsuit, waddling out into the winter day, and his snow angels. The snowy ending is a perfect touch. The prose is just straight forward; it might affect me more if I lived in a cold region, instead of the desert, where it rarely snows. I just don't share those memories. I like it for the illustrations and the scenes of urban life, but it's not a favorite.

Took a break from Portrait of an Artist to read a quick story, the first one for Category : Fairy Tales and Fairy Tale Retellings

Cinderellis and the Glass Hill by Gail Carson Levine

Another entry in Levine's Princess Tales series, which are actually a collection of novellas that retell various fairy tales, some well known, others more obscure. Don't let the title fool you - Cinderellis focuses on a lesser known tale about knights trying to scale a glass mountain to win the hand of a princess. The only similarity this story bears to Cinderella is that the main character (a boy) gets covered in cinders and is thus nicknamed 'cinderellis'; and that he has two brothers (not stepbrothers) who don't include him in their friendship.

I was not in the least disappointed by this, though, because I really enjoy reading retellings of the lesser know stories. While I do love my Cinderella variations, there are just so many of them out there! Plus, I think I read the original of the glass hill tale in one of Andrew Lang's collections. It's hard to say - there are so many variations and similar fairy tales - but I at least read one with a glass hill and knights.

What makes Levine's Princess Tale series so lovable is the humanity and humor she brings to the old stories. Instead of archetypes, we get real people, with strengths and flaws (especially for the main characters), and lots of laughs. Cinderellis is an inventor, mainly of special powders, and desperately lonely. His brothers have never included him in their brotherly games (or farming, as the case may be). Princess Marigold is lonely, too, with a father always off on his quests, and children too intimidated by her royalty. And yes, she has a name! The obtuse nature of Cinderellis's brothers is funny, and the king's misadventures are a running joke, and miscommunications abound. Cinderellis is a light hearted story, sweet and quick, and an interesting resurrection of an odd fairy tale.

Added a book to my first Category, Biographies and Memoirs.

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

After watching the movie of the same name, I knew that I had to read these graphic novel memoirs. What an incredibly powerful story Satrapi shares in these pages. She grew up in Iran, surviving the downfall of the Shah, the revolution, and the repressive regime that followed, and the war with Iraq. Neither she nor her family were militantly Islamic, and most of their friends were not, either. Somehow, they manage to patch together lives that are as normal as possible, sneaking parties behind closed curtains and smuggling heavy metal posters from other countries.

One reason I loved this story was that Satrapi shows us how human Iranians are, that they're regular people, like us. A few extremists may run the country, and make the headlines, but that is not an accurate depiction of the general population. They love their country and their heritage, even if they are horrified by what is happening. Many of them fled the country, but just as many stayed, tied down by careers, family, and a love of their people. Her story is fraught with sad and funny juxtapositions of regular life and the horrific events that suddenly explode in between. I truly didn't know much about Iran beyond the big headlines; reading this story made me so much more aware of the human level.

Another reason that this was such a great read is the story and the people involved, as well as the artwork. When we first meet Satrapi, she is a feisty little girl, and I quickly fell in love with her personality. Her parents are strong and seek justice, and the lives of her whole family, as well as the people around them, are simply incredible. The illustrations are black and white, almost cartoony. This format, along with her humor, and all the interspersed anecdotes of everyday life, made the sadness so much more bearable. She does write of the atrocities, but she also writes of the beauty and courage; while there is sadness, it is not of an overwhelming despair type. Although Satrapi doesn't shy from any of the ugly truths in her country, she also demonstrates that many Iranians are just normal people, trying to live normal lives. An exceptional story by a very talented young woman.

A couple more for Category 3: Books Read to my Daughter:

Gossie by Olivier Dunrea

Gossie wears her bright red boots every day - so what happens when they are missing? A cute story, with darling illustrations, and simple text that is perfect for the little ones. It has a nice moral lesson to it, and her search for her boots is a great way to teach prepositions (behind, under, over, in ...) when Aubrey's a little older. We both really like this story.

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr.

This is one of my favorite alphabet books. The rhyming text has a sing-song quality, and the story is fun: all the little letters of the alphabet try to climb the tree, but they're just too heavy. Down they fall, and their parents (capital letters) run to the rescue. I love the pictures of the banged-up letters after their fall, with skinned knees and busted toes, in bright and bold colors. A great story to read out loud.

Surprisingly, I have yet another entry for Category : Nonfiction (the category that I thought would be filled up last!)

Sippy Cups Are Not for Chardonnay by Stefanie Wilder-Taylor

This book is a kind of anti-parenting guide. Instead of offering advice and suggestions on the many responsibilities of parenting, Wilder-Taylor takes many of the guidelines mentioned in the plethora of parenting books and picks them apart with her sarcastic humor. Her point is that the guides are a little extreme, and so are a lot of parents, while much of life does not progress like all the straightforward books would like you to believe. Some of her comments are extreme, but she certainly has a point.

Parenting guides are excellent to have, and I've read my fair share of them, to be sure, but everyone has to remember that applying them to reality requires adjustment to your own individual life. Extreme application is not a good idea. I have run across people that push their ideas too hard, so a lot of the stories in this book were funny, and I could definitely relate to them. Also, once you become a parent, you suddenly are interested in all stories about children, yours or others. The humor was crass, and that was fine at first, but it started to get old by the end. I didn't always agree with all her points; sometimes she was too extreme in her laissez faire attitude, although I think it was mostly a joke. All the chapters are small, bite-size lengths, and it's a light read. Not much to it, just a relaxing little diversion.

It sounds like you're cruising right along! And you were worried that you wouldn't be able to finish! I don't think you'll have any trouble.

And I love the picture books on the thread.

Hello Nicola! Just come over to find you from the Newbery thread. I really enjoyed your thinking and reading thoughts, especially Persepolis and The Very HUngry Caterpillar. The latter is a second time round book for me - well, third time really. I have used it as a teacher, as a Mum and now as a granny! A wonderful engaging book that has really stood the test of time.

