Reading Challenges at which I Failed Spectacularly:

• Adoption Reading Challenge 2012
• The Dystopia 2012 Challenge
• YA Contemporary Challenge 2012

• 50 States Challenge 2012 
• (Because I was doing this challenge, I kept track of the states where each of the books I read this year took place.  Just for fun, here's the Top 5:  California (9 books); Utah (6 books); Iowa (4 books); Tie between Arkansas, Florida, New York, North Carolina and Washington (3 books); Tie between Virginia, New Mexico, Minnesota, Michigan, Massachusetts, Illinois, and Arizona (2 books)

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

I rarely pick up a book based on its cover alone, but you have to admit there's something striking about the one above.  It's really rather brilliant.  Especially considering the premise behind Beauty Queens, Libba Bray's satirical novel about the (very shallow) way we define beauty.  Here's the jacket copy because, not only does it describe the story perfectly, but it also makes me laugh:

The fifty contestants in the Miss Teen Dream Pageant thought this was going to be a fun trip to the beach, where they could parade in their state-appropriate costumes and compete in front of the cameras. But sadly, their airplane had another idea, crashing on a desert island and leaving the survivors stranded with little food, little water, and practically no eyeliner.

What's a beauty queen to do? Continue to practice for the talent portion of the program—or wrestle snakes to the ground? Get a perfect tan—or lean to run wild? And what should happen when the sexy pirates show up?

Welcome to the heart of non-exfoliated darkness.

Fun, right?  And it is, it really is.  It's also hilarious, strange, ridiculous and, believe it or not, thought-provoking.  Although I don't agree with all the lessons the story teaches, I get the main one loud and clear—beauty is as beauty does.  A good moral.  In the end, though, several things kept me from absolutely loving Beauty Queens, namely the (fairly) graphic and (fairly) frequent sexual scenes between (just about) anyone and everyone.  Also, while I understand why Bray chose to tell the story the way she did, I think I would have preferred this one as a more straightforward tale of survival.  Because while I love the premise of Beauty Queens and the execution made me laugh, the novel just didn't totally win me over.  Would I recommend it?  I'm not even sure.  Some of it, I loved; some of it, I loathed.  Overall, I'm kind of ambivalent.

Have you read Beauty Queens?  What did you think?  

(Readalikes:  Hm, I can't think of anything.  Can you?)

Grade:  B-

If this were a movie, it would be rated:  R for language, sexual content, and violence

To the FTC, with love:  I received a finished copy of Beauty Queens from the generous folks at Scholastic.  Thank you!  

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Rory Deveaux's thrilled when her law professor parents decide to leave small-town Louisiana to spend a year on sabbatical in Europe.  The 17-year-old can't wait to start her own adventure at a boarding school in London's East End.  Wexford's not exactly Hogwarts, but Rory loves the English-ness of it all.  Her roommate's sweet as can be (if a little stiff), her classes are challenging (not always a good thing), and she's learning to play field hockey (mostly with her face).  Rory's classmates find her quirky Southern background charming, so she plays up the role, entertaining her friends with zany, but (mostly) true tales from the bayou.  Even with a Jack the Ripper-like killer on the loose in her new neighborhood, Rory's having the time of her life.  

Then, Rory almost chokes to death in the dining hall and things start getting ... weird.  Like, The Sixth Sense weird.  She must be going crazy because in real life, ghosts don't float through the streets of London.  They don't show themselves to sensible teenage girls.  They don't talk.  And they certainly don't kill real, live, flesh-and-blood people.  But Rory's pretty sure that's exactly what's happening.  She saw a man near the scene of a grisly murder, a man only she could see, a man she's pretty sure is the Ripper copycat.  Rory can do what no one on the London police force can do: she can identify England's Most Wanted.  The only problem?  The killer is a ghost.  If Rory tells that to the authorities, she's sure to be locked up—in the loony bin.  She can't take what she knows to the cops, so she's going to have to solve the problem herself.  Either that, or bury her nose in her textbooks (where it should have been all along) and forget all about her freaky new Spidey senses.

Rory just wants her life to go back to normal, but when she discovers she's not the only Shade in London, she knows that will never happen.  As she learns about what she can do, what she's expected to do, Rory has to decide what she wants.  And fast, before the ghostly killer strikes again ...  

