2nds Challenge 2009 Wrap-Up

I finally completed the J.Kaye's Seconds Challenge. Woah - this was actually harder then I thought but still loads of fun. I love challenging myself and my reading. If this challenge is up next year I will definitely be signing up again.

Final List:
1. Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict - Laurie Viera Rigler (completed 8/01/09)
2. Blue Moon - Alyson Noel (completed 8/06/09)
3. Speak - Laurie Halse Anderson (completed 6/08/09)
4. No Rest for the Wicked - Kresley Cole (completed 2/05/09)
5. Her Fearful Symmetry - Audrey Niffenegger (completed 9/08/09)
6. The Wednesday Letters by Jason F. Wright (completed 1/04/09)
7. Inkspell - Cornelia Funke (completed 1/15/09)
8. Shoot the Moon - Billie Letts (completed 4/04/09)
9. The People of Sparks - Jeanne DuPrau (completed 4/14/09)
10. The Forgotten Garden - Kate Morton (completed 4/30/09)
11. The Magician's Elephant - Kate DiCamillo (completed 10/06/09)
12. Naomi & Ely's No Kiss List - Rachel Cohn and David Levithan (completed 10/24/09)

Naomi & Ely's No Kiss List by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

Naomi & Ely are the best of friends. They’ve grown up as neighbors and have had some very happy and not so happy times (when Naomi’s dad and one of Ely’s mom’s hooked up). They know everything about each other and refuse to do anything without the other. Naomi dreams of marrying, having kids and living happily ever after with Ely... even if he is gay.

Together they have come up with their No Kiss List. A list where they both list boys that are not to be kissed. They see this as a way of making sure a boy doesn’t come between their friendship.... as if! So when Ely kisses Naomi’s boyfriend, Bruce the First (he wasn’t on that list - but only because it should be a given that he's a no-kisser), all hell breaks lose. They both begin to question their choices, their hopes, their dreams and where they are headed in their lives.... but even more important, should this come between their friendship?

Sadly, I can't say that I truly enjoyed this book. For starters the story is told through, well, pretty much everyone Naomi & Ely know. Firstly, of course, you hear from Naomi & Ely, Bruce the First (Naomi's boyfriend), Bruce the Second (lives in same apartment building Naomi & Ely do; has a thing for Naomi); Robin - girl (friend); Robin - boy (friend); Kelly (Bruce the Second's sister); Gabriel a/k/a The Archangel (hot security guard to Naomi & Ely's buiding and on the no-kiss list). Not only did I find it difficult to remember whose point of view we were reading at the time, but then a lot of them had similar names. There were two Bruce's and two Robin's.

Eventually, I did get past the whole confusion of who was who, but then I would also get annoyed at the Naomi chapters with all the little symbols. Meaning there were some words that were replaced by a symbol and I don't think I quite caught them all, so I was like.. "huh?"

To top it all off, I just didn't really fall for any of the characters. I just did not see any of them as someone I would hang out with in real life - so that was also a turn off to me. I tried to root for Naomi (because yes, girl power), but in the end I think I disliked her more than I liked her.

What I did like about the story was it's exploration of sexuality. I also liked that the characters were in their late teens - 19 and 20. I also really enjoyed Gabriel's chapters - because of all the music... loved that. And, of course, Rachel Cohn and David Levithan's writing is phenomenal - they are so hip, witty, clever and humorous.... because of this alone, it is worth the read.

With that being said, I don’t really think I can recommend this only because it wasn’t a winner with me. As for being a teen novel, I think the f-word was used too much and sex was seen as a casual thing - which no matter how realistic this may be, I really don’t think it sends the right message to the young and impressionable. To those who are fans of Nick & Norah's (I myself being one), I will end my review with this = it has the same sort of feel to it, but unlike Nick & Norah, this one is forgettable.

Hunting for Fluffy,

The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo

Peter Augustus Duchene is a ten year old orphan who is undergoing training to become a soldier like his father before him. When his guardian, sends him out to buy some fish and bread at the Baltese market square, he sees a fortune teller tent and decides that answers to his questions are far more important than eating stale bread. Instead he pays the fortune teller to answer a most pressing question... is his sister alive, and if so, how can he find her. See Peter was told that his sister died at birth - but he’s always had this niggling suspicion. The fortune teller answers him with the response "follow the elephant". To Peter, this sounds preposterous and he just assumes the fortune teller is mad. But when a magician across town tries to conjure up a bouquet of flowers for an audience member and instead summons an elephant who crashes through the ceiling of the opera house, an unbelievable chain of events are set into motion.