Come to think of it I should have a category like yours but replace Daughter for Grand-daughter!
Edited to say your profile pic is so very lovely =)

cmbohn, thanks for the encouragement! I am moving quicker than I thought, although my reading is a little inflated, since one of my categories (the picture books) is so easy to fill, but the other eight will be much more difficult.

juliette, hola to you, as well. I'm glad you enjoyed my reviews, I actually worry that they're a little long. But I'm involved in so many groups, it just saves time to cut and paste the review I put up on LT.
I saw that you were in the Newbery thread. In fact, I think reading your 999 challenge propelled me to search the group out. :) How lovely that you've had three rewarding uses for the Caterpillar by Carle. You really should have a books read to Grand-daughter category (it's so much easier to fill!).

Thanks for your message about my tickers. You have quite an interesting list yourself. Maybe I will put Persepolis on my list to. However, I would never dare to put a category of unfinished college books on my list, I'm way to lazy for that! Good for you, though.

Well, I was an English Lit/Creative Writing major, so most of them are novels. ;)

Finished my first one for Category 2:Unfinished College Books.

Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce

My reactions to this novel were very mixed. The book is not a conventional novel, and this was Joyce's intention, as you can glean from his conversation about aesthetics in the last chapter. A strange blend of semi-autobiographical material and fiction, with a voice that mimics the age and maturity of the main character, Stephen, and thus changes as he changes. I got the impression that Joyce was writing himself into a story that was a bit different from his true story, in an attempt to reinvent himself through words. Indeed, Stephen dwells on the power of words extensively throughout the novel.

Is the book well written? Yes. Does it follow standard forms of plot and character development? No. Does it complete its own mission of becoming something new and original, breaking away from tradition? Yes. Did it always hold my attention? No.

I enjoyed the first chapter, which chronicles Stephen at his youngest age in the book, and is told with a childish perspective, straight forward and yet often fragmentary. I've read that some people have a hard time understanding this section, but I found it easy to interpret, maybe because of the copious notes in my Penguin edition. Chapter 2 waned in interest for me, and yet I was engrossed by Chapter 3 (the infamous hell chapter, which turns many people off), although I wouldn't say that I enjoyed it. It was just very interesting. Then I found Chapter 4 mediocre but with a fantastic ending, and I had to slog my way through most of Chapter 5, which consists of long philosophic debates.

In the end, this is one of those books that I am glad I read because it is masterfully written, and because it rightly occupies an honored position in western literature for its innovation. Also, I hope to read Ulysses soon, and this book is its precursor, of sorts. Some of the passages were simply stellar in the imagery and metaphor. The end of Chapter 4, where Stephen experiences his own 'rebirth', was beautiful.

This is also one of those books, though, that took a bit of work to finish, and was not always an enjoyable read. I can appreciate Joyce's skill without agreeing to his life philosophy. In fact, I'm sure that he would despise mine. Stephen is a judgmental young man. (In one section, after he has abandoned his Catholic faith, a friend asks him if he will become a Protestant. His response? "I may have abandoned my faith, but not my self respect." Heh. Thanks for that, Joyce.) I feel accomplished having finished it, but don't plan on a reread.

I picked up a Newbery on the spur of the moment, encouraged by the Newbery group I joined (thanks for the support, Julie!). So the first book for Category 9: YA Lit and Children's Fiction will be a Newbery title.

The Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli

This is one of the earlier winners of the award, and also a short read, which prompted me to pick it up and kick off my personal Newbery challenge with a quick start.

The story is set in medieval England, and focuses on Robin, a young noble boy who is supposed to become a knight, but falls ill and finds himself unable to use his legs. What will he do when his destiny, which he thought to be set in stone, is suddenly altered?

The message of this short story is sweet and practical: if you put aside life's disappointments, and apply your best to whatever comes your way, you will find a door in the wall, or another way of fulfilling your destiny. We root for young Robin to grow past his depression and selfishness and emerge the mature young man that he becomes. The other characters, Brother Luke and John the minstrel, are wholesome characters who help Robin along his journey. In fact, almost everyone we meet in the story are likable, good people. That may have been my biggest complaint - that everything is so black and white, it lacks a lot of dramatic tension. We do have some bad guys, such as the scruffy criminals and the faceless Welsh soldiers, and we have some adventures, of the old fashioned questing kind, but the bad guys are clearly all bad and the outcome is never in doubt, because it is such a straightforward story; the good guys always win. This type of telling is appropriate for a story set in the times of knights and maidens, but lacks some of the cinematic spark of a more layered tale. A good old-fashioned story, but it does not compare to some of the other Newbery titles I've read.

I agree - at one point it did seem that everything I was reading from the list came from medieval England. For something completely different try The Single Shard.

Hmm, after I read the ones I own, I'll check that one out.

On a road trip this weekend, and fond myself with a carful of people to entertain! So along with the audio version of Artemis Fowl (which I've already read so I'm not counting it), we also read out loud these two quick books:

Stories to Solve by George Shannon

Still More Stories to Solve by George Shannon

Both of these books are collections of folktales, in which Shannon has removed some crucial element on which the whole story hinges. He then makes it into a riddle, asking the reader to figure out what the character said or did to accomplish the particular feat of that story. I love folk tales and am a fan of mysteries, so these stories are great; they're especially good to share with friends on long road trips. My only gripe is that some of the solutions are far too easy - these are for kids, though, so it's understandable. And some of the tales are real head-scratchers, even for us grown folk. Altogether, a fun series of brain teasers, and I can't wait for my own children to try them out when they're older.

Still another one for Category 9: YA Lit and Children's Fiction. This category is filling up much faster than I expected, probably because I've been reading smaller children stories. I just couldn't help myself, though, when I decided to read all the Newbery books! Here's another Newbery for my lists.

The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman

Another story set in medieval England, but since I owned it, I thought I might as well read it. I'm glad that I did! I enjoyed this story much more than Door in the Wall, for a variety of reasons. First of all, the characters are much more complex. No plain black and white, good and bad people here. Second, I liked the problems that Beetle/Alyce, the main character, faced. Her struggle to find her name, her wants, herself, were engrossing. Third, we have a female main character. What can I say, I'm partial to strong female leads.

The story is about this girl, Beetle, who is an orphan living in times not kind to orphans. She's had to rely on her own wits to survive, ignoring the taunts and cruelties of townsfolk, stealing and scavenging, even burrowing into dung heaps to keep warm. It is in one of these dung heaps that Jane, a midwife, finds her and takes her home. However, Jane is no philanthropist. She sees Beetle as cheap labor, willing to work for lodging and little food. Despite her still inhospitable surroundings, Beetle slowly finds herself adapting the the town and people, becoming acquainted with herself and growing stronger, and finally discovering who she is and what she wants. A really heartwarming story little story that presents the world in its imperfect shape, yet offers hope for even the most lost.

