All These Things I’ve Done

Not a very memorable title. I might forget the name of this book in the future.

All These Things I’ve Done
By Gabrielle Zevin
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Library book from Junior Library Guild

[#3 in my 75 book challenge]

If you need a summary of the book, just take a look at the cover. Instead of having some cliche picture on there, we’ve got a list of the things going on: chocolate is contraband, caffeine is illegal, the city is riddled with crime, Anya is torn between accepting her birthright and following her heart.

When I picked this one out, I thought it was dystopian. While it sort of is, it’s really more like a mafia novel taking place in 2083. Anya’s family is in the chocolate business, making her father one of the most powerful men in the city…until he was murdered. Anya’s mother was also murdered, and her older brother was severely injured in hits on her family. Though her ailing nana is technically her guardian, Anya is basically in charge of keeping her family healthy and safe, while also trying to survive high school.

You probably noticed that the chocolate on the cover is in the shape of a heart. That’s right, kids — Anya falls in love! Romeo and Juliet-style, she’s falling in love with the Assistant DA’s son, Win (short for Goodwin). He’s so dreamy, he’s so perfect, he’s so atrractive. She’s so…Catholic. And waiting until marriage. Whilst Anya’s trying to figure all of this out, there’s drama, scandals, hits, attempted poisonings, and a lot of distrust going around “the family business.” I didn’t trust anyone, even at the very end. The ending was satisfying, but this is definitely a series and this book has a lot of loose ends.

In reading other reviews of the novel, I noticed that many people thought the story started out strong and fell flat in the middle. I disagree. I was bored at the beginning and found I liked it more at the end. Anya was realistic — yes, she falls victim to high school love and becomes distracted for a bit, but isn’t that understandable? I also felt her struggle with losing her virginity was realistic. It’s not as simple as “good, Catholic schoolgirls don’t do that” for her, there’s a bit more to it than that. I think it’s a struggle a lot of girls have when they really fall in love in high school. The entire premise of the novel was a little odd (why did they outlaw chocolate? Are the going to unveil more to that plot in later books?), but once I accepted that I read it as a love story. And, as has been the trend lately (hurrah!) Anya is a pretty kick-ass female protagonist.

Final Grade:  C   I’m still having a hard time with this rating system business, but I have to keep reminding myself that a C is a good grade. It was average book. Adequate. Kept me reading, kept my interest, and entertained me. However, I don’t think it’ll be making any Top 10 lists at the end of the year. It just isn’t going to be memorable. Worth a read if you like a good mafia story or love story, absolutely. Worth putting in the school library for sure. But I have a feeling many of my students will be returning it unread.

Quotetastic Friday

Between Shades of Gray

Reminds me of one of the covers for If I Stay.

Between Shades of Gray
by Ruta Sepetys
Philomel/Penguin Audio
Audio Book from Overdrive (Public Library)

[#2 in my 75 book challenge]

What an interesting read, and a detour from the stuff I’ve been reading lately. This is heartbreaking and beautiful story about the relocation of Lithuanians to Siberia during World War II. Lina, her mother, and her brother (Jonas) are ripped from their home in the middle of the night, spend weeks in a crowded train, and are forced to work and starve in bitter cold conditions. Lina is an artist, so she records her experiences through journals and drawings with the hopes of these messages finding her imprisoned father.

Now I did take Russian History in college and vaguely remember studying Stalin’s political actions during WWII. However, this story shows that the devastating effects of this war extended beyond the soldiers and the Holocaust. Millions of Lithuanians, Latvians, and Estonians were deported, starved, and worked to death.

When reading a book such as this one, I immediately consider if if would be a good purchase for my school. I don’t think our curriculum goes into much depth on this topic, so the book would likely go unread, but I would purchase it for the general collection. It is beautifully written and unique in content. However, there are several scenes that mention sexual abuse. There are a few students I can think of that would appreciate this sophisticated story, but it is pretty solidly YA. Look for it to appear on many award lists as we go into book award season in January. I’ve seen this title thrown around on both Newbery and Printz discussion lists, and the iBookstore on iTunes just selected it as the Best Teen Novel of 2011.

