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Wednesday, January 02, 2013
Bright, Timeless Children's Tale A Delight
1:02 PM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
As the scorching South Carolina summer blazes on, Stella is searching for something—anything—to do. The long days would be way more exciting if she had a dog to play with, but she doesn't. All she's got is boring ole Gerald Baxter. Even though Stella's brimming with grand ideas for adventure, her best friend never wants to try them. Stella's sick of sitting around playing Crazy Eights with Gerald, she wants to do something. Something exciting.
When Stella spots a one-legged pigeon flying through town, she knows this is it. This is the something for which she's been waiting all summer. Gerald's not all that enamored with the idea of catching the bird, but Stella won't back down this time. She's determined to make it her pet, with or without his help. It won't be easy, though. Every kid in town—including Stella's rotten older brother—is trying to capture the one-legged pigeon. Unbeknownst to them all, the bird's already got an owner and Mr. Mineo is desperate to have him back. And what about Sherman? The pigeon's got his own ideas about where he wants to go. With all of Meadville, South Carolina on his tail, where—and with whom—will the one-legged pigeon end up?
On the Road to Mr. Mineo's, the newest middle grade novel by Barbara O'Connor, is a sweet, timeless kind of story. It's quick, bright and entertaining—not unlike Sherman himself. As far as substance goes, there's not a lot, but still, the book's tells fun story that will delight both children and adults.
(Readalikes: Hm, I can't think of anything. Can you?)
Grade: B
If this were a movie, it would be rated: G
To the FTC, with love: I received an ARC of On the Road to Mr. Mineo's from the generous folks at Farrar Straus and Giroux (an imprint of Macmillan). Thank you!
A New Year, A New Winner
12:28 PM
My first giveaway of the year has come to a close and ... drumroll, please ... Jenny (The Allgaiers) has won a copy of I Believe in Jesus Too by Mark S. Nielsen. Congratulations! It's a beautiful book and I'm sure you'll enjoy it. If you would please send me your mailing address (blogginboutbooksATgmailDOTcom), I'll forward it on to Mark, who will be mailing out the book.If you didn't win this time, don't despair. I'll be hosting lots more giveaways throughout the year. Stay tuned!
Tuesday, January 01, 2013
Okay, I Admit It: I'm A *Little* Challenged
7:52 AM
As much as I've always loved reading challenges, I sort of suck at them. Does that stop me from signing up for some every year? You'd think the answer would be yes, but it's actually a resounding NO. They're fun for me, even if I never actually get around to actually completing them. So, here are the three I'm going to do this year:
Dystopia 2013, hosted again this year by Bonnie over at Bookish Ardour. Since I did not do well on this in 2012, I'm going to try again. Because I rocked this challenge last year (oh wait ...), I'm signing up for the Contagion level. It involves reading 15 dystopian books, which should be a cinch for me. You don't have to make a list at all, but here are the books I'm hoping to read:
1. Orleans by Sherri L. Smith
2. Revolution 19 by Gregg Rosenblum
3. 1984 by George Orwell
4. The Drowned Cities by Paolo Bacigalupi
5. The Death Cure by James Dashner
6. Crossed by Allie Condie
7. Reached by Allie Condie
8. Light by Michael Grant
9. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
10. The Giver by Lois Lowry (re-read)
11. Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry
12. Messenger by Lois Lowry
13. Son by Lois Lowry
14. Fragments by Dan Wells
15. The Shade of the Moon by Susan Beth Pfeffer
2013 50 States Challenge, hosted by Book Obsessed. This challenge is one of my favorites because all I have to do is keep track of the states in which the books I read are set. Easy and fun—totally a win-win for me!
Monthly Key Word Challenge -- This one is hosted by Bookmark to Blog, one of my favorite new book blogs. It just looks like fun. You're given a short list of key words each month and you have to read one book with that word (or a variation of it) during that month.
Here's what I plan to read:
January (key word: freeze): Frozen by Mary Casanova
February (key word: family): True Sisters by Sandra Dallas
March (key word: gold): Grace, Gold and Glory: My Leap of Faith by Gabrielle Douglas
April (key word: light): Enduring Light by Carla Kelly
May (key word: shatter): Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
June (key word: island): The Island by Victoria Hislop
July (key word: dream): Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake
August (key word: tree): The Secret Tree by Natalie Standiford
September (key word: shade): The Shades of the Moon by Susan Beth Pfeffer
October (key word: inside): Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder
November (key word: number): Revolution 19 by Gregg Rosenblum
December (key word: ring): The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
So, what do you think? I should be able to do these, right? Right? How about you? Do you love or loathe reading challenges? Are you doing any this year?