Looks like I've finished Category 3: Books Read to My Daughter. Hooray! One whole category done! This looks more impressive than it is, since they were all picture books. :) I figured I would finish it right away. Since I don't plan on not reading to my daughter now, I think I'll just keep recording the books we read, but I'll only count my first nine towards the total.

Here are my thoughts on my last book for Category 3: Books Read to my Daughter.

Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann

I love, love, love this picture book! I bought it before I had children, and now I can read it to my daughter. If you haven't seen this picture book, you really need to check it out. I mean, it only takes about five minutes to read, right?

The story is about the well-meaning Officer Buckle, who is serious about safety. He loves to give talks at schools about his many safety rules. Unfortunately, Buckle is boring. Then one day, he buys a police dog named Gloria, and everything changes ...

The illustrations are cute and a crucial part of the story (it did win the Caldecott, after all), and Rathmann delivers her message of life without being preachy. The whole book is just so sweet and cleverly constructed, you're missing out if you haven't experienced it yet

Congratulations on completing a category Nicola but even more congrats for all that reading to your little one! Keep it up - she too will learn that precious love of books and of the joy of reading. BTW - I thoroughly enjoyed The Midwife's Apprentice and loved the hope.

I finished another for Category 8: Nonfiction! Even though I thought this would be my hardest category, I've been cruising right along. I just started checking out audio nonfiction books at the library. I haven't used the library in ages (I worked at a bookstore and own way too many unread books in my house), but I had the inspiration that audio books might help address my nonfiction scarcity. Here is the first audio I finished.

Hiroshima by John Hersey

This book focuses on six survivors of the atomic bomb in the titular city of Hiroshima, beginning with a small bit of background, and chronicling their lives from moments before the bomb through the aftermath. There is also an added final chapter that explores how these six continued to live decades later. The tone is straight forward, but with more subjective personality than a newspaper article, chronicling both the atrocious and the mundane with the same detached voice. It is very engaging, though, because the events are in themselves of such interest. Not a happy book, but one that deals with the personal lives devastated by war technology, and therefore a necessary read for a better understanding of that war, that time. I think everyone should read this, because war so often dehumanizes the "enemy", and these accounts remind us that these are still people like us.

I have a hard time rating nonfiction, since I don't read it that much. I can't use my usual criteria! For the easy reading style, the interesting subject matter, and the importance of this work, I rate it a 4 out of 5 stars.

I have another to add to my Category 5: Fairy Tales and Fairy Tale Retellings. I've had this book on my shelf for years, and even thought that I had read it before. Then I picked it up to refresh my memory on the stories, and realized I hadn't read it after all! A common symptom from working at a bookstore for six years - I own far too many books that I haven't read.

A Wolf at the Door and Other Retold Fairy Tales by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling

A collection of thirteen short stories that retell various well known tales, from Cinderella to Hansel and Gretel. Some of the authors were very well know to me - like Jane Yolen and Neil Gaiman - and others I'd never heard of. The stories are not exceptional. Not that they're not fun or enjoyable, because they were, but when I read retellings, I'm excited to read something really unique or creative, a whole new creation using the old material, and these stories are mostly just funny retellings without much reinvention.

My favorites were Yolen's "Cinder Ellephant", Nix's "Hansel's Eyes", and Gaiman's poem. Yolen's story is funny, a bit satirical, and features a heroine who is pleasantly plump, and resembles a fat hen in her dress for the ball. Nix's story is a dark story based on a dark tale, only his witch doesn't eat the kids, but cuts them up to sell their organs, and she isn't cooked in an oven at the end. Gaiman's poem is, in my opinion, the best of the book. It's a list of directions in case of being caught in a fairy tale, and draws upon lots of old stories. I certainly had a fun time reading these various stories, they're quick and easy to swallow, and some of them will stick in my mind for a while. Still, nothing revolutionary here in the way of retelling.

Although these are not counting towards my final total (since I already hit 9), here are a few more additions to Category 3: Books Read to my Daughter.

Hey, Al by Arthur Yorinks

Another Caldecott winner, this story does have illustrations that are lush and colorful, but don't stand out as innovative, at least to me. Maybe they were for the time. The story is unusual - a man and his dog travel to an island of birds to escape humdrum life, only to find an unwelcome surprise ... Even though the idea had potential, it didn't really grab me, or Aubrey.

Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle

Carle really is a great children's book writer. The insect featured in this story is a ladybug, who has bad manners and wants to fight everybody. I've noticed that Carle's stories are always educational, and this one focuses on time, with a little clock at the top of the page pointing out the time for each new encounter. The story is more advanced than in The Very Hungry Caterpillar, but when Aubrey is a little older, it will be a great fit. Probably best for children starting around one or two years old, even though we're still reading it to our eight month.

Noah's Ark by Peter Spiers

This book has very little text - yet what little it has is quite interesting, an old translated poem about Noah's ark - but an abundance of lovely illustrations. Which is why it won the Caldecott award. Picture books like these are always nice for a change; instead of reading the story, you create the story. When our daughter is old enough, we can tell the story together, but it's good for her now, too, as her small attention span doesn't often do well with longer picture books.

You might have noticed that I've been reading Aubrey Caldecott books lately. I was inspired by my goal to read all the Newbery winners. Bonus: Caldecott books are much shorter!

I also finished another for my Category 9: YA Lit and Children's Fiction.

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

If you were a child who read too much, maybe a bit nerdy, a bit different, a bit teased, a bit lonely (as I certainly was, and I'm guessing that many others in this group will relate), then you will love this book! Four children, after reading an ad in the paper (Are You a Gifted Child Looking for Special Opportunities?) and passing an array of baffling tests and mind teasers, become secret agents for Mr. Benedict. They travel to an island school that only admits the best and the brightest - which is why Mr. Benedict needed gifted children - and that is also housing an awful secret.