I loved that throughout the story you get a little bit of each character as some of the chapters flip from one character’s viewpoint to the next. Although the story is about a boy in search of a sister, a magician who just wanted something “more” in life, and an elephant that although alters many a life, does it for the best, it is so much more about love, relationships, darkness and loneliness but also about hoping, dreaming and believing.

The book’s description says it is geared for grades 4 - 7, but I do not think a child can take in and savor Ms. DiCamillo’s writing. Her wordplay is something to behold - something to be spoken out loud. Not just is the story magical but reading it feels like a treasure. You just feel so good doing it. It is a quick read - the pages are small, the writing is simple, with few words on each page, but the message is so tremendous. Ms. Tanaka's illustrations although sparse (and I confess, I would have really liked there to be more of them) only added to the seduction and mystery of this tale.

All in all, I highly recommend this to children and adults of all ages. This would make a lovely Christmas gift and I can definitely envision it on the big screen.

Her Feaful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

When Elspeth Noblin dies of cancer, she leaves her London apartment to her twin nieces, Julia and Valentina. These two American girls never met their English aunt; they only knew that their mother, too, was a twin, and Elspeth her sister. Julia and Valentina are semi-normal American teenagers -- with seemingly little interest in college, finding jobs, or anything outside their cozy home in the suburbs of Chicago, and with an abnormally intense attachment to one another.

The girls move to Elspeth's flat, which borders Highgate Cemetery. They come to know the building's other residents. There is Martin, a brilliant and charming crossword puzzle setter suffering from crippling obsessive-compulsive disorder; Marjike, Martin's devoted but trapped wife; and Robert, Elspeth's elusive former lover, a scholar of the cemetery. As the girls become embroiled in the fraying lives of their aunt's neighbors, they also discover that much is still alive in Highgate, including -- perhaps -- their aunt, who can't seem to leave her old apartment and life behind. (borrowed from Amazon.com)

First off I want to make it known that I am a big fan of books that have more than one narrator and I especially love the fact that all these “narrators” are living (or not-living in one case) under the same roof. With that said, there was such a variety of characters in this novel. Julia and Valentina - the mirror twins; Robert the grieving, younger lover of Elspeth; Elspeth our lonely ghost; Martin suffering from OCD and his wife Marjike. From the start you know that Elspeth had a falling out with her twin sister (Julia and Valentina’s mum) - that is the underlying storyline. Much of our story revolves around the twins’ move from the US to London and their settling in, Robert’s grieving process, Martin’s OCD and Marjike’s extended vacation away from Martin - (my favorite character being Martin, of course). I loved reading about the relationships formed, how they all start to rely upon one another and even Elspeth’s influence on both the twins and Robert.

Ms. Niffenegger’s prose is stunning - her descriptions of Highgate Cemetery are so realistic you can almost envision it (and with a little help from google - you can really envision it). I loved reading of London - the dreary weather, the gloomy atmosphere. It really gave that creepy feel to this ghost story.

There are so many words I can use to describe the feelings I had while reading Her Fearful Symmetry... i.e.: awed, emotional, fascinated, happy, outraged. It has an ending that will make you read and re-read it over and if you are like me, you will keep thinking about it long after you are done with it.

All in all, this was a stunning book full of surprises and twists and turns, beautiful prose and great characters, not to mention, quite the page-turner, I just could not put it down.

Blue Moon by Alyson Noël

Blue Moon is the second installment to The Immortals series. In it we are once again brought into the world of Ever and Damen and about two weeks after Evermore’s conclusion. Ever is now learning to deal with her newfound powers, with special training services from Damen (ahem). They are also planning on spending more intimate time together (finally after 400+ years).

In come new student, Roman, who arrives at their school and quickly becomes the popular kid. But Ever doesn’t fall for his charms, she knows something is not kosher with him, but she just can’t pinpoint what it is. With all her psychic powers she still cannot get a read on him and that alone makes her suspicious of him. As her powers grow stronger, she notices that Damen is slowly getting weaker to the point where he is looking sickly. Then there’s the issues at school - all her classmates are acting strange and that does include Damen... what is going on? It is now up to Ever to save Damen and set everything to rights.