Even though I'd heard great things about The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson, I held off reading it.  Why?  Since the novel's about Jack the Ripper, I figured it would be gruesome.  And depressing.  Not exactly a heartwarming holiday read.  Then, the wonderful people at Penguin sent me an awesome early Christmas gift—not just a finished copy of The Name of the Star, but also an ARC of its sequel, The Madness Underneath.  With both books just sitting there on my shelf, begging for my attention, I couldn't resist.  And you know what?  I'm glad I didn't.  Because even though The Name of the Star is a little bloody, it's a lot more lighthearted than I expected it to be.  In fact, I'd say it's the perfect blend of charming and chilling.  The story's not all that original, but it didn't really bother me—I was too busy flipping pages to worry about anything other than Rory.  Her story intrigued me so much that I didn't want to stop reading it.  So I didn't.  I devoured The Madness Underneath, too.  And guess what?  I loved it just as much as its predecessor, which means I can now say that the Shades of London is one of my favorite new YA series.  It's that compelling, that fun.  Seriously, I adore it.  

(Readalikes:  The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson; also reminded me a little bit of Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake)

Grade:  B

If this were a movie, it would be rated:  PG-13 for violence/gore, mild language (no F-bombs) and sexual innuendo

To the FTC, with love:  I received a finished copy of The Name of the Star from the generous folks at Penguin.  Thank you!   

       

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

As much as I love Christmastime, with all its beautiful carols, heartwarming holiday movies, and tales of forgiveness and hope, there's one thing I can't abide:  sap.  Okay, I can take a little.  Just not a lot.  I'm not saying I don't enjoy inspirational Christmas stories (I'm not that heartless!), but I don't like holiday novels (or any other kind) that try too hard to be touching.  Give me a subtle lesson, not a saccharine one, you know?  Because I'm sort of Scrooge-y like that, I gave Jason F. Wright's first Christmas novel, Christmas Jars, a scathing review, calling it "the kind of book that sacrifices good storytelling for sentimental sermonizing."  Harsh, but true.  

Although I vowed not to, I have read more of Wright's books over the years and I have to give the man credit—he's getting better.  His newest, The 13th Day of Christmas, shows how far he's come since Christmas Jars.  Is his latest a perfect novel?  Not by any means, but at least (some of) the characters have personality.  And, although it's thin, there is a plot.  Coincidence still plays a major role in the story, which is (alas) filled with sappy moments.  Still, I enjoyed the book much more than other novels of its type (like, say, Christmas Jars).  

The 13th Day of Christmas tells a riches-to-rags story about a family who's going through some hard times.  Financially, they're in trouble.  Emotionally, they're spent.  As a unit, they're struggling.  Looking for a chance to start over, the Alexanders move into a double wide at the 27 Homes trailer park in a town where no one knows them.  None of them are happy about their new situation, but 9-year-old Charlee decides to see what the neighborhood has to offer.  Her explorations lead her to Marva Ferguson, an 81-year-old widow who lives in a real house on the edge of the trailer park.  Charlee's drawn to the elderly woman, with her kind smile and gentle ways.  She's entranced by Marva's expansive apron collection as well as her charming Christmas house (which the widow begins decorating in October).  Marva loves Charlee's enthusiasm, her sweet innocence.  Before long, the two are inseparable.  

Then Charlee receives a shocking diagnosis (okay, it's cancer—it's always cancer in these kinds of stories).  Faced with not just the threat of a critical illness, but also with the bleak prospect of spending the Christmas season in the hospital, the girl's spirit sags.  Until, on December 12th, a mysterious gift appears.  An accompanying note promises Charlee more gifts and letters to celebrate the twelve days leading up to Christmas.  The child perks up as she tries to figure out who's sending the secret messages.  She'd suspect Marva, except the widow is having serious problems of her own ... 

So, yeah, the story's another exuberant-child-and-elderly-person-ease-each-other's-pain kind of thing, but at least it's got a little spunk.  The characters are likable, if not unique, and the whole 12 Days of Christmas thing is sort of fun.  It gets silly fast, but yeah ... once again, Wright is offering up one of his own family traditions and encouraging his readers to adopt it as their own.  Will it catch on like the Christmas Jars have? Only time will tell.  As far as the actual story goes, it was pretty much what I expected—predictable, sentimental, tearjerker-y, etc.  Once I looked past all that, though, I found The 13th Day of Christmas to be a quick, enjoyable read that really did help me get into the spirit of Christmas.  My verdict, then?  Holidays novels will never be my cup of cocoa, but in small amounts, I can tolerate them.  Maybe even enjoy them.  Who knew? 

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of other holiday novels like Christmas Jars by Jason F. Wright)

Grade:  C

If this were a movie, it would be rated:  PG for very mild sexual innuendo

To the FTC, with love:  I received a finished copy of The 13th Day of Christmas from the generous folks at Shadow Mountain (a division of Deseret Book).  Thank you!