I can definitely relate to the children, although they were all smarter than me, but I love knowledge and learning, and was picked on myself as a child. Also, Trenton does a nice job of assembling students that are all gifted in extremely different ways. Reynie is the leader, with intelligence and a shrewd gift for reading people; Sticky is the bookworm with immense amounts of literal knowledge; Kate is athletic, with spatial knowledge galore; and Constance is creative, independent, and stubborn.

I also did not foresee many of the surprises, always a bonus for me, and the kids' adventures on the island were just so amusing and exciting. They always had to puzzle them out to succeed. Finally, secret agents that are super smart, instead of strong or charming or dangerous. In fact, the agents that are like that in this story always downplay their dangerousness. This story is a rollicking good adventure, and I look forward to reading the sequel.

I loved The Benedict Society! The sequel is good, but not quite as good. Still worth reading! And Spiers's Noah's Ark is one of my favorites.

Sounds like a fun read for my Children and Young Adult category. Luckily, our library has the title (not always easy in the Netherlands, certainly if it is not translated).

Thanks for the excellent review of Hiroshima. I'm reading (slowly, since I put it down about a month ago) Black Rain by Ibuse Masuji which deals with the same subject matter so it piqued my interest.

I have been away from LT for a long, long time! Motherhood, life, writing, and reading have all conspired against me. :) So for those that commented on my topic, sorry about not responding! Here we go, better late than never.

#59 and #60> That's too bad about the sequel, cmbohn. Strange how sequels don't always live up to the first entries. I'll still pick it up at some point, I think. And Maaike, I really recommend it!

#61> Thank you, Tracy Fox! I'm glad that my reviews are helpful. Have you given Hiroshima a shot by this point?

No, but I have ordered it off paperback swap.

While I've been away, I mentioned that I was reading, and I was, but mostly manga. I just needed some instant gratification, I guess. So my bonus category is more than full now, but I haven't made much of a dent in my 999 challenge books. Oh well.

Finished another for Category 5: Fairy Tales and Fairy Tale Retellings

Fables:1001 Nights of Snowfall by Bill Willingham

Another entry in the Fables series, although not a part of the series continuum, but a side story that takes place long before the proper opening. In this collection, Snow White travels to the lands of Arabia as an ambassador from the fledgling Fable town, and finds herself heading for the executioner's block because of her confidence and brashness. To spare herself the ax, and the Sultan's bed, she tells him stories. For roughly one thousand nights.

Sound familiar? I was drawn by this remake of the 1,001 Arabian nights tale, and curious about what stories Snow White would tell. While Willingham continues to display impressive ingenuity with his retellings of both well known and obscure fairy tales, I didn't like this collection nearly as much as the Fables series itself. I think it was because most of the stories were so dark, just too much for my tastes. Even more so than the rather dark Fables series. They were interspersed with more light-hearted fare, to be sure, but it wasn't enough to offset, for me, the death and rape and child sacrifice. I'll be happy just to stick with the ongoing storyline.

Sounds like a little bit to dark for my taste too, although I like the opening storyline about Snow White.

It's a bit my mood, too - I haven't been in the mood for sad stories lately. I do highly recommend the rest of the Fables series, though!

I'm going to follow the example of others on this challenge, and post a new thread, since this is getting bulky. I get tired of scrolling around to find my lists.

However, I think I'll just put my lists and ticker, and such, on the new place, and keep listing reviews here. After all, reviews just pile up on the end, and it doesn't matter how big it gets, but I like having quicker access to the listing portion.

Um, this is my first time attempting this, but here is the link to my new topic.

Did it work?

A bit more to go in Category 4:

A View of the Harbor by Elizabeth Taylor

This novel was a case of being pleasantly surprised by a story about which you don't know what to expect. I greatly enjoyed reading this book peopled by an abundance of quirky characters, whose vibrant personalities enliven the otherwise dull setting where they live.

The only reason I had heard of Taylor (not the actress) was because of the Virago group here on LT; the front of the book is a simple landscape of a harbor front and the description on the back indicates that the story is about an affair, and frankly, that theme has been done before. So there was nothing to indicate what kind of reading experience this would be. On the other hand, I had hopes for Taylor, since she seemed to be well-loved by the other Viragoites, but then I had never read her myself, and the book packaging just did not draw me in. I had a go at it, anyway.

How delighted I was to choose this green cover as my next read! The story, as expected, is not that original, but it doesn't matter, because the characters are marvelous. Poor Lilly, watching the world through her window of fear and widowhood, Bertram, the newcomer, who likes to insinuate himself into other lives, the wonderful writer and not so wonderful mother, Beth, and Tory, fashionable, intelligent, passionate and a bit cold, having an affair with her best friend's (Beth's) husband. I could go on about the others, but I don't want to become obnoxious. Suffice it to say that every person introduced is complex and interesting. No stereotypes here - all the cast have their positive and negative aspects, and at times I loved them, at times I disliked them, a variety of actions in between. This is a real slice-of-life tale, that focuses on one stage in the lives of these villagers, these beautifully crafted people.

The Third Miss Symons by F.M. Mayor

Certainly more a novella than novel, and a good thing, too, because the subject matter is just a tad too depressing for my taste. Mayor describes the life of a spinster, from her unloved childhood through unprepossessing middle adulthood, on into her bitter spinsterhood and eventual death. Mayor is a good writer, and she manages she inject humor into the story despite its rather grim premise. It was a fast read, I never bogged down in any spot, and the ending even offers redemption for the third miss Symons, yet I was happy when it was done. You can't help feeling sorry for her and disliking her at the same time, and the whole time I was reading I thought that I never wanted to become like her in any way. Also, the story doesn't expand beyond the narrow bounds of her life; I can enjoy tragic tales, when they have a deep message to convey, or especially beautiful writing, or relate to my life, and this wasn't the case here. This reading, therefore, was a mixed experience for me, as it was a well-written depiction of a woman's life, but with a limited scope and depressing subject that made me glad to finish it quickly.

Another couple added, these to a new category, Category 7:New Books by Old Favorites.

The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary
I bought a ton of Cleary books in a fit of nostalgia a while back, inspired by love of Ramona and classic children's books. Then I put them all on the shelf and read, oh, maybe one of them. Hello, my name is Nicole, and I am an addict.