I liked that this story was different and that it was beautiful. I liked learning something new about history and that Sepetys gave a voice to stories than have gone untold. I also like that there was a little bit of romance in the story, something not often seen in this type of historical fiction. The weaknesses came in two places: the audio narration and the ending. The ending just felt too abrupt. The audio narration jumped between Lina’s present situation and the flashbacks to the past too abruptly, so sometimes I got confused about what was going on. These were really both minor complaints, neither was terrible enough to change my overall view of the story.

Final Grade:  B  It was really good, fascinating, and kept my interest. I can see why everyone is talking about it, and I would recommend it to anyone over the age of fourteen (I think my middle school kids lack the historical context to really appreciate it). A very, very sad book, but an important one.

5 Reasons to Punch a Dolphin in the Mouth

I love the graphics on The Oatmeal.

5 Reasons to Punch a Dolphin in the Mouth (and Other Useful Guides)
by The Oatmeal (Matthew Inman)
Andrews McMeel Publishing
Library E-Book from Overdrive
[#1 in my 75 book challenge]

First things first: if you’ve never been to theoatmeal.com, quit reading this review and GO THERE. It will open in a new window, so I’ll be here when you get back.

…hours later…

Addictive, isn’t it? Well, that’s this book. Inman has taken many popular Oatmeal infographic cartoons, as well as some previously unpublished material, and packaged them into a great little book for my reading pleasure. Complete with graphics about grammar, spelling, nostalgia, work, food, and life, there’s something to make anyone laugh with each turn of the page.

The best lists and guides included: 10 Types of Crappy Interviewees, 7 Types of Crappy Airline Passengers, How to Tell If Your Velociraptor is Having Premarital Sex, How to Suck at Text Messaging, How to Suck at Facebook, 8 Phases of Employment, and 6 Reasons Bacon is Better than True Love.

Beware, though, because some of the humor is a little crude. There’s foul language, sexual references, and, of course, references to punching cute sea creatures in the mouth (see title). It’s all in good fun, though, and it’s a brand of humor I happen to find particularly hilarious.

Final Grade:  B   Loved it and it made me laugh out loud, but it was a lot of content I had read before on the web. I would definitely buy the book as a Christmas or birthday gift, and it’s the kind of book I would love to receive on a similar occasion. I don’t have any specific plans to buy it for myself, though, but I will keep checkin’ the website. I won’t buy it for my library because of the crudeness, but I think that’s understandable — this is definitely an adult book, not a YA book.

Top Ten Favorite Books I Read in 2011

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the bloggers over at the Broke and the Bookish. Book bloggers from all around create lists based on the chosen topics, and post links to the host blog to share our love of books. This week’s topic is a post I was going to do anyway, so why not do it TTT style?

Top Ten Books I Read in 2011

[not counting re-reads, in no particular order]

1.) Divergent by Veronica Roth

This list is all about the lasting effect each book had on me. Divergent was one that I liked enough when I read it, but it grew on me over time. We aren’t talking beautiful prose with this one…or even amazing characters. But it’s action-packed and dystopian, and it definitely stands out among the pile as one of the most fun, un-put-downable reads of the year. I will be waiting patiently for Insurgent to come out in May! (read my full review here)

2.) Matched by Ally Condie

This one also grew on me over time. When I first read it, I focused on the sexual tension. However, Cassia’s world has stuck with me over the months and I’m ready to learn more. The world-building here was excellent, and I think Condie has a big plan in mind with this trilogy. I’m not buying that Ky is the one for Cassia, even if I was rooting for them to make out in this installment of the trilogy. I’ll be reading Crossed on my Nook as soon as the library gets to me on the wait list! (my full review)

3.) Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery

This one could easily have been named “why did I wait so long to read this?!” I’m so glad I finally did! Maybe it’s a good thing that I read it at this point in my life, because I appreciated the beautiful writing and settings. I also can identify with Anne so much right now. Though she’s a dreamer (I’m more practical), she’s focused more on her pursuit of knowledge than just staying around her little town and getting married, settling down, etc. And Gilbert will be there when she’s ready, so it gives me some hope in life. (read my full review here)

