Tag: reviews

2014 48 Hour Book Challenge Finish Line

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photo (7)Another 48 Hour Book Challenge completed and another wonderful weekend of reading. I went into the weekend without major plans for joining the challenge, but I’m so glad I did. I got to try out our porch (a great reading spot, if coated in pollen), check out some new series and authors, and take a few more books off my “to read” list. The final stats:

  • 12.5 hours read
  • 1556 pages read
  • 5 books finished
  • 2 cups of iced coffee consumed

So overall less than last year’s totals, but I’m still calling it a success.

The Books

Books veered more toward the unreal this year–three were some kind of fantasy (Linger, Daughter of Smoke and Bone, and September Girls) and one was sci-fi (Adaptation). A Crooked Kind of Perfect was the only realistic book I read. The last few books I’d read were realistic, so this was a nice change of pace. And three (Linger, Daughter of Smoke and Bone, and Adaptation) are part of a trilogy, so I have even more of those characters and worlds to look forward to.

I think a weekend of reading was just what I needed. Things have been kind of hectic and stressful lately, so it was nice to take some time to focus on something I really love and something that (unfortunately) can easily get put on the back burner.

Thanks to Mother Reader for hosting such a great event and to Hannah for inspiring me to join this year’s challenge!

Update #5: 48 Hour Book Challenge of 2014

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Finished one more book for the challenge.

photo (5)Update #5:

  • 2 hours reading time (12.5 total)
  • 240 pages read (1556 total)

The Books

Review #5:

I’d started September Girls by Bennett Madison a little while ago and figured that, since I didn’t have a lot of time left in the challenge, I might as well use my time to finish it up. It feels like Madison took Catcher in the Rye, “America’s Next Top Model,” and Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid, put them in a blender, and the result was September Girls. And that’s a pretty interesting smoothie right there. At time I really dug the voice and sense of sadness and desperation. At other points it kind of dragged, and I never really connected with Sam. But I think this is less of it not being a good book than it is it not being the book for me.

Update #4: 48 Hour Book Challenge of 2014

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Another book down for the challenge.

photo (4)Update #4:

  • 3.5 hours reading time (10.5 total)
  • 402 pages read (1316 pages total)
  • 1 iced coffee (2 total)

The Books

Review #4:

After Daughter of Smoke and Bone, I was in the mood for something similarly exciting but outside the fantasy realm. Adaptation by Melinda Lo was always on my radar, but for some reason I hadn’t checked it out yet. Definitely glad I did! I was hooked immediately–planes crashing, government cover-ups, weird genetic experiments–and enjoyed that Lo also focused on the characters themselves. Lo handles Reese’s feelings toward both Amber and David with sensitivity, and I appreciated a cast of supporting characters (like Julian and her mom) who felt real as well. Another book in a trilogy (that seems to be the theme for my 48 hour book challenge), I’m interested to see where this story goes.

Note: this one I got as a library download this morning. Holla to electronic library resources!

Update #3: 48 Hour Book Challenge of 2014

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An afternoon of reading on the porch was the perfect way to spend a Saturday.

photo (5)Update #3:

  • 4 hours reading time (7 hours total)
  • 418 pages read (914 pages total)
  • 1 break for sushi

The Books

Review #3:

This morning at writing group, Tara lent me Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor. Even though Tara and others had told me it was awesome and that I had to read it, I didn’t know much about it. Which ended up being a huge benefit to my reading experience, because I got to dive into a wild world and enjoy it without any preconceived notions. I loved the lushness of the story and the mythology, the beauty of the setting, and the expansive cast of awesome and memorable characters. (A blue-haired heroine was kind of made for me.) I would have been ob-freakin’-sessed with this book as a teen. Can’t wait to get Days of Blood & Starlight!

Update #2: 48 Hour Book Challenge of 2014

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I had writing group this morning, so reading started a little later, but it was filled with feels.

photo (4)Update #2

  • 1 hour reading time (3 hours total)
  • 211 pages read (496 pages total)
  • 1 cup of iced coffee

The Books

Review #2: A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban has been on my shelves for a while, and holy cow why didn’t I read this little gem sooner? It’s full of humor and heart and makes me remember that time of life when things are changing on you and it’s hard to keep up and you’re just starting to navigate the world on your own. Zoe is hilarious and so relatable; her parents are so real and sad and loving; and Wheeler is a surprise delight. It builds beautifully and is so fair to all of its characters, while still touching on real sadness. A charming middle grade book.