Inspired by this challenge, I pulled one off of those dusty shelves, one that I should have read long ago - The Mouse and the Motorcycle. It's a simple story, about a boy that leaves his toy motorcycle out, the mouse who wants to ride it, and the friendship they form. Ralph, the mouse, is a wonderful character of spunk, and Keith, the boy, is full of imagination and belief. In their world, it's not at all surprising that a toy motorcycle can be made to run just by making the sounds that a real motorcycle should make, and it's equally unsurprising that a mouse can talk. Only children, and child-like adults, can see and know these things. What is strongest about this book is that Cleary so comprehensively captures a child's world. The dialogue, the innocence, the way the world can feel so big, the small acts of bravery. The plot is simple, fun, and a bit heroic; exactly right for young children. I enjoyed my swift read of this old standard.

Alanna:The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce

I do believe that this is the first book Pierce published, and I've finally gotten around to reading it! I discovered her with the Immortals series, and the Circle of Magic series, and I fell in love with her. After reading through ten books, I forgot her. And then I found this series in a used bookstore, and discovered her again.

I had fun reading this first book in the Alanna series (I guess the title makes that apparent), and was reminded of why I was enamored with her years ago. The writing is fluid, the action is fast and frequent, and she always uses strong female characters. Alanna is a girl, with the misfortune of being born into a world where women study courting, not knighthood. Being resourceful, with an absent-minded father, she decides to dress as a boy and go to the school for pages, anyway. Once there, she proves that a girl can be just as brave a knight as a boy, even if no one else knows it.

As I read, I realized something else. I've changed - well, grown - over those intervening years, because the book didn't have the same hold on me that its predecessors had. A lot of fun, certainly, and a fast read. I still love reading about strong heroines who beat the odds. It just wasn't as earth-shattering as my earlier experiences. That said, I'll definitely finish this quartet.

Yet another for my non-fiction category. I am astounded by how fast this one is filling up.

Notes From a Small Island by Bill Bryson

What an utterly wonderful way to travel a country, vicariously. Bryson's humor is disarming, and his writing clean and easy to read. The way he describes the various parts of the country clearly demonstrates that he loves this England that he lived in for ten years, loves it enough to treat it with both praise and affectionate criticism. Whether he is extolling the virtues of certain under-appreciated areas, or sharply undermining cities that he finds obnoxious or well below expectations, you almost have the feeling of a parent towards a child, both praising and admonishing. Bryson doesn't shy away from his own faults and virtues either; many anecdotes focus on the close and personal, relating almost all the geography he traverses to his own life in some way. This correlation makes the experience much more human and intimate.

I haven't read a travel essay in a long time, and those I did read weren't even from this century, so this was a new reading experience. I loved it! Who knew that nonfiction could be so engrossing? (Sorry, nonfiction fans, that's just my personal bias of fiction coming out.) I will definitely be reading more by Bryson. In fact, I think if I do another book challenge, I will create a travel category. The only bad thing about reading this book was that now I want to go to England, and see all the places for myself!

Well, a trip to England cannot be recommended highly enough.

I'm not a Bryson fan, but his A Walk in the Woods, about hiking the Appalachian Trail, is wonderful. It was funny and honest and made me want to hike the entire trail.

That's sums up how I felt about him, RidgewayGirl, in a lot less words!

I'd best be careful with these travel books, or they'll send me packing all over the world. But wait - that's not a bad thing, is it?

A belated entry for the next addition to my nonfiction category.

Beijing's Top 10

This travel book is a slim and focused guide to Beijing, using the structure of top 10 lists to organize all its information. It begins with the top 10 sights to see in Beijing, and then focuses on the top 10 attractions within those sights, followed by various lists of ten, such as restaurants, bars, shopping districts, and so on. We used this book on our recent trip to China and I found it very useful. It was nice not to be overloaded with too much information, most of which goes to waste because you have limited time. The best part of the book, for me, was the main top ten list, because it helped me choose the big attractions I wanted to visit, and they were all well worth it. The Forbidden City, Summer Palace, and Great Wall were amazing. I also went to one of the restaurants that was listed as a top ten and it was my favorite from the entire trip. This was much easier to read than other books in the genre, and had the high quality production that I've come to expect from DK publishers, with fantastic photographs throughout. I did get tired of the gimmick of top ten lists by about halfway through, though. Also, the maps for the individual locations were rather vague, and we had to use my brother-in-law's guide book for that kind of information. An excellent guide book for one city, but it is very limited, and could need supplementing.

Seems like a good tip nmhale! I'll keep it in mind if I make a trip to China! Have you been there recently?

Yes, we just returned a week and a half ago. My brother-in-law is living there for three years, so we took the opportunity. It was an amazing trip, I'm so glad we went.

So ... far ... behind ... Well, here's another review to clear out a bit of my backlog. This one was my first in the magical realism category, and it's really more magical realism-lite. I hope to get more into this genre later in the year.

Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel

We begin the story with the entrance of Tita, born in the kitchen upon a flood of tears and the smell of onions, which is why onions always make her cry. What a delightful way to start a novel! This book chronicles the life of Tita and her forbidden love for Pedro, due to a tyrannical family tradition of the youngest daughter being reserved to care for mother in her old age. The situation isn't made any better by Mama Elena, who is an imperious old matriarch, and coerces Pedro into marrying Tita's older sister Rosario when he comes to ask for Tita's hand in marriage.

Part of what I love about magical realism is the whimsy, the fantastical elements that are incorporated into the story with the same presentation as everyday events. The characters greet these happenings with equanimity, the mystical and the mundane intertwined in their lives with complete acceptance. Writers like Marquez can be very elaborate in their fantasies, but this novel had plenty of touches that made me smile and remember why I liked the genre so much. Gertrudis, Tita's sister, eats a meal that is spiced with Tita's love for Pedro, and is instantly inflamed with a passionate ardor, so intense that the shower house catches fire and burns down around her. She runs out into the field naked and is carried away by a general on horseback. Mama Elena's ghost comes to chastise Tita, and when her daughter defies her, her spirit zips out and sparks a fire that engulfs Pedro. Though I can't explain why, these miraculous occurrences always delight me.