Sadly I didn’t enjoy this one as much as I did Evermore... I really like the storyline of Ever and Damen and well, you just don’t get that in this book. There was so much going on in this book - Summerland, the twins, Ava and the whole Roman thing. It was just too much for me to actually enjoy wholeheartedly the way I did Evermore. It felt like a roller coaster ride - Ever was whiny, naive, and has the worst intuition about people (you’d think she wouldn’t with all her psychic powers and all, gosh!) I just couldn’t connect with her in this one. But all in all, I will confess that even with its faults, this book was still a page turner. I read it in just one sitting and will be looking out for the next installment Shadowland (November 2009).

Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler

So we all know what happened to the real Courtney... and if you don’t, check out my review here. But what happened to Jane Mansfield? Well, we get to find out in this parallel story to last year’s favorite - Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict.

Jane Mansfield, a gentleman’s daughter from Regency England who inexplicably awakens in Courtney’s body in present day L.A. And although her apartment may be smaller than a dressing closet - she is enthralled by the lights that burn without candles, machines that wash bodies and clothes, and that ever entertaining glossy rectangle in which tiny people perform scenes from her favorite book - you guessed it, Pride & Prejudice. As Jane comes to terms with her new life she goes from one hilarious situation to the next... from meeting Courtney’s friends, job and the mess her love life (or lack thereof) is in.

Ms. Viera Rigler is one funny gal - there were parts where I found myself laughing out loud over. I found it uproariously funny that Jane/Courtney wakes up in this whole new world and ends up wearing a wedding gown - since it was the only suitable thing to wear... I mean just the thought of it still tickles me. The transition for Jane is much harder than it was for Courtney. Who in 1813 could envision all the technology we have and take for granted in our day to day lives in the 21st century? I enjoyed this just as much or even more than I did Confessions. I will suggest that you read Confessions first - only because you get to meet Courtney and get more inside information on who Jane is or was in 1813.

This was a fun, light read with plenty of laughs and a wonderful message. I certainly enjoyed it and recommend to all - not only Jane Austen lovers.

My special thanks to Laurie for getting this out to me so quickly - I was anxiously anticipating this sequel to one of my favorite reads from 2008 and she did not disappoint.

GIVEAWAY: I have 1 copy of Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler to giveaway.

As always, leave a comment for one entry. Second entry if you follow, third if you follow on Twitter, extra entries for twitting about contest or sidebar posts, etc. I will also be giving extra entries to those who come by and comment on weekly book review posts. So the more comments the more entries.

Rules: There aren't any. This contest is open worldwide. Winners will be drawn Saturday, August 29.

Last Light Over Carolina by Mary Alice Monroe

Bud and Carolina Morrison have been married for well over 30 years. They reside in the small coastal town of McClellanville, South Carolina where Bud captains the Miss Carolina - his shrimping boat. Although being a shrimper is not the easiest of lives (long, hard-working days) - it is something that he would not give up for the world. Like any marriage - Bud and Carolina’s has not been an easy one they have definitely had their share of bumpy roads, but they have found a way to overcome these obstacles and have held strong to their lives together.

The story takes place in the course and scope of one day. Bud wakes up that morning well before dawn and heads out for the day’s catch. Once his ship is ready to sail out and after waiting for his deckhand, who is late, he decides to head out on his own - not an easy thing for one man to do (and definitely not for one well into his sixties now). Due to bad weather and an accident at sea Bud is missing causing Carolina’s nightmares to become a reality. Most of the day Carolina has had a dreadful feeling in her stomach... she feels as if something is wrong but just can’t pinpoint what it is.

While Bud is at sea and Carolina runs around doing her daily errands, we slip back and forth between flashbacks of their lives together. The realities of being a shrimper and a shrimper’s wife, how they first met, making a home, having a baby, the destruction of Hurricane Hugo, long separations (if the shrimp don’t come to you, you must go to where the shrimp is), and how the local shrimping market is being affected by foreign shrimp being used at much lower rates. Prepare to be taken on a roller coaster journey through the lives of two people as they come to realize how precious life really is and how important they really are to one another.

I really enjoy character driven novels like this. The flashbacks are told in a way where you get both sides of the story which give these characters a depth that you feel as if you know them and you can't help but fall in love with them (flaws and all). I love that you learn so much about shrimping... and I could even relate somewhat to Carolina’s feelings - since my grandfather was a fisherman (back in the day). I remember the nights that my grandmother stayed up waiting for him or the days that went by while she waited by the phone for that call from a dock somewhere just to let her know that he was okay. The writing is superb - you can almost feel the Southern twang while reading it. This was a beautiful and poignant story about life, love and hope that I honestly loved and highly recommend.

