This is too funny. I completely forgot about this blog. I am going to use Jen's method of making a list. I have not advanced as fast as Jen has. I better get reading!

Here is the list so far:
1. Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney. Fast read. I certainly can see why this was so popular with kids. The library had huge waiting lists for this one. I enjoyed it so much I read the entire series.

2. Diary of a Wimpy Kids: Rodrick Rules. This book was very reminicent of Malcom in the Middle.

3. Diary of a Wimpy Kid : The Last Straw. Perfect for my crurrent job: I now can have deep bookish discussions with my clients. I have no problem rrecommending this series & it is fun to discuss it with other fans.

4. Lawn Boy by Gary Paulson. A tad too young for me. A kid starts a buisness and gets rich. Appropriate for the intended audience.

5. When Heaven Fell by Carolyn Marsden. Set in Vietman.
The story is told from the point of view of a young girl who is living in Vietnam with her family. Life takes an unexpected turn when an aunt who has been living in America comes ot visit. The aunt had been the child of an American solidier and her Grandmother. None of the family knew of the aunt's existance. This book was very though-provoking both about the complexity of giving up children for adoption and the complexity of growing up as a visible minority.

6. The Year of the Rat by Grace Lin.
Clearly writtten for the 8 - 10 year range. Book provides good insight into how existing mental models impede the acceptance of visible minorities.

7. How do you Spell Geek by Julie Ann Peters
Not that memorable because I don't remember reading it. Good thing I made notes: "Spelling bees must be very trendy." Likely very exciting for the intended audience, especially if they like spelling bees.

8. The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron. This book won a Calecott Medal. It is one of those treasured books about non-traditional family groupings. I recommend you read the wikipedia synopsis: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Higher_Power_of_Lucky

9. The Year of the Dog by Grace Lin. Very similar to the first book I read. Good recommendation for Grades 2-4.

10. Airhead by Meg Cabot. "Cringe".What more can I say other than it is a YRCA 2011 nominee...the kids must like it.

11. City of Bones byu Cassandra Clare

12. City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

13. City of Glass by Cassandra Clare.

Perfect for my taste. Teen Fantasy. Loved them. The fourth one come out December 2010, conveniently in time to still make my 2010 list.

14. The Lightening Thief by Rick Riordan.
Hugely popular with kids. Would highly recommend to the 12 - 14 age. This is the only one of the series I have read.

15. The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen.

16. The Tipping Point by Malcolm Galdwell.
This is not YA you say! Yes, I know I am cheating but I want it known that I finally broke down and read the book. Five years behind you say...well... I try not to be a fad follower. haha

17. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.
The best read on this list so far. I was very sorry when I was finished when it was over.

18. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins.

19. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins.

This series was the best I read this year... maybe even last year. I found these books to be usual in plot but also thoughful in the message it conveyed about power. What a wonderful way to teach humanity...through storytelling. This series shows the power of fiction. Fiction can help us clarify our thoughts, it can help us think about different points of view and it can even challenge our beliefs or perhaps validate themselves all though the power of entertainment.

20. Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins

21. Gregor the Overlander and the Prophesy of the Bane by Suzanne Collins

22. Gregor the Overlander and the Prophesy of the Secret by Suzanne Collins

23. Gregor the Overlander and the Code of the Claw by Suzanne Collins

This series is for a slightly younger audience . Once again, great writing and moral pronciples about power, beliefs and human foibles that I could relate to and embrace.

24. Fablehaven by Brandon Mull.
First in the series (5 so far). Kids love this book and ask for it all the time. I enjoyed it but obviously not enough to read the rest of the books. I might try the second if I start running short of titles for my list.

25. The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
I choose this book as a result of a patron request. When I read the back blurb, I realized I had seen the movie. This book is the first of a series of three (so far). It is an post- apocalyptic novel. Since I have already seen the movie, I am basically reading through the book as a refresher for the rest of the series.

52 Books in 52 Weeks: Part 3 (39/52)

disliked (-), neutral/ok ( ), liked (+), loved (♥)

27. Persuasion - Jane Austen (+)
28. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen (+)
29. Prisoner of Tehran - Marina Nemat ♥
30. Sky Burial: An Epic Love Story of Tibet - Xinran (+)
31. Elephant Winter: A Novel - Kim Echlin (-)
32. Dagmar's Daughter - Kim Echlin
33. Emma - Jane Austin
34. Tears of the Desert: A Memoir of Survival in Darfur - Halima Bashir ♥
35. The Winter Vault - Anne Michaels (-)
36. The Mistress of Nothing - Kate Pullinger
37. The Bishop's Man - Linden MacIntyre (+)
38. The Year of the Flood - Margaret Atwood (+)
39. Hiroshima - John Hersey (+)

At this point I am starting to lose track of the books I've read, and remember what they were each about!

Prisoner of Tehran - Marina Nemat

What an amazing story. She writes about her experience as a political prisoner in Iran, where she was tortured and nearly executed, and held prisoner for over 2 years. Her writing is beautiful and easy to read, and her compassion and goodness is what is truly humbling. I really recommend reading this!

52 Books in 52 Weeks: Part 2 (26/52)

14. Fall - Colin McAdam (-) a little too disturbing of subject matter for my tastes
15. Mother of the Believers - Kamran Pasha interesting account of the birth of Islam and the life of Mohammad
16. Vanishing and Other Stories - Deborah Willis (-) pretentious & cliche
17. The Disappeared - Kim Echlin ♥ gorgeous writing, period
18. Infidel - Ayaan Hirsi Ali ♥ thought-provoking and intelligent
19. Northanger Abbey - Jane Austen (+) sweet, though a bit too sweet at times perhaps
20. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte (-) too much melodrama
21. The Inheritance - Louisa May Alcott (-) saccharine
22. The Golden Mean - Annabel Lyon (+) well-written and a pleasure to read
23. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens (+) amazing characterization and a complex plot
24. Married to a Bedouin - Marguerite van Geldermalsen ♥ a sweet and insightful love story
25. Galore - Michael Crummey (+) history & myth of a maritime community
26. Too Much Happiness: Stories - Alice Munro (abandoned) (-) found I just couldn't get into her writing, especially in a short-story format

Spoon Fed - How Eight cooks Saved My Life by Kim Severson

At close to 250 pages, this is a great read that you can do in a day. It's a memoir of a food writer who has spent time in San Francisco & New York, whose work led her to meet some heavy-hitters in the food world. While I've only ever heard of one of those names (Racheal Ray), it was pretty interesting to read some of the anecdotes and encounters that shaped her life & career. I loved her style of writing, as well, she made room to include recipes that I'll definitely be trying out.

52 Books in 52 Weeks: Part 1 (13/52)

This was a belated resolution of mine, and I like that other people have book-related resolutions for the year as well! Here's my list so far:

disliked (-), neutral/ok ( ), liked (+), loved (♥)

1. The Good Women of China - Xinran (+)
2. Dreams of Trespass - Fatima Mernissi (reread) ♥
3. Cockroach - Rawi Hage
4. A Secret Between Us - Daniel Poloquin (abandoned) (-)
5. Eat, Pray, Love - Elizabeth Gilbert
6. The Girl in the Tangerine Scarf - Mohja Kahf
7. The Caliph's House: A Year in Casablanca - Tahir Shah ♥
8. Barnacle Love - Anthony De Sa
9. Boys in the Trees: A Novel - Mary Swan (+)
10. The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame (+)
11. Shanghai Girls - Lisa See (+)
12. Atmospheric Disturbances - Rivka Galchen ♥
13. The Great Karoo - Fred Stenson ♥

Vanishing & Other Stories - by Deborah Willis

A rather cliche world of writers, artists, bicycles with baskets, tofu, drinking wine from mason jar glasses, professor husband sleeping with wife's artist friend, teenage girl sleeping with weatherworn cowboy, groom sleeps with bride's younger sister on wedding day, prof sleeping with her young student- the writing is good but the collection comes across as pretentious. This was nominated for a GG award???

The Great Karoo - Fred Stenson

War novels are not usually my thing. (*yawn*) I took this out from the library because it was a GG's nomination but I was ready to quit this before I even started. I finally picked it up to fill the gap after Atmospheric Disturbances, and then, surprisingly, I couldn't put it down. I can't say why exactly I loved this book, but I did. It was long, and slow, and all about war, set in South Africa during the second Boer War. But it was also a page-turner, and had a great plot, and was beautifully written and thoughtful. Definitely glad I read this one.

Atmospheric Disturbances: A Novel - Rivka Galchen

I definitely recommend this book, it was just so good! It is one of those rare books that brings such originality to the idea of what a novel should be that it made for a fresh and pleasurable read.

The middle-aged psychiatrist protagonist believes his wife has disappeared, and has been replaced by... a doppelganger. Conspiracies with dogs, doppelgangers, weather, and wacky mix of science and literature and psychology ensue, right up to this book's final confusion, I mean conclusion.

Creative, smart, funny, eccentric, complicated- sound like the perfect date? I can tell you I certainly enjoyed taking this one to bed for 3 nights in a row.

However, I'd be interested to hear what other people think of it, as a lot of reviewers on amazon really didn't like this book.

Shanghai Girls: A Novel - Lisa See

I didn't feel like with this book that Lisa See was very good at getting into her characters in terms of the time and place in which they were placed- I felt like her characters mannerisms and ways of speaking and thinking were far too modern for the 1930's era China that they were set in. But even so, she tells a good story that effectively draws the reader in and once I was hooked I found it an engaging read through to the end. I also have to give her credit for the open ending to the story, which I always find a frustrating but compelling finish to a book. She is a good story-teller, and her subject matter is always interesting, but most of all it made me want to pick up an Amy Tan book, whose subject matter is similar, but whose writing I find a little bit, well, better.

100 Books in 2010

I forgot this Blog existed and since it seems to have fallen into disuse, I am going to use it to track the 100 Juvenile books I plan to read in 2010. Please feel free to offer suggestions. I am doing this for two reasons: first, I want to make myself read 100 Juvie books form myjob. How can I advise people if I don't read the books myself; the second reason is to practise using social networking technologies. Since I am very 'old school' I cringe at public postings yet without actually using these technologies I become disadvantaged at my job. So I am hoping no one except me (& a very few of you) will read my posts. I can always edit them out if they become too cringable. Best of luck to me in accomplishing my goal.

Slam by Nick Hornsby

I am a Nick Hornsby fan as well. This book is a YA book so the intended audience is Teens. I really liked it. It is written from the point of view of a teenage father. Typical of Hornsby's books, the characters are not flat nor is the situation simplified. I liked this book. It is one of those books that suggests a rational outcome to a challenging situation without resorting to judgemental emotionalism.