Tita was even more delightful. She is a strong and complex character. She is the only member of her family brave enough to fight against her mother, is a phenomenal cook, and has an immense capacity for love. The structure of the book is a lot of fun, too. Each chapter is set up like a recipe, with ingredients for a new dish given first, followed by cooking instructions that deftly merges into the ongoing storyline. The ending is a bit glorious. I liked so much about this novel that I'm ashamed I let it sit on my shelves for so long. If you're looking for story with depth and characters, but that is still a really light read, this is a great choice.

Getting around to my backlog of reviews ...

This one fits into my category of new books by old favorites.

Death of a Peer by Ngaio Marsh

Another Inspector Alleyn treat to devour. I truly love Marsh's detective series, and this book was one of the up ones (I think all long series have their up and down books), in large part due to the zany Lampreys. Why did they change the title? The Lampreys deserve to be headlining this novel, as they steal the scene from Alleyn numerous times, which is hard to do. They are silly but endearing, and their verbal interchanges are lively. They are both characters in themselves and also a composite character as a family unit. Robin plays the straight man to their wackiness, and I was pleased with her romantic outcome. As for the actual story? The murder was your typical cozy mystery, a bit on the gruesome side, the clues were dealt, Alleyn was marvelous, the red herrings abounded, and the solution made sense. Nothing to take away, and everything to gain from meeting the Lampreys. I highly recommend this installment in Marsh's classic mystery series.

This book fits into my Books Read to My Daughter category, though that's already all filled up, so it won't count towards my total!

Berenstain Bears and Too Much Birthday by Stan and Jan Berenstain

I love the Berenstain Bears! Sometimes nostalgia is just too strong a force to fight off. This particular title was one of my favorites as a child, and I read it to my own daughter recently. She's still too young to understand it, or even sit still through the whole reading, but I enjoyed revisiting the classic. Sister Bear gets everything she wants for her birthday, only to discover that everything she wants may not be what she needs to make her happy. The illustrations are bright, cheerful, and the story makes its point without being preachy. After all, Sister Bear does get the ponies and the presents and the cake, and no one takes that away from her. To feel better, her friends and family encourage her to open her presents! At the end of it all, the only comment her parents make is that it might have been too much birthday. The story ends with a special family time, to celebrate her new year in a more meaningful way, and though the writers never come out and say it directly, it's clear that this is far more important glitz and glamor of her earlier party. A sweet story that teaches its message gently; I hope my parenting will often be as kind and understanding.

And one more for tonight! This one adds to my Biographies, Autobiographies, and Memoirs category.

The Diary of Lady Murasaki by Shikibu Murasaki

Murasaki is the author of one of Japan's acclaimed literary accomplishments, The Tale of Genji. While I've read excerpts of this novel in college, and own a lovely hardcover boxed edition, I haven't actually read it yet. The book currently resides on my "interested, definitely will read someday but not quite yet, because it's an important piece of literary history" shelf. I only bought the diary as a companion for when I actually read Genji, so why am I reading it now? I have this challenge, you see, with 9 categories of books, and one of them is for autobiographies and such, and I had this trip to China and needed a light book, and ... voila. Another seemingly random book choice based on a variety of factors.

Am I the only one that creates endless (and endlessly revised) reading lists only to discard them at the last moment in favor of a book that I hadn't even thought of before but somehow now feel is entirely appropriate?

This diary is mildly interesting, but I think it would be much better in conjunction with the book that inspired me to buy it. I am interested in the Heian period in Japanese history, but the diary is limited to a small period of time covering approximately two months. Not a lot of history is revealed. Add to that the fact that this is a diary, which means that Murasaki assumes the reader (just herself, or was it court instigated?) will have immense amounts of knowledge which I am lacking. The footnotes were helpful, along with the lengthy introduction, but I was in desperate need of better context.

The self reflections, where Murasaki dissects her fellow courtiers and herself, are much easier to read. Seeing that world from the view of one of its inhabitants, and a female at that, is fascinating. It made me eager to read other diaries from the period, ones that are more complete. It also reinvigorated my wish to read Tale of Genji. Maybe I will consider that book as an addition to another challenge category, unfinished college books.

This book is exactly what it claims to be: a diary by Murasaki Shikibu, with all the limitations a diary would manifest. My best recommendation would be to read this along with the famous story by that author, or if you have a scholarly interest in Murasaki, Heian Japan, or Japanese cuture, because the book as a whole reads like research material. I was interested, not terribly excited, but inspired to read more from that period.

Another addition to my non-fiction category with this quirky read.

Behave Yourself! by Michael Powell

This short book is devoted to the bit of travel advice that is often underdeveloped in other guides: the unspoken rules of different countries, the hidden culture. The book dedicates between two to four pages to fifty different countries, detailing in quick bits the cultural mores that attend such daily rituals as dining, meeting and greeting, gift giving, and so on. The text is accompanied by lovely full and half page photographs. We received this book as a gift for our China trip, but I had so much fun reading about the differences in other countries that I read the entire thing. Did you know that in some countries it's rude to back away from physical nearness, but in others it's rude to get too close? Or that in another country, nodding means no? That the okay sign is considered obscene in some locales? I was fascinated by how different and similar cultures can be. Some of the "rules" I already knew, but many of them caught me by complete surprise. I even read up on countries I already visited, like Germany and Switzerland, and was embarrassed to recognize some of the mistakes I made. Made me wish that I had read this book earlier! Of course, this is no in depth exploration of cultures, not with a maximum of four pages per country. If you are planning a long trip to another country, or want to learn more about the culture, this isn't the book for you. However, if you are planning a short vacation, this is a great book to check out for quick tips, besides being just fun to read and learn some of the quirks of a lot of different countries.

A couple more finished for my Category

The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis

In this fantasy tale, Lewis explores the nature of heaven and hell and the ramifications of salvation and redemption. In the introduction, he points out that this is an imaginative exploration of these locations, not to be taken as gospel or even as his own beliefs, but a simple fantasy that explores what could be.

Hell is a drab place, where fights break out and people are drawn into deeper and deeper solitude. It is always gray, that fading light that just precedes night time, and the weather is damp and drizzly. The narrator, presumably Lewis himself, isn't at first aware of the true nature of his surroundings, and neither are we. Through vivid descriptions and cryptic dialogue we piece together an idea that this is hell that he is traversing (which is later confirmed by an angel). By chance he sees a queue, and for want of anything better to do he joins it, later discovering that it is a bus line, and he hops on board. The bus, however, is no ordinary means of public transport: it flies.