Friday Fifteen

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Happy Friday, everyone! I’m psyched to head into the long weekend, and psyched to share this week’s book reviews in fifteen words or under.

1. King Rollo and the Bread by David McKee
The adorable, illustrated version of “let them eat cake.”

2. Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy
I like a girl with vengeance in her heart. Well crafted, lots of feels.

3. Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
Try not to fall in love with this one. A classic for so many reasons.

4. United States of Pie: Regional Favorites from East to West and North to South by Adrienne Kane
Fun to learn about lots of regional favorites–from shore to shore, pie’s a winner.

5. The Baby-Sitters Haunted House (Baby-Sitters Club Super Mystery, 1) by Ann M. Martin
What I think of every time I see/hear about a widow’s walk.

Friday Fifteen

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Hurray for Friday! Let’s head into the weekend with a few book reviews in fifteen words or less:

1. Wild Magic (The Immortals #1) by Tamora Pierce
I never got into the Daine books like I did with the Alannas, but fun.

2. My Family Plays Music by Judy Cox
Super cute way to introduce kids to many kinds of music.

3. Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild
Old-school charming–love the Fossil sisters and their many talents.

4. The Devil in the Shape of a Woman: Witchcraft in Colonial New England by Carol F. Karlsen
Being a woman in Salem was the worst.

5. Claudia and the Mystery at the Museum by Ann M. Martin
One of the few BSC mysteries I read. Really liked the idea of tactile art.

Friday Fifteen

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Happy Friday, guys! Is it just me, or was this week about three weeks long? Good thing we’ve got the Friday Fifteen to carry us into the weekend. Here are this week’s micro-book-reviews:

1. Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta
Marchetta book about a girl and family mental health? No way I couldn’t love it.

2. About Animals (Childcraft: the How and Why Library #5) by World Book-Childcraft International
Why don’t I remember this one at all? Maybe I was afraid of potential spiders.

3. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Watcher’s Guide, Volume 1 (Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Watcher’s Guide #1) by by Christopher Golden and Nancy Holder
Before there was Tumblr, fans had to buy books about their favorite shows. Olden days!

4. Henry IV, Part 1 by William Shakespeare
Mostly I remember the pub stuff. Probably should watch a version.

5. The Berenstain Bears and Too Much Junk Food by Stan and Jan Berenstain
I didn’t understand the problem.

Friday Fifteen

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After a brief break last week, we’re back with another Friday Fifteen! Here are this week’s book reviews in fifteen words or less:

1. Jenney’s First Year Latin by Charles Jenney, Rogers V. Scudder, Eric C. Baade
Takes me back to translating sentences about Roman armies on the march.

2. Fault Line by Christa Desir
A powerful, challenging, necessary read about sexual assault and how we all respond. Love Christa.

3. The Runaway Duck by David Lyon
Another book I remember sitting with on my own, enjoying the illustrations.

4. Second Best (Sweet Valley Twins #16) by Francine Pascal
We’re siblings but we’re so different! Oh wait, we’ve heard that before.

5. Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book by Better Homes and Gardens
Lots of helpful basics. Great for beginning cooks; one I refer back to.

Friday Fifteen

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Happy Friday, everyone! It’s the Friday before Patriot’s Day/Marathon Monday (aka my favorite MA holiday) and the Friday before The Chance You Won’t Return officially hits selves. Eee! So for today’s Friday Fifteen, I’m featuring a few Amelia Earhart-ish books. Check out the latest in micro-book reviews:

1. Amelia Lost by Candace Fleming
Agent sent me a signed copy after she/Fleming were at a conference. Mid-revision inspiration!

2. The Fun of It by Amelia Earhart
Amelia talks about her own life, flying in general, and women aviators.

3. 20 Hours, 40 Min: Our Flight in the Friendship by Amelia Earhart
Earhart admits she was mostly a passenger on Friendship flight, but obvious she loves flying.

4. Amelia Earhart: Courage in the Sky by Mona Kerby
For 5th grade biography project. Thought, “If I have to read nonfiction, should pick Amelia.”

5. Last Flight by Amelia Earhart
Dispatches from Earhart’s final flight. Similar tonally to her other books, but ending still unsettling.