4.) The Boyfriend List: 15 Guys, 11 Shrink Appointments, 4 Ceramic Frogs, and Me, Ruby Oliver by E. Lockhart

Have I said enough about this book yet? Or the whole series? I haven’t read the final book yet, but part me realizes I’m just putting it off so I still have the some un-read Ruby Oliver to look forward to. Ruby is smart, funny, ridiculous, realistic, and independent, all qualities that I admire in a teen protagonist. I’ve said it 100 million times, but the feminist message throughout the quartet is spot on for modern girls. (read my reviews here, here, and here)

5.) Bossypants by Tina Fey

IT’S FRIGGIN’ TINA FEY! I love Tina Fey. Have I said that enough this year, also? I still say it’s a shame that woman is straight…but she addresses that in her book. This book is just like her in book form. I love Tina Fey’s comedy and her style, so I found myself laughing constantly as she took me through her journey in the business. Most of all, I appreciate her push to get more strong women in comedy and transform comedy out of being a boys club. FYI, I’m watching 30 Rock on Netflix while I write this. (read my full review here)

6.) An Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner’s Semester at America’s Holiest University by Kevin Roose

Religion fascinates me, and that fascination led me to this book. What brought the book to the Top 10 list for 2011 was the refreshingly open-minded approach Roose took to his experiment and his writing. I think sometimes liberal-minded folks forget that understanding is a two-way street — we want others to see and appreciate different ideals, views, and cultures, but we forget to apply that to the “religious right.” Roose showed how important it is to understand the different cultures that exist in our own backyard. (read my full review here)

7.) Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt

I cry tears of sadness in books, but this one made me cry tears of joy. So much emotion was stirred up in this novel. It’s kind of long and slow, but it never felt cumbersome. The slow pacing actually turned out to be immensely rewarding in terms of emotional build-up. I didn’t think much of Doug Sweiteck in The Wednesday Wars, but he’s now a character that will stay with me for a very long time. I just LOVE him. Not love like I love Tina Fey, but more like the love I have for Harry Potter. I’m crossing my fingers for this to win at least a Newbery honor. (read my full review here)

8.) The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

One of my more recent reads, but also one of the best. It was equal parts contemporary YA boarding school-book and sleep-with-the-lights-on creepy book. Luckily it’s a series (trilogy? I’m not sure) and I will be reading the others. I appreciated that the action took place only over a few months, instead of dragging the story out over a whole school year (*cough* Anna and the French Kiss *cough*). Maureen Johnson is awesome and I’ll be reading more of her work in 2012 for sure (read my full review here)

9.) If I Stay by Gayle Foreman

Such a beautiful book! As a music lover, I appreciated the use of both classical and indie/punk music throughout this terribly heartbreaking story. The scene with Mia’s family’s car accident was very memorable, and I still think it would make a great movie (and the music has already been decided on!). I haven’t had a desire to read the other book (the fact that it even exists is kind of a spoiler, I think) because I like this one on its own. I recommend it and book talk it to students all the time, and they seem to agree that it’s a good read. (my review)

10.) Room by Emma Donoghue

Room was the very first novel I read on my brand-new Nook, so it has a special place in my heart. I had been wanting to read it since I heard about it, and it was worth it. This is a heartbreaking and fascinating story that sounds like it’s ripped right from the headlines. Though it’s an adult book and told from the point-of-view of a five-year-old, I can still see it appealing to a sophisticated young adult reader. The concept of a five-year-old only ever knowing one room is an interesting one to see unfold. (read my review here)

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

(the tree in the picture is my parent’s Christmas tree in their library. I love the tree with all those books behind it!)