My thanks to Sarah at Pocket Books for sending me this copy for review.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Melinda Sordino starts her freshman year in high school as an outcast. She was just like any other kid in eighth grade, she was popular and had many friends, but there was a problem over the summer. While attending a party with some friends, Melinda ended up having to call the police. Now her friends won’t talk to her and most of the kids in her school know she’s the one who made the call so they shun her as well. The story takes place throughout Melinda’s school year as we see how her silence deteriorates her and eventually comes out at the end with redemption and the courage to speak the truth.

I thought it was neat how truly immersed in Melinda's mind you are but at the same time you still are not able to see the whole story at once. This is a powerful novel, and readers can enjoy both Melinda's wry humor and her heart-wrenching pain. The metaphors and symbolism add to the richness, but the primary attraction is Melinda herself - you become one with her and I found that I cared deeply for her and ached for her sadness. Although most girls will not be able to relate to Melinda directly, her tale is one that needs to be told. She is a survivor and a heroine and a voice that every young girl should learn from.

This was a very unique coming-of-age story but, more importantly, the author addresses issues that are difficult to discuss (I won’t go further into these issues as I don’t want to give any of the story away). If you enjoy books with a strong message, creative writing, and an intriguing plot than Speak will be the book for you.

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

This story follows the lives of three women, set in three time frames (early 1900's, 1975 and 2005) but all linked together through a garden, on an estate in Cornwall. The story mostly revolves around Nell and the mystery of who she is, where she came from and how/why she ended up where she did. Nell was abound on a ship from England to Australia. She was found stranded on an Australian dock at the age of four. At that time, she was taken in by Hugh (who oversaw the dock) and was given a family and a home. On Nell’s 21st birthday, her father told her the truth of how she came to be a part of his family - a truth that changed the rest of her life.

The book mostly revolves around Nell’s mystery although it’s told through several points of view spanning a little over a century - Cassandra (Nell’s granddaughter - 2005); Nell (1975); and Eliza (early 1900's). At first it was a bit disconcerting all the jumping around from character to character, but I quickly got over that and I absolutely loved it.

The writing was splendid, I loved Ms. Morton’s descriptions of London and Cornwall at the turn of the century. Her characters were likeable and well-developed. With an interesting story and plot that had enough twists and revelations to keep the pages turning. The fairytales scattered throughout the story were my favorite part - I kept looking forward to each one. The book itself is a thing of beauty - with it’s illustrations of frolicking fairies on the inner flap of the covers.

This was just a joy to read!! and I recommend it to anyone that loves a good mystery with a beautiful historical backdrop.

The People of Sparks by Jeanne DuPrau

What happens in Ember stays in Ember, or does it?

The people of Ember have emerged into the light... they are above ground where "it is green and very big and light comes from the sky" - and this is all thanks to Lina and Doon’s wisdom in deciphering the Instructions of Egress left by "The Builders". Once above ground, they come upon the people of Sparks, a small farming community. Here the town residents, barely remember the "old times" with incorrect names for old devices, and they have scavengers who pick over the remains of the previous industrial society from several hundred years back. Neither community knows what to make of the other but Sparks takes in the strange 'cave' people - feeding them, giving them someplace to sleep and eventually granting them a six month time frame to learn how to survive in this post-apocalyptic world and start their own community. But soon jealousy and resentment leads to disastrous events and the threat of war looms between the communities.

I have to admit that this story didn't capture me like the first book of Ember did, but yet I still enjoyed it and I found it satisfying in the end. The themes of this book echo the themes of the first book in many ways. You ask yourself - Just what does it take to survive in a new world? How does human kindness or the lack thereof affect and come into play towards the repetition of history?

My favorite quote from the book (and there were many) but this one stood out the most:
"People didn't make life, so they can't destroy it. Even if we were to wipe out every bit of life in the world, we can't touch the place life comes from. Whatever made the plants and animals and people spring up in the first place will always be there, and life will spring up again."

Ms. DuPrau is very good at writing a child's perspective without it seeming overly simplified or unreal. I’m looking forward to the next installment (The Prophet of Yonwood) - from what I read it’s a pre-quel to the first two books so it should answer some of the niggling loose ends about how this world came to be. Once again, this book was a page turner and I read it in a couple of hours. It is highly recommended no matter what the age.

