Graphic Novel Day

At 5:30 this morning the cc knocked over a pile of books and, well, had a bit of a freak-out. I do have too many books, so I thinned things out a bit. I am returning books unread to the library because I doubt I will get to them any time soon. That got rid of a lot of books. The rest of the books really didn't need to be in a pile on the floor. I have perfectly good shelves they can be on, so that is the plan for the afternoon. Hopefully that will result in less toppling towers of books. I am sure if it wasn't so early in the morning it wouldn't be that big of a deal, but since it was I decided to just try and eradicate the problem.

The third part of my plan is to have a graphic novel day so that I can return them all to the library and get the pile down even further. I probably won't read all of them, but at least it will thin things out a little bit. I haven't been reading as much this year, so the pile is growing and not getting any smaller. I had to do something... Here are the graphic novels I have out from the library:

Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea by Guy Delisle
The Baby-sitter's Club: A Graphic Novel - Kristy's Great Idea by Raina Telgemeier
Redwall: The Graphic Novel by Brian Jacques
The Photographer: Into War-Torn Afghanistan with Doctors Without Borders
Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Death and Dementia by Gris Grimly
Detroit Metal City: Volume 1 by Kiminori Wakasugi
Amulet: Book Two - The Stonekeeper's Curse by Kazu Kibuishi
Miki Falls - Volume 3 - Autumn by Mark Crilley

Library Loot - January 19, 2010

I am not sure what is wrong with me so far this year. I have hardly read anything and I am hardly updating my blog and I am hardly visiting other blogs! And, that was a long sentence...

The Gates by John Connolly
Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls
My most excellent year by Steven Kluger
Literary Hoaxes: an eye-opening history of famous frauds by Melissa Katsoulis
White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi
Muse and Reverie by Charles deLint
Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

I really want to read all of these books, but my reading sucks. It's sad following my best reading year in a long time...

Random Interlude...

I LOST WEIGHT!!!!

I noticed my pants felt a bit baggy but haven't really thought much of it, but today I was standing in the kitchen and the cc said: Have you lost weight?

I had no idea!

So, when I saw my mother later I asked her if she thought I had lost weight and she said that she KNOWS I have. In excitement I dug out a belt I have had for several years to see which hole I am now using and I HAVE lost weight.

This makes me very excited. Also, wearing a belt has fixed the having to adjust my pants every ten seconds problem!

A Wrinkle in Time Read-Along --- Discussion Post

Today is the 15th, halfway through the month, so as promised here is a thread to discuss any spoilerish-type things. Comment away!

I had thought that each participant could come up with a couple questions and then they could be included in the reviews, but that's just a brainstorm. If you are interested you can either post them here or email them to me: kellyreads (at) hotmail (dot) com. If you are not interested in this idea I will scrap it.

Hopefully people are enjoying the read-along so far! You can comment and leave links to your posts, too, and then I will link to them here so everyone can read them!

Amanda's Review
Care's Review

Library Loot - January 13, 2010

Hi everyone! As a result of the holidays and little spare time I had a crazy library day yesterday! I picked up 16 things... I was only going to get some of them, but if I didn't get them yesterday they were not going to go away and the pile would just keep getting bigger! I am not sure how often I will do library loot, but since yesterday was a strange day I decided to at least share that largish pile.

Austenland: A Novel by Shannon Hale - I really like her young adult stuff, but have never read anything adult by her. I may hate it, but I just wanted to give her other stuff a try. She has a new young adult book out, but I will buy that at some point because I have the rest of the series.

The Factory Voice by Jeanette Lynes - Once in a while books show up for me at the library that I cannot remember why I requested them. This is one such book... It sounds really good, though, so there must have been a reason!

Miki Falls - Volume 3 - Autmumn by Mark Crilley - I read books 1 and 2 in this series in 2009. I was thinking I was going to have to buy books 3 and 4 because the library doesn't have them, but they bought this one the other day. Now, I hope they buy book 4!

The Miles Between by Mary E. Pearson - I loved The Adoration of Jenna Fox in 2009 and this is the authors new novel. I was supposed to buddy read it with Heather from A Capricious Reader, but my copy took longer to come in than planned. Still, looking forward to it!

Amulet - Volume 2 - The Stonekeeper's Curse by Kazu Kibuishi - I read the first volume near the end of 2009. This is the second volume. I have to admit that I hardly remember the first book, so it is not the best series ever by any means...