Faves of TwentyEleven: The Random

Faves of TwentyEleven is the creation of Nomes over at Ink Crush. This series of five posts will focus on my favorite books, characters, scenes, covers, and other random favorites from my 2011 reads in my 52 60 Book Challenge. I’m participating in the Faves of TwentyEleven because the award categories looked like fun! I’m spending much of the end of December writing up lists and reflecting on my reads.

Day Four: The Random

1. Fave first sentence

“The summer between fifth and sixth grade, something happens to your mind.” (Alice McKinley, The Agony of Alice)

This sentence basically sums up my life’s work. It also opens my favorite series, the Alice series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

2. Fave book title

By The Time You Read This, I’ll Be Dead by Julie Anne Peters

The title is what made me want to read the book.

3. Fave reading experience (ie: created a great reading memory)

Reading When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead with my sixth grade book club.

They were so wonderfully excited and enthusiastic about this book and we had some really great conversations. It showed up on a lot of their “Favorite Books Ever” lists and they still talk about it. I love knowing that they are getting some exposure to challenging books and conversation about books outside of their classrooms, where the “high-stakes” testing has all but eliminated novels from the curriculum.

4. Book with the best food in it (made you so crazy-envious-hungry)

Handle With Care by Jodi Picoult

The mom in the book was a pastry chef, and recipes started each section. Kind of made me want some tasty treats while reading.

5. Book with the most sensual weather (made you shiver/sweat)

Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer

I LOVE LOVE LOVE me some Mt. Everest books (and I wrote one of my big grad school papers on a bunch of K2 books), and this one is quite representative of the genre. Whenever I read these books, though, I can’t help but layer on some extra blankets and be really glad that I’m not stranded in a massive snow storm at 28,000 ft.

*Honorable mention to Trapped by Michael Northup and This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer for also having REALLY FRICKIN’ COLD settings. Apparently I like books about surviving in the snow (and I just finished Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys and I’m currently reading Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle…also books about bitter cold situations. Wow. It really is a thing.)

6. Most embarrassing book cover (feeling sheepish in public or just plain ugly)

Amelia Rules: The Tweenage Guide to NOT Being Unpopular by Jim Gownley

How could I read a book with a title like that in public? I can’t explain to people, “I’m trying to take an active interest in graphic novels because I’m a middle school librarian.” Luckily it was a quick read and I didn’t have to drag it around with me.

7. Can’t believe you waited this long to read the book (!)

A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L’Engle

I should have just read it in my childhood. I do still plan on reading a few others in the series, but it may take me some time to get to that.

8. Book you’d give your mum/sister to read

An Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner Semester at Americas Holiest University by Kevin Roose

She would be interested in this, since Liberty is in Virginia (where I grew up) and she’s interested in religion.

*Honorable mention to The Brooklyn Nine by Alan Gratz…but only because I ACTUALLY gave her this one to read. And Harry Potter. But I think she’d like Unlikely Disciple more.

9. Book you’d give your dad/brother to read

I’d give my brother A Whiter Shade of Pale by Christian Lander

Because it’s funny and he’s seen Stuff White People Like. There’s pretty much nothing on my list that I think my dad would like.

10. Book you’d like to give your past-self to read (ie, me, when I was 15)

Ruby Oliver.

If she existed then (it was the year 2000, and The Boyfriend List was published in 2006).

11. Book that lived up to (or superseded the hype)

Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt

Such a good book, I understood right away why I’ve seen it discussed as a Newbery contender so much. It’s got my vote (if I had a vote).

12. Book you stayed up the latest to finish (confess!!!)

Before I Die by Jenny Downham

…and then I was crying so hard that I couldn’t sleep.

13. Book you were *dying* to get your hands on the most

This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer

I haven’t talked about this one much on my end-of-year lists, but I was dying to read it when it came out. The first two books, Life As We Knew It and The Dead and the Gone were AMAZING, but this one was just weird. Don’t get me wrong — I liked it. But the romance kind of ruined it for me calling it a “best” book this year.

14. Biggest brick of a book you read (by page count)

Wonderstuck by Brian Selznick

608 pages. It was a big one, and I lugged it around in my purse for days!