Shoot the Moon by Billie Letts

In 1972, the town of DeClare, Oklahoma, was consumed by a terrifying crime - Gaylene Harjo a teenaged single mother was brutally murdered and her 10 month old son Nicky Jack Harjo had disappeared. Nicky Jack’s pajama bottoms were found on the banks of Willow Creek and nothing was heard of him for nearly 30 years.

Shortly after his father’s death, Mark Albright finds documents revealing he was adopted. He always felt that he never fit in and was somewhat of an outcast, yet he followed in his father’s footsteps and became a successful veterinarian to the stars pets in Beverly Hills.

In search of his roots, Mark traces his biological mother to the town of DeClare where sadly he is informed of her untimely death and his mysterious disappearance. Befriending some of the local townsfolk and some of his long lost relatives, he reopens Gaylene’s murder case, making him the "talk of the town" but also placing him in danger since someone doesn’t want this case to be investigated any further.

Shoot the Moon is full of the authentic heartland characters that Billie Letts writes about so beautifully. This book is a fun, light read with some neat and quirky characters, suspense and even romance. I will admit it wasn’t as predictable as I thought since I was sure I knew "whodunnit" and was thrown for a loop when I found out who really "dunnit". It did have too neat an ending but it was still very enjoyable - if you don't want to think too much.

No Rest for the Wicked by Kresley Cole

This is the second book in the Immortals After Dark series. This is the story of Kaderin the Cold and she has met her mate in a vampire (which she starts off not being too happy about)- Sebastian. The story takes us from one adventure after another throughout the globe as Kaderin and Sebastian are competing for the grand prize in the Hie. In this story we once again hear from Emma and Myst and learn more about the Lore. You are also introduced to the characters for her next book. I love that about these books - that, and that you always seem to get a glimpse of the lives of those characters you previously enjoyed.

The story is full of action, adventure and steamy romance. These books are part of my guilty pleasures (along with all Christine Feehan and Sherrilyn Kenyon books).

Another enjoyable, can't-put-it-down, interrupt-me-and-you'll-be-sorry page turner.

Inkspell by Cornelia Funke

Inkspell holds all the love of books, magic, and adventure that Inkheart did. What a fantastical sequel. In this one, Meggie, Mo, Resa and Farid are actually in the Inkworld. With them, we travel the Wayless Woods, see the Castle of Night, meet the Adderhead, the Laughing Prince (Prince of Sighs) and even Cosimo the Fair.

For some reason it took me a while to get into it and I struggled with the first 100 pages or so, but once it got going I couldn’t put it down. I liked the budding romance between Meggie and Farid. All the new characters introduced made the story all the more enjoyable. With a new nemesis and some of the old one’s being back, Inkspell takes us to a higher and more dangerous level. The ending was a bit sad (why did it have to be my favorite character?) - but I have high hopes that Inkdeath will turn it all around and wrap it up to my satisfaction. :D

The Wednesday Letters by Jason F. Wright

This is such a feel-good book. This is the story of three siblings who come home in order to bury their parents. They find boxes and boxes of letters written by their father to their mother every Wednesday for the past 39 years of their marriage - Wednesday Letters. This is the legacy left to these grieving children and in these letters they find truths, forgiveness and love.

I will say there was a time or two where I was actually sobbing - but I'm a sucker for a love story. It was a very sweet story with some twists at the end that you didn't see coming. I liked the ending and I especially liked that the Epilogue was in an evelope at the back of the book. I thought that was so fitting and mainly why I bought the book to begin with. I originally bought this book before Chrismtas Jars and hadn't had the opportunity to read it before - but can I say that I really like Mr. Wright's books. His writing is simple and I really like that. I can't wait to make a trip to the bookstore and get his newest title - Recoving Charles. Not to mention, he also took the time to actually comment on my blog. What an honor!

2nds Challenge 2009

This is a great way to combine 1st in a Series with this one. The only thing with 2nds is doesn't have to be a series book. It can be a book from an author you've just read one book from before.Here are the guidelines:

1. Anyone can join. You don't need to have a blog to participate.
2. Read 12 books by authors that you have only read once. It doesn't have to be a series.
3. You can join anytime between now and December 31, 2009. Don't start reading until January.
4. You may list your chosen books any time during the year. Change the list if needed.

This sounds like a great challenge for me. Although I will not be joining the 1sts challenge, I think this one will work well to get me to read more books from authors I've recently begun reading and liked. :)