Fish for Dinner by Paul O'Neill - Stories from Newfoundland and Labrador. I saw this on the new releases page and thought it sounded interesting.

Good to a Fault by Marina Endicott - Up for Canada Reads this year. Up for a few other awards when it was released, too.

Ice Land by Betsy Tobin - Heard really good things about this and my library just bought it.

The Lost City of Z by David Grann - This book got a lot of positive reviews for the Non-fiction Five, so I thought I would give it a try. I have been waiting a while for it to come in.

The Tudors: The Complete First Season - A DVD set. Not something I normally request from the library, but I really want to watch this show.

Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Death and Dementia - This might have came to my attention through the Cybils. I can't remember.

What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell - Looking forward to this book. Hope I get around to it because it has to be back to the library soon.

The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King - I keep hearing good things about this series, so even though it is not my normal read I wanted to give it a try.

Pyongyang by Guy Delisle - Saw this on a list for the Graphic Novel Challenge and thought it looked interesting.

The Photographer by Emmanuel Guibert - I have seen good things about this book and my library finally bought a copy.

Amelia Earhart: the thrill of it by Susan Wels - Not sure where I heard about this, but I like reading about Amelia Earhart.

So, there you have it! Lots and lots of books. The sad thing is that I won't get to read them all and I really want to be able to read all of them!

Let it Snow: Three Holiday Romances by John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle

Today is my very first buddy review with Amy from My Friend Amy. We actually read the book in 2009, but were a bit slow in writing up the review. I have the first part and Amy has the second part on her blog. Enjoy!

The weather outside is frightful, but these stories are delightful! When a huge blizzard (that doesn't show signs of stopping) hits, Gracetown is completely snowed in. But even though it's cold outside, things are heating up inside, proving that the holiday season is magical when it comes to love. In three wonderfully (and hilariously!) interconnected tales, YA stars John Green, Lauren Myracle, and Maureen Johnson create a must-have collection that captures all the spirit of the holiday season.

Amy: First of all thanks so much for reading a holiday book with me! Actually, this is my favorite kind of holiday read...feel good Christmas romance :)

I thought this read was very fun and it was my first exposure to these authors.. Have you read them before?

Kelly: I don't read a lot of romance, but when I do this is perfect for me! I am so glad we decided to read it together.

I read all three of John Green's novels this year and enjoyed all three of them. He is a very gifted author. I have read most of his short stories, too, so I can safely recommend him. You should read him! Maureen Johnson I am still relatively new with. I have only read book by her, Devilish, but she is a fun author that I would like to read more from. I have never even heard of Lauren Myracle before, but this was a good introduction to her work. That is the main reason I like short stories anthologies. It is an easy way to discover new authors.

My favourite part of this anthology was even though they were short stories, they were all connected. What did you think about that?

Amy: Yeah I actually have been wanting to read John Green and Maureen Johnson for some time and recently got Lauren Myracle's book at the bargain book store. (sorry Lauren!) I will read more of them all because I thought the writing was really engaging. I also loved the way they were interconnected and while that's a favorite feature of Christmas romance anthologies, I felt like they were a lot more connected in this book than probably any other I've read. Did you have a favorite story?

Kelly: Not really actually. I was surprised by that, but I actually really enjoyed all three of them. They were written really well and I enjoyed the characters. I felt that even though they were short stories you still got to know them and relate to them by the end of them. I think a lot of that was because technically they were one story, but just told from different perspectives. I liked how all the stories had happy endings. There really is nothing worse than a tragic ending to a Christmas story. I want them to be nice... That's just me, though. What about you?

Amy: ha, Yes at Christmas I like hopeful sweet endings. I felt like this book was pure fun, really like I said before the perfect Christmas read. I think if I had a favorite it was A Cheertastic Christmas Miracle because I was impressed with the humor. I thought it was funny how in Lauren Myracle's story, the character Addie said she was intimidated by Tobin and his friends because they were really clever. That is probably EXACTLY how I would feel about those people. :) I have to say, living in Southern California, it was super fun to read about a big snowstorm like that. Probably not so much for you, huh? ;)

Head on over to Amy's blog to read the second half!

Week in Review - January 10, 2010

Can you believe it is 10 days into 2010 all ready? It raises interesting questions. Are we really at the beginning of a new decade, or does the decade only really start on the next New Year's Eve. Major publications and news broadcasts are talking about the best of the decade, but are they jumping the boat a bit? The charming comedian has been debating this issue for days now. It doesn't seem to matter to him if the other person is on the television and incapable of arguing back. What do you think? Are we at the start of a new decade?

Last night was an adventure. I turned the washer on. It is in the basement, but there is only an outside entrance. The dryer was going to take about 50 minutes or so, so I waited for it to finish before going to check on things. I get to the door and I can hear water running... Water should NOT be running! Needless to say the washer went through all the cycles but water came pouring out for all of them. I turned the water off and came running upstairs to tell the guy that there was two inches of water on the floor and the stupid person that built the basement didn't put in any drains! I don't think he really heard me. It was almost funny when he joined me in the basement and saw the water everywhere. I was busy trying to coax the washer into draining and spinning so I could at least put the clothes in the dryer... Good thing for wet/dry vacuum cleaners!

Weekly Reads

So far 2010 is off to a slow reading start. I have only read:

The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye: Five Fairy Stories by A.S. Byatt (272 pgs)
Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere by Mike Carey & Glenn Fabry (graphic novel)
Dracula Adapted by Michael Mucci, Ben Caldwell, and BIll Halliar (graphic novel)
Black is for Beginnings by Laurie Faria Stolarz (graphic novel)


I have a few more books on the go that shouldn't take very long to finish, but they will count towards next weeks totals. Hopefully I can get back into a routine and getting some reading accomplished soon!

Library Loot

I thought I would share a list of some of the books I have out from the library at the moment.

Prelude by Madeleine L'Engle
Candle in the Darkness by Lynn Austin (Christy Reading Challenge)
Obernewtyn by Isobelle Carmody
The Cello Suites by Eric Siblin
Cheers! by Nicholas Pashley
North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley
The Passion by Donna Boyd
Day After Night by Anita Diamant
Avalon High by Meg Cabot
Princess in Pink by Meg Cabot
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Rum-Running by Allison Lawlor
Nikolski by Nicholas Dickner
Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt
Dracula by Michael Mucci
Detroit Metal City Volume 1 by Kiminori Wakasugi
Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor
Used and Rare by Lawrence Goldstone
Redwall: The Graphic Novel by Brian Jacques
By the Mountain Bound by Elizabeth Bear
Black if for Beginnings by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Fall by Colin McAdam

A masterpiece of adolescent perspective, emotion, impulse, and relationships: the riveting story of two male roommates at a co-ed boarding school and what happens when the girlfriend of one of them goes missing during their final year.

From an internationally acclaimed, prizewinning author, whom critics have compared to Dave Eggers and Michael Ondaatje, comes a tour de force: a mesmerizing novel that is at once a spellbinding psychological thriller and a brilliant portrait of adolescence that goes deep into the heads of two very different boys.

Awkward Noel thinks he's been allowed into the inner circle of his elite boarding school when he discovers his senior-year roommate is to be handsome, athletic Julius. Julius, in turn, cares only for the fleeting joys of teenage life: sneaking out to parties, playing pranks with friends, and most of all, spending the night with his girfriend, Fall. As Noel narrates this fateful semester from a perspective of many years, interwoven is Julius's own in-the-moment experiences of first love and male camaraderie.

Always an outsider, Noel develops an unhealthy fascination with Julius, and his crush on Fall begins to border on a dangerous obsession. As Julius experiences all the pleasures of an eighteen-year-old in love, we watch as Noel self-consciously analyzes his interactions with Julius and Fall, convincing himself of a deep connection that might not exist. When Fall disappears close to winter break, Julius and Noel are forced to face their own inner desires, a confrontation that ushers the two boys out of the innocence of adolescence and into adulthood.

A tremendous literary page-turner that perfectlycaptures the agonies and delights of adolescence, Fall is the exhilaration and angst of teenage love and friendship- and the ultimate transience of those feelings.

From BarnesandNoble.com

I was going to leave 2009 in the past and start fresh for 2010, but there are a few books I read last year and loved. I thought they at least deserved a review. I read this book because it was shortlisted for the Canadian Giller Award. I always plan to read them all, and I own most of them, but my reading always slows down at about this time of the year. Needless to say I did get around to a few of them and this was my favourite so far. There was a time in the middle of the book where I thought it was going to all come crashing down, but McAdam managed to keep the novel alive for me. I was disappointed it didn't win the Giller, but I also haven't read the book that did win yet. If it was better than this one it must be a really great read!

This book takes place in a boarding school, which I have discovered is an aspect of novels that I really enjoy. I am not even sure why, but some of my favourite reads from the last few years have taken place in boarding schools. I thought that McAdam wrote very believable characters that have stayed with me even though a few months have gone by since I have read the book. Even scenes from the novel are still circulating in my mind as I write this review. It is not like it is about things that have never been written about, but it is done in such a way that will keep you on the edge of your seat. While I can not necessarily relate to the experiences that these teens have, I can relate to the emotions that you experience as a teen and are trying to fit in any way that you can. It was a very believable book.

I really think you need to give this book a read. It is easily one of my favourite Canadian reads from 2009. I am looking forward to reading more from McAdam in the future. I think he has a Giller in his future if he can keep up the strengths of this novel.

This was my very first read of a review copy from Penguin Canada. I am very happy that my first experience was a win!

The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye by A.S. Byatt

Publication Date: 1994
Pages: 272


Reason for Reading: Ana, from things mean a lot, wanted me to read it. When she recommends a book I will go above and beyond to get a copy.

The magnificent title story of this collection of fairy tales for adults describes the strange and uncanny relationship between its extravagantly intelligent heroine — a world renowned scholar of the art of story-telling — and the marvelous being that lives in a mysterious bottle, found in a dusty shop in an Istanbul bazaar. As A.S. Byatt renders this relationship with a powerful combination of erudition and passion, she makes the interaction of the natural and the supernatural seem not only convincing, but inevitable.

The companion stories in this collection each display different facets of Byatt's remarkable gift for enchantment. They range from fables of sexual obsession to allegories of political tragedy; they draw us into narratives that are as mesmerizing as dreams and as bracing as philosophical meditations; and they all us to inhabit an imaginative universe astonishing in the precision of its detail, its intellectual consistency, and its splendor.

From Amazon.ca

Dear Ana,

I thought since I read this book because of you I would write this review in the form of a letter. I started this book in 2009, but it was only three days into the New Year that I finally finished it. When Eva found out that I was going to read it she said to just read the title story because that was the best one, but to be honest... I didn't like the last story. The last story is why it took me so long to finish this collection. I think I am finding that I don't really like A.S. Byatt. She is a brilliant writer, I do acknowledge that, but she doesn't work for me. She also writes beautifully, but I find that sort of writing tends to be a bit lost on me. I read The Children's Book by her in 2009 and had the same problem. I did give her a second chance, though. Whether or not there will be a third will have to wait.

I'm sorry I didn't like the book you suggested, Ana! It always makes me feel really bad when that happens... It really is my type of book, you were right there, but I am afraid that Byatt is not really my type of author...

The Glass Coffin -
I really liked this story. It was short and sweet. It is the story of a man who is a bit down on his luck, but through his kind heart and a bit of luck she changes his circumstances. He also helps out some secondary characters along the way, which results in a very well-written little tale. Nothing ground-breaking or overly memorable, but I am still glad I gave it a try.

Gode's Story -
A very strange romance story, but still enjoyable enough. Dancing plays a big part in this story, which is a common feature of fairy tales. In a few short pages Byatt does bring the characters to life, but again there is nothing amazing about the story. I liked it, but it is all ready beginning to fade from my memory.

The Story of the Eldest Princess -
This is actually my favourite story in the collection. In fairy tales the oldest and middle child tend to go on adventures that do not work out, while the youngest is the hero of the day. The eldest princess in this story is well-aware of the normal turn of events and attempts to have her own adventures. Byatt successfully pokes fun at the 'typical' fairy tale and creates a wonderful female character as a result. Wildlife and a witch also figure into the tale, but not necessarily how you would expect them to.

Dragon's Breath -
This is where the book started to lose interest for me. I know I read this story in its entirety, but I had to go flip through the pages to refresh my memory on what it was about. Normally I am very fond of dragon stories, but this one didn't really stick with me at all. Just an okay story that I read and promptly have forgotten...

The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye -
This is the title story in the collection and said to be the best, but I didn't like it. It has all the trademark features of a story that I would really love, but I found that the writing did not draw me in at all. It's a real shame, too, but I was rather bored while reading it. Even for a short story I found it too long. That's one of my main problems with Byatt. I find it takes her twenty pages to tell something that I would be just as happy to hear about in five. I am sad this story didn't work for me, though.

Overall, just an okay read for me.

Reads in 2009: The Fifty Best

I read 368 books in 2009. That is my best reading year ever! I chose 50 books that I really liked out of them. I should probably have narrowed it down and made a top five or something, but this was fun. So, without further interruption, these are my top reads of 2009.

Graphic Novels:

Bone - Volume 1: Out From Boneville by Jeff Smith
The Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci & Jim Rugg
Black Hole by Charles Burns
Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon & Dean Hale
Laika by Nick Abanzis
Maus: A Survivor's Tale - Volume 1 - My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman
Fables - Volume 1: Legends in Exile by Bill Willingham

Manga Books:

Dramacon Volume 1 by Svetlana Chmakova
Miki Falls - Book 1: Spring by Mark Crilley
Emma - Volume 1 by Kaoru Mori

Adult Novels:

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
Peter & Max: A Fables Novel by Bill Willingham
Tatiana & Alexander (Bronze Horseman Trilogy, Book 2) by Paullina Simons
Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran
Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
The Dark Queen Series - Book 5: Twilight of a Queen by Susan Carroll
Among the Mad: A Maisie Dobbs Novel by Jacqueline Winspear (Book 6)
Girl meets boy by Ali Smith
The Love We Share Without Knowing by Christopher Barzak
Old Man's War by John Scalzi
Black Ships by Jo Graham
Grave Goods: A Mistress of the Art of Death Novel by Ariana Franklin (Book 3)

Fantasy Novels:

Hunting Ground by Patricia Briggs (Alpha & Omega Series, Book 2)
Living with the Dead by Kelley Armstrong (Women of the Otherworld Series)
Twilight of Avalon (Twilight of Avalon Trilogy, Book 1) by Anna Elliott
Graceling by Kristin Cashore
Fire by Kristin Cashore
The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy (Skulduggery Series, Book 1)
Mercy Thompson Series - Book 4 - Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs

Canadian Fiction:

Fall by Colin McAdam
The Day The Falls Stood Still by Cathy Marie Buchanan
The Outlander by Gil Adamson
Forests of the Heart by Charles de Lint
JPod by Douglas Coupland

Teen Novels:

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
Rampant by Diana Peterfreund
Willow by Julia Hoban
Lavinia by Ursula K. Le Guin
Moon & Sun: The Ruby Key (Book One) by Holly Lisle
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
Skellig by David Almond
The Thief (Book 1, The Queen's Thief Series) by Megan Whalen Turner
Gossamer by Lois Lowry
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr (Wicked Lovely Trilogy, Book 1)
East by Edith Pattou
Uglies by Scott Westerfeld (Uglies Series - Book 1)
Looking for Alaska by John Green

Audio Book:

Bloody Jack by L.A. Meyer

***Edited to add: A comment on this post made me think I should clarify something. For series like Fables and Bones I just included the first book in my best of lists, but really I love the whole series! I just thought including one book from each would be the easiest method.

Madeleine L'Engle Read-Along

I am a little late, but believe it or not I am hosting a read-along for A Wrinkle in Time during January. I tentatively mentioned it back in December, but I need to announce it officially and lay out a few guidelines. I hope that people will join in!

Here is what I was thinking. I plan to read all five books in her Time Series. The first, A Wrinkle in Time, is the first book in the series. The aim is to read that in January. The great thing is that it counts for Carl's Sci-fi Experience, or, like me, it is a reread and counts for the reread challenge hosted by Aarti. And, actually, Meg is a strong female character, so she could work for the Unbound Challenge. If you plan to read-along you have 30 days to read it and it is not really all that long of a book.

Guidelines:

• You have until January 31st to finish the book.
• On January 15th I will post a place to talk about spoiler-related things. Things you want to talk about but can't mention in your review.
• The reviews should aim to be finished on the last week of January because I want to have questions that everyone answers in their posts and people need to have time to come up with them.
• For a sense of community I am hoping that people will come up with questions about the book. I am hoping to have them all by the 20th so I can post them and people can write their reviews. Even if you take the whole month to read the book I hope you will come up with questions. Send in a few so there are some variety. It isn't much fun if people send the same questions over and over again. How you choose to use the questions (and whether you choose to use all of them) is up to you.
• When I post the questions on the 20th, I will also post a place to post links to your reviews.
• Feel free to use the button, made by Jason, wherever you want. It's great!

I hope people will join in! (And when you do, I will add your name down below for organization reasons.)

Possible Participants:

Melissa @ Book Nut
Vasilly @ 1330v
Cat @ Beyond Books
Florinda @ The 3 R's Blog
Kate @ Kate's Book Blog
Care @ Care's Online Book Club
Amanda @ The Zen Leaf
Bellezza @ Dolce Bellezza
Joanne @ The Book Zombie
Kerry @ Saving my Sanity...