15. Killer cliffhanger award

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

I really like how she did this cliffhanger. The books still felt very satisfying and could be read alone, but there was a moment at the end where I thought, “I must read book #2.”

*Honorable mention to Delirium by Lauren Oliver. Her cliffhanger saved the book, and I will read the second one. And another honorable mention to Matched by Ally Condie…I’m on the wait list for Crossed at the public library and I can’t wait!

Again, I like that this list forced me to talk about some of the books that I’ve talked about much this year. Every book brings something special to my life, even if I don’t like the book that much overall. There’s memorable scenes, emotions, characters, and moments that add up over time. Making all of these lists has also forced me to think hard about which books will go on my “Top Ten Books I Read in 2011″ list that I’ll be writing for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday. It’s a very hard list to write!

Quotetastic Friday

Faves of TwentyEleven: The Scenes

Faves of TwentyEleven is the creation of Nomes over at Ink Crush. This series of five posts will focus on my favorite books, characters, scenes, covers, and other random favorites from my 2011 reads in my 52 60 Book Challenge. I’m participating in the Faves of TwentyEleven because the award categories looked like fun! I’m spending much of the end of December writing up lists and reflecting on my reads and this is just the beginning. Get ready.

Day Three: The Scenes

1. Best first chapter

Will Grayson, Will Grayson

I was hooked from the beginning with the first Will Grayson as the narrator. I was laughing from the get-go and thinking, “John Green is SO brilliant.”

2. Best climax

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

After many, many pages of (sometimes very) slow-moving plot, the climax of the story made it all worth it. Darcy was a gentleman, love was found, and I saw glimpses of why everyone loves Jane Austen so much.

3. Best ending

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick

I’m trying to do this as ending and not climax. Ending is a bit trickier. I picked Wonderstruck because the ending is one of those fabulous endings where the two stories are woven together in a surprising way.

4. Best plot twist/revelation (no spoilers!)

Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

They said no spoilers, so I can’t say much more about WHY this was the best pick. But, c’mon, it’s Agatha Christie!

5. Scariest/most disturbing scene

When Rory talks to the bald man outside of her dorm at 2am in The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

THIS was the moment when this story got creepy for me, and it’s quite early on in the story. I felt uneasy for the rest of the novel, knowing that something super-abnormal was going on and Rory was not safe.

6. Steamiest scene

Mary Lou Novak (with herself) in Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

I’ve read a lot of sex scenes, both explicit and implicit, in YA lit — but this was a scene I was not used to reading in a YA book. However, it was probably the best scene I read all year because it is important for girls to not be afraid or ashamed of their own sexuality. They also need to love and understand themselves before they can love and understand someone else. If I could give Libba Bray a medal, I would.

7. Best swoon-worthy moment

When Adam asks Mia to “play” him in If I Stay by Gayle Foreman

This could have been super-cheesy. Even when I type it, it looks super-cheesy. However, it worked. It was this perfect, intimate moment of music-nerd love where two very different people found common ground in something they both love and understand.

8. Biggest nail-biting moment

The ending to Delirium by Lauren Oliver

I knew, from reading all the fabulous book blogs that I read, that the ending to this was going to be a shocker. So when Oliver started setting up that ending, I was biting my nails in anticipation of shit really hitting the fan. Turns out, the ending was exactly how I would have written it and I think it saved the book for me.

9. Most hilarious scene

When the girl (I don’t remember her name) make mini-marshmallow Jesuses on little pretzel crosses for the school bake sale in The Treasure Map of Boys by E. Lockhart.

Even Ruby Oliver (especially Ruby Oliver) was looking at this girl, going, “Are you FREAKIN’ kidding me?” I laughed really, really hard. It was hard picking my best Ruby Oliver moment, but this was it.

10. Most heart-breaking/tear-jerker moment

The ending to Before I Die

If said it before, I’ll say it again: JUST RIP MY HEART OUT AND TAKE IT. I will never forget that ending, and I read a lot of books with sad endings in the past couple of years.

BONUS: Favorite meet cute

Zoe and Vanessa in Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult. They win above all others because they are the only real lesbian love story I read this year (what a shame!).

Fave of TwentyEleven: The Characters

Faves of TwentyEleven is the creation of Nomes over at Ink Crush. This series of five posts will focus on my favorite books, characters, scenes, covers, and other random favorites from my 2011 reads in my 52 60 Book Challenge. I’m participating in the Faves of TwentyEleven because the award categories looked like fun! I’m spending much of the end of December writing up lists and reflecting on my reads and this is just the beginning. Get ready.

Day Two: The Characters

1. Favorite female main character

Ruby Oliver

She’s me at sixteen, but cooler (though she doesn’t know it).

2. Favorite male main character

Doug Sweitack from Okay for Now

I just want to hug the poor boy. Such a sweet kid from such a crap home situation.

3. Best couple <3

Petra West and the cross-dressing pirate

I can’t remember the pirate’s name, but this couple was awesome because I’ve never seen such a couple in YA lit before. Very progressive.

4. Who I so want to be best friends with

This question was hard for me, I think because none of the characters would qualify for BFF status. I would want to be friends with Diana from Anne of Green Gables, Hermione Granger, Ginny Wesley, Ruby Oliver, Alice McKinley, and Jazza from The Name of the Star, though.

5. Who I fell completely in love with (new literary crush)

Gilbert Blythe in Anne of Green Gables

I think it’s because the romance is not the primary focus of the book. I could appreciate the groundwork being laid for a great romance later on in the series. Gilbert is just a nice guy, and the relationship has the love/hate thing going on in a non-cheesy kind of way.

6. Worst (best & baddest) villian

Hilly Holebrook in The Help

I mean, I did re-read Harry Potter, so I could have easily said Voldemort. Or the unconsecrated in The Forest of Hands and Teeth. Or the date rapists, murders, or school shooters in some of the other books. Even the Dark Thing. But no, I go with good ole Hilly Holebrook. She’s evil like Dolores Umbridge — sugar-coated evil. Evil in a smart skirt suit. The kind of evil I’m likely to actually encounter in my life. I shudder just thinking about.

7. Best character twist (who you loved then hated or vice versa)

The murderer in The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

I can’t say more without giving away the plot twist, but it’s a big character twist.

8. Best kick-arse female

Tris in Divergent

She’s in Dauntless and she CHOOSES to be there. She jumps off moving trains and fights other initiates with her bare hands. She literally kicks ass.

9. Best kick-arse male

Tiny Cooper in Will Grayson, Will Grayson

Quite the opposite of Tris, but kicking ass in a necessary way. Tiny Cooper represents being true to oneself and living life to the fullest.

10. Broke your heart the most

Jack in Room

He’s five. He knows nothing but Room and the things in Room. His story broke my heart, even more so when I remembered that things like this actually happen.

11. Favorite pet/animal character award

Polka-dot in The Treasure Map of Boys

12. Best YA parents award

TIE:

Mia’s parents in If I Stay

Ruby Oliver’s parents

Mia’s parents for having awesome taste in music and still supporting their daughter’s love of the celllo.

Ruby Oliver’s parents for being over-the-top yet extremely, genuinely loving. And for telling Ruby that she might be a lesbian and that was okay with them.

13. Favorite sibling relationship

Jed from The Forest of Hands and Teeth

The poor guy had to put up with Mary through the whole book, as well as those silly Unconsecrated that were trying to infect everyone all the time.

14. Favorite best friends/friendship award

Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, and Harry Potter

The friendship of the trio is what makes the series.

15. Best/worst character names

Hilly Holebook, Skeeter Phelan, Mae Moobley Leefolt, Celia Foote, Sugar, Treelore, Yule May, and Pascagoula

I’m sure there’s historical significance there, but I found the names distracting because all I could think of was “did people really name their kids those names in the mid-century?”

Bonus: best love triangle

Cassia, Xander, and Ky in Matched

I’m still holding out hope for Xander, even though the sexual tension between Cassia and Ky was soooo intense.