Dystopia 2013, hosted again this year by Bonnie over at Bookish Ardour. Since I did not do well on this in 2012, I'm going to try again. Because I rocked this challenge last year (oh wait ...), I'm signing up for the Contagion level. It involves reading 15 dystopian books, which should be a cinch for me. You don't have to make a list at all, but here are the books I'm hoping to read:
1. Orleans by Sherri L. Smith
2. Revolution 19 by Gregg Rosenblum
3. 1984 by George Orwell
4. The Drowned Cities by Paolo Bacigalupi
5. The Death Cure by James Dashner
6. Crossed by Allie Condie
7. Reached by Allie Condie
8. Light by Michael Grant
9. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
10. The Giver by Lois Lowry (re-read)
11. Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry
12. Messenger by Lois Lowry
13. Son by Lois Lowry
14. Fragments by Dan Wells
15. The Shade of the Moon by Susan Beth Pfeffer
2013 50 States Challenge, hosted by Book Obsessed. This challenge is one of my favorites because all I have to do is keep track of the states in which the books I read are set. Easy and fun—totally a win-win for me!
Monthly Key Word Challenge -- This one is hosted by Bookmark to Blog, one of my favorite new book blogs. It just looks like fun. You're given a short list of key words each month and you have to read one book with that word (or a variation of it) during that month.
Here's what I plan to read:
January (key word: freeze): Frozen by Mary Casanova
February (key word: family): True Sisters by Sandra Dallas
March (key word: gold): Grace, Gold and Glory: My Leap of Faith by Gabrielle Douglas
April (key word: light): Enduring Light by Carla Kelly
May (key word: shatter): Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
June (key word: island): The Island by Victoria Hislop
July (key word: dream): Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake
August (key word: tree): The Secret Tree by Natalie Standiford
September (key word: shade): The Shades of the Moon by Susan Beth Pfeffer
October (key word: inside): Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder
November (key word: number): Revolution 19 by Gregg Rosenblum
December (key word: ring): The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
So, what do you think? I should be able to do these, right? Right? How about you? Do you love or loathe reading challenges? Are you doing any this year?
Monday, December 31, 2012
2012: A BBB Year in Review (Part II)
4:59 PM
I saw this fun end-of-the-year book survey over at The Perpetual Page-Turner and decided to try it on my own blog. Did you do the same? Leave me a link and I'll check it out!
1. Best Book You Read In 2012? (You can break it down by genre if you want)
Adult (any genre): Bones Are Forever by Kathy Reichs
YA Dystopian/Sci Fi/Fantasy: Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi and Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Ya Contemporary: How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr and The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Middle Grade: The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?
Beauty Queens by Libba Bray—I was expecting more of a action/adventure and survival story and got a satire, which I would have still liked except that it got very raunchy. The raunch really got in the way of the story for me. Hate that.
3. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2012?
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green—I've read a million cancer stories and was expecting this to be the same kind of predictable, melodramatic tearjerker as all the rest. It wasn't. Not melodramatic and predictable, anyway.
4. Book you recommended to people most in 2012?
Probably The Fault in Our Stars by John Green or Cinder by Marissa Meyer
5. Best series you discovered in 2012?
Gosh, there are so many, but here are my Top 3 (in no particular order): Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi; The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer; and The Shades of London by Maureen Johnson
6. Favorite new authors you discovered in 2012?
Maureen Johnson, John Green, Veronica Rossi, Marissa Meyer, N.C. Allen
7. Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you?
Nothing's coming to mind, although I started Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand yesterday. It's a non-fiction book about war, which isn't something I read often, but it's really holding my interest.
8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2012?
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
9. Book You Read In 2012 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year:
I very, very rarely re-read books, so probably none of them.
10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2012?
I don't pay that much attention to covers, but I thought the one for How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr was particularly striking.
11. Most memorable character in 2012?
Augustus Waters from The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. I adored him.
12. Most beautifully written book read in 2012?
How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr—it made me laugh, it made me cry ...
13. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2012?
Impactful? Hmmm ... Probably The Girls Who Went Away by Ann Fessler. Very eye-opening book about teenage pregnancy and adoption before Roe v. Wade.
14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2012 to finally read?
The List by Melanie Jacobson
15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2012?
Uh, does everything that came out of Augustus Waters' (The Fault in Our Stars) mouth count?
16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2012?
Longest — Probably Nightingale by David Farland. It was HUGE and totally not worth the read.
Shortest — The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate maybe?
17. Book That Had A Scene In It That Had You Reeling And Dying To Talk To Somebody About It? (a WTF moment, an epic revelation, a steamy kiss, etc. etc.) Be careful of spoilers!
Totally the surprise twist in Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. I did not see that coming! Also, the very ending of Defending Jacob by William Landay. Didn't see that coming either.
18. Favorite Relationship From A Book You Read In 2012 (be it romantic, friendship, etc).
Augustus Waters and Hazel Lancaster from The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Aria and Roar from Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
19. Favorite Book You Read in 2012 From An Author You Read Previously
Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult or Bones are Forever by Kathy Reichs
20. Best Book You Read That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else:
Probably Defending Jacob by William Landay
Book Blogging/Reading Life in 2012 (optional)
1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2012?
Too many to name, but a few that come to mind are: Under a Gray Sky; The Perpetual Page-Turner; Pretty Books
2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2012?
Drawing a blank here ...
3. Best discussion you had on your blog?
My Mormon Mentions feature often sparks some good discussion.
4. Most thought-provoking review or discussion you read on somebody else’s blog?
Um, gosh ... I can't think of anything. I've stayed WAY out of all the recