Library Pile - November, 2010

I have posted a list of what I have out from the library in a while, so I thought I would share:

Picturing Canada : a history of Canadian children's illustrated books and publishing by Edwards, Gail

The supergirls : fashion, feminism, fantasy, and the history of comic book heroines by Madrid, Mike

The child thief by Brom

Fish for dinner : tales of Newfoundland and Labrador by O'Neill, Paul

Is it just me? : or is it nuts out there? by Goldberg, Whoopi

The secret history of the pink carnation by Willig, Lauren

This cake is for the party : stories by Selecky, Sarah Lucille

Curiosity : a love story by Thomas, Joan

The imperfectionists : a novel by Rachman, Tom

I shall wear midnight by Pratchett, Terry

Finding Nouf by Ferraris, Zoë

The case of the missing marquess : an Enola Holmes mystery by Springer, Nancy

The sky is falling : a novel by Adderson, Caroline

By nightfall by Cunningham, Michael

Annabel by Winter, Kathleen

Cities of refuge by Helm, Michael

Mort by Pratchett, Terry

The Sea of Trolls by Farmer, Nancy

Letter to my daughter by Angelou, Maya

Ballad : a gathering of faerie by Stiefvater, Maggie

Keeping you a secret : a novel by Peters, Julie Anne

Scarlett fever by Johnson, Maureen

Any thoughts on them?

2011 Reading Challenge

Heather, Ana, Chris, and Debi (and Rich) are challenging each other to read books that they have all ready read and loved. Today I collected the lists and put them in one giant one because I really trust their opinions and think I might try and read the ones I have never read before next year. Nothing formal, but we will see what happens.

The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman

Dangerous Angels by Francesca Lia Block

I Kill Giants by Joe Kelly

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

All Quiet On the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque

Looking for Alaska by John Green
Bone (One Volume Edition) by Jeff Smith
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
Green Angel by Alice Hoffman
The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett

Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan
A Fine and Private Place by Peter Beagle
The Horse Boy by Rupert Isaacson
The Screwed Up Life of Charlie the Second by Drew Ferguson
Atlas by Katrina Vandenberg

Flora Segunda by Ysabeu S. Wilce
No Name by Wilkie Collins
The Fox Woman by Kij Johnson
Saplings by Noel Streatfeild
Girl Meets Boy by Ali Smith

A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin.
Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell.
If on a winter’s night a traveler by Italo Calvino
The Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone
Midnight Becomes Her and In Ashes Lie by Marie Brennan

Wise Children by Angela Carter

The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly

The Man in the Picture by Susan Hill

The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

The Love We Share Without Knowing by Christopher Barzak

Strong Poison by Dorothy Sayers

Lady Audley’s Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon

What I Was by Meg Rosoff

Mirabilis by Susann Cokal

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

The Time Traveller’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

The Bells by Richard Harvell

The Ancestor’s Tale by Richard Dawkins

Parasite Rex by Carl Zimmer

Peeps by Scott Westerfeld

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

The Passage by Justin Cronin

The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman

The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

Paper Towns by John Green

The Fate of Africa by Martin Meredith

Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry

The Stolen Child by Keith Donoghue

Sleep, Pale Sister by Joanne Harrisg

The Man in the Picture by Susan Hill

Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English by Natasha Solomons

The Bone People by Keri Hulme

When You Are Engulfed In Flames by David Sedaris

The Bone Doll's Twin by Lynn Fleweling

Push by Sapphire

The Wild Things by Dave Eggers

Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque

The Stand by Stephen King

We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed With Our Families: Stories from Rwanda by Philip Gourevitch

Even though I have all ready read a bunch of them, that still leaves a lot.

The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer

Matt is a clone of El Patrón, a powerful drug lord of the land of Opium, which is located between the United States and Mexico. For six years, he has lived in a tiny cottage in the poppy fields with Celia, a kind and deeply religious servant woman who is charged with his care and safety. He knows little about his existence until he is discovered by a group of children playing in the fields and wonders why he isn't like them. Though Matt has been spared the fate of most clones, who have their intelligence destroyed at birth, the evil inhabitants of El Patrón's empire consider him a "beast" and an "eejit." When El Patrón dies at the age of 146, fourteen-year-old Matt escapes Opium with the help of Celia and Tam Lin, his devoted bodyguard who wants to right his own wrongs. After a near misadventure in his escape, Matt makes his way back home and begins to rid the country of its evils.

I am not even entirely sure which review lead me to want to read this book, but it has been on my RADAR for a while and I finally got a chance to read it! I think part of it was that I had to inter-library loan it and I was late picking it up, so I had to read it quickly. I am glad for it, though, because it got me reading again. Before it, it had probably been two weeks since I finished a book. I don't know what is wrong with me this year. I haven't read a lot and my blogging is spotty. I think part of the reading is that there have not been a lot of amazing reads. When I read a really good book, it gets me all fired up. When I read a lot of books that are just so-so, though, I find that I have a hard time picking the next read.

I was so refreshed by this book. I am getting tired of young adult books lately because I find they all follow certain formulas. The stories might be different, but certain things stay the same. It's those books that are a bit different in many ways that I enjoy, but I haven't been finding them lately. I actually said the other day that I was going to stop reading young adult for a while entirely and go back to just adult books, but we all know that won't really happen. This book, for example, came in for me at the library and I found myself reading it no matter what I had previously said. I am glad I did, though. It was exactly what I needed in so many ways. I was captivated enough by the story that I read it in about a day. After taking about 2 weeks to read a book, that was a huge relief. I also really enjoyed the two books I read after it, so be sure and check in for those reviews!

This is a book about cloning, which I seem to like as a story element. I think because it is not a science-fiction as it used to be after successful cloning of sheep. For this particular book, Farmer has it so that rich people clone themselves so they can harvest body parts that will keep them alive for longer and longer. Normally when a clone is made, though, they are changed in their head to make them mindless. Matt, though, was allowed to retain his intelligence and grow-up essentially like a real kid. Well, intellectually, not exactly socially. In society clones were looked down upon, so Matt had to deal with a lot of prejudice. It means that he has to decide who he is going to be and deal with whether he wants to grow-up to be like his clone. He does have some great people around him to help him on his way.

Overall, this was a strong novel that I am not sure if my review is doing justice to. I think I am a bit rusty! Actually, the best way to put it is that I think this is probably the best young adult book I have read this year. There was just something about it that really appealed to me and worked for me during a bit of a reading slump. It seems to be a book that a lot of people love, so if you haven't had a chance to read it you should do so!

This also won the Printz award, so that is one more I can cross off my list!

On another note: Don't forget to sign-up for the Advent Calendar Tour! And, I got bored and started a Tumblr account... Feel free to follow me so I can find out that you have one, too!

2010 Virtual Advent

It has been almost a month since I updated my blog! That's just crazy! I don't even know where that month went... I had no idea it had even been that long! I had to make an effort to post today because I would be remiss if I didn't announce the 2010 Virtual Advent. This is the 5th year that I have co-hosted it with Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader. To sign-up for this year go to the blog and sign-up! Also, check out the awesome buttons!!