The dull gray drops away, light percolates through shut window blinds, and the bus approaches cliffs that loom over the riders. The top of the top of these sheer rock walls reveals a lush green valley, and beautiful mountains in the distance. The light is the soft brilliance of early dawn, just before day breaks. Of course, this is heaven.

While the physical settings of heaven and hell are, in themselves, fascinating, Lewis's inventive mind has more to offer. The denizens of hell become mere ghosts in the bright land, so insubstantial that even the smallest stalk of grass pierces them, water is solid, and an apple weighs a ton. The angels that descend upon the bus riders have come with a purpose, one angel to one ghost, in a last attempt to break through their worldly walls and win them to repentance and salvation. The exchanges between the angels and the ghosts, still stubbornly clinging to their flawed ideas that placed them in hell in the first place, become philosophical debates where Lewis has a chance to refute some common criticisms of Christianity.

I've always liked Lewis, because he has a touch for explaining theological conundrums in simple terms, and because he has a rich imagination. This book combines both. Clearly, the fantasy is just a vehicle to delve into those philosophic exchanges, but since his intention is clear from the introduction I didn't feel like he was playing a trick. On the contrary, I thought it was a clever way to make subject matter that could otherwise be dry become very entertaining.

In the Hand of the Goddess by Tamora Pierce

I had a hard time finishing this book. It's the second in the Alanna series, the first quartet that Pierce finished, and has a large fan base amongst Pierce readers. I think the ideas are innovative, and I love the characters, who I've met in later novels, but for some reason I couldn't keep my attention focused on this book very well. I kept straying to other novels. I do agree with others that Pierce's writing has improved over the course of her career, and maybe that was the main problem; she creates tension and suspense better in later novels, but here the action was a bit flat for me. Despite the fact that a lot is happening. Alanna is a squire to Jonathon, enters war and is kidnapped, rescued, has multiple attempts on her life, and finally confronts the traitor who has been working behind the scenes all along, but only after facing all her fears in the Ordeal. She is still the tough and fearless female, and I love her spunk, and I love her with Jonathon. Sigh. Knowing the future of all these characters is another factor that makes it hard to sustain suspense. I know how it all will end. I'm being a bit hard - it is a good book, it does have great ideas, and I love the people. Nonetheless, the entertainment value wasn't as high for me as other Pierce offerings. I compromise with three stars.

Hmm, hmm, a few more reviews. :)

Secret of the Andes by Ann Nolan Clark

This Newbery winner was a drier read than some of my earlier choices, a story more focused on its theme and setting than on thrills. Which means that I wasn't very excited to get back to it, but could still recognize the quality of the story telling. Cusi is a young Incan, living in the upper reaches of the Andes and working on a llama farm. His unassuming present hides a complex past, one that he is on the threshold of discovering. We witness his growth and evolution as he learns the mysteries of his people's past, and see from the inside what it is like to live as the conquered in a conquered land, but never conquered in spirit. It is a quiet story that I appreciated, as much for its revelation of a people and place that are unfamiliar to me, as for the gradual maturation of Cusi and his sweet relationships with those in his life. A well written and informative story, a slice of life in a place that I don't usually visit. I recommend it, keeping in mind that it is a quiet and slow story about growing up.

The Twenty One Balloons by William Pene du Bois

Another Newbery in my quest to read them all. du Bois's story was a dry read, interesting but not gripping; perhaps the older publication date accounts for the tone. The novel is presented as if it were nonfiction, a travel essay of sorts, but once I adjusted to the style, I found this story within a story to be a quick read. Professor Sherman departed on a trip around the world in his air balloon, only to be discovered months later, in the wrong ocean, with twenty balloons. What happened? The populace of the United States is breathless with excitement as they wait for the Professor's riveting tale.

The author blends supposed scientific accuracy with fantastic imaginations. The characters are flat, because so much attention is focused on what is happening and the inventions and their descriptions. As I wrote earlier, this story is clearly employing a remote tone, trying to present itself as a factual account. I'm surprised by this choice, since what Professor Sherman experiences is so fantastic and incredible, it should have been sparkling with more excitement and less dry narration. Even many nonfiction books employ a dramatic approach. Nonetheless, I was curious to hear all that occurred, and was vaguely concerned about the fates of the characters involved. A decent book, but not as good as many other Newbery options.

The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan

I frequently swap book talk with the eight year old son of one of my closest friends, who I have known since he was born and have had the pleasure of recommending stories to him since he was little. Now he is a voracious reader and mostly chooses his own books, but we still share ideas when we meet. In this case, he influenced my reading habits! He showed me a series that he was reading and I was interested.

The series is called 39 Clues, and it is precisely like the movie National Treasure, but for children. I admit that the production of the series is more about a clever and profitable market scheme than good storytelling: there will be ten books, which tie into a web page, which both tie into collectible cards that can be entered on the web page, which might lead into a movie later, which are all connected to sweepstake prizes that can be won by children. All very calculated. But I liked the novel. Sue me.

It helps that Rick Riordan wrote this first one. Besides that, the idea is just too good. Kids (and adults, too!) love adventures about people that travel the world to find clues that will help lead them to a mysterious prize that will make them some of the most powerful people in history. What's not to like? The main characters, Amy and Dan Cahill, are the underdogs and you can't help rooting for them. I plan on continuing in this series, and hope that the great ideas will continue to be complemented by good writing.

Squire by Tamora Pierce

The third installment in the Protector of the Small series, which I am greatly enjoying, more so than the Alanna series by the same author. This book is just as engrossing as its predecessors, if about one hundred pages longer. Kel has finally become a squire, to none other than the famed Sir Raoul of Goldenlake, the Giant Killer. She joins the King's Own along with him and enters the gritty work of being a knight. Of course, as the first openly female knight in a century, she faces more handicaps than her fellow males, but handles it all with her Yamani aplomb. A fun series that always keeps me wanting more; I look forward to reading the last book in the series.

Among the Shadows by L.M. Montgomery

I haven't read the lovely lady from Canada in a long time, but I devoured the Anne of Green Gables series when I was a teenager, along with most of her other stories. This book escaped me, and I was feeling in the mood for some good old-fashioned ghost stories. Turns out, only a few of the stories were actual ghost tales; the rest of the stories were considered dark because of the subject matter: drunkards, murderers, embezzlers, broken hearts. The best one was the longest piece in the collection, "Three Fools and a Saint". The stories were enjoyable, but not as sparkling as I remember her writing to be as a child. Maybe I was just disappointed because I wanted more spook. A decent addition to her cannon, but not her best.

The lovely lady from Canada... I've been ignoring LMM for far too long myself. I don't have any room left in my challenge for her. Maybe next year we can put together a group read?

I would definitely be up for a group read of Montgomery - maybe next year I'll commit to more group reads and skip a big challenge like this one. :)

Me, too. Next year sounds perfect.

:) Yes, next year anything is possible, right?

Esio Trot by Roald Dahl
A very short story by the master of quirky humor for children, this tale is a love story about a man, a woman, and a tortoise. Poor Mr. Hoppy is in love with his downstairs neighbor, but she only has eyes for her pet turtle. To win her heart, he promises that he can help her turtle grow bigger much faster than usual. The way he delivers on that promise is what makes this a Dahl story, as Mr. Hoppy goes to lengths and takes measures that are extraordinary and ridiculous. A sweet read, that isn't as darkly funny as some of his other novels, but just as silly and fun.

The Great Fire by Jim Murphy
This children's nonfiction account of the great fire that devastated Chicago is a wonderful resource for kids and adults. The retelling focuses on the adventures of four different people involved in different ways with the catastrophe, branching out to give more factual information where appropriate. This structure helps to keep the account personalized, and more interesting, while still imparting all the relevant detail. Side by side with the well-written content are the photographs and illustrations, all of high quality, that really bring to life the events described. I liked this book, which taught me more about a subject I knew only cursorily, and was in a small and easy dose, considering that nonfiction is not an area in which I read extensively.

Asian American Anthology of Literature by Shirley Lim
(I can't find the right link when I touchstone this, for the life of me. Sorry.)
You can determine the content of the book from its title, so the real question becomes, are the selections worthwhile? To say it simply, yes. The short stories, excerpts, poems, and plays are generally of very high caliber from solid writers. There were occasional choices I didn't like as much, which I expect from any anthology, really, but I enjoyed the vast majority. High profile authors, such as Maxine Hong-Kingston, Amy Tan, Bharati Mukherjee, and Carlos Bulosan, are accompanied by authors that I had never heard of, but plan to pursue now that I've had a taste of their style.

The selections are arranged according to theme, rather than region, but each chapter has a wide selection of writers from different areas of Asia, as well as variety in immigrant versus American born writers, men and women, and different perspectives on the same issues. My only quibble with the book is that there are a lot of excerpts from novels. This is a personal issue, really, since I like to read the whole book, not just pieces, and would have preferred more short stories here instead. On the whole, though, this is an excellent collection of work, and I am glad that I finally got back to this unfinished college read.

Esio Trot is my favorite Roald Dahl story. We used the growing method on our cat (the language thing, not the replacement thing) to no discernible effect, but we had fun. I love that "poo" is a very powerful word in every language.

Women Against Men by Storm Jameson
This is the first Virago selection that disappointed me. Not that the writing was bad, but the subject matter didn't engage me and the reading dragged. Perhaps I should begin by explaining that this book is a collection of three novellas, all with women as the main characters, and the stories focus on their relationships with men and other women. The first novella, actually, I liked. The narrator was a writer, who could be in turn generous or cruel, but was self-centered throughout. Not a lovable protagonist, certainly, but I could relate to her and her flaws. Her strained relationship with her best friend, an extroverted philandering best-selling novelist, was the center of the story, and I liked the dynamic there. Despite all the mean actions these two women took, they were balanced by moments of self-revelation and understanding. They weren't always bad. Also, I liked the best friend's daughter, and the new dimension she brought into the relationships.

Then I began reading the next two novellas, and the whole work fell apart for me. The next story is about the love between a rich daughter of a self-made man, and the poor clerk that works for him. Even though she marries the wealthy socialite her family picks for her, the original lovers are reunited and a love affair begins; she eventually divorces, marries her lover, and he rises to political power. I didn't like this for the simple fact that I didn't like the two main characters. At all. It's not just that they are doing bad actions - the previous novella's characters were much worse. It was that I couldn't relate to them, and began to despise them. She cheats on her husband, overlooks all of her lover's infidelity, and tells herself that she is strong for doing so. He, on the other hand, claims to love her passionately, but is constantly having affairs and is consumed with ambition. Meh. When the jilted husband is the best and most likable character in the story, you have a problem. The next novella was worse. This one tells a day in the life of a kept women, who is afraid that her lover is tiring of her and about to throw her over. You would think that you could sympathize with such a pathetic creature, but you can't. She is so self-centered, and mean and petty towards others. When she stole money from the sweet old lady, who was the first person to be kind to her all day, and then justifies herself, I was done with her.

To be fair, the author was conveying themes about self-preservation, love and its futility and many apparitions, and the destructive potential of relationships, and the writing was always clear, interesting, and easy to read. Yet when I can't enjoy the stories at all, I stop caring about the messages or the writing. The only redeeming quality about this novel was the first novella, and for that reason I was generous and gave it three stars.

Death on Demand by Carolyn Hart
On a whim I plucked this book off my mystery shelves, and I am so glad that I did. I read one book in the Death on Demand series long ago, and bought some others to try out, including this one, the first in the series. Then they were put on my shelves and forgotten, which is a shame, because this book was so much fun. The main character, Annie Laurance, runs a mystery book store, and there are references galore to other mystery books and series. In fact, the only down side to reading this was that it made me want to read a ton of other mysteries right afterward. As for the story itself, it was nothing new - a member of her mystery writers club is murdered, and everyone else is a suspect - but the characters were fun, the setting was evocative, and the romantic tension between Annie and Max was wonderful. I'm definitely returning to this series.

>91 nmhale: Glad to hear that you liked Death on Demand. I just got it a couple of weeks ago, but haven't read it yet, and was thinking of reading it next. As for reading mysteries, that seems to be mostly what I'm reading now that I've finished the 999 Challenge.

I love mysteries, they are my favorite cozy read. Especially on rainy/wintry nights. I hope you enjoy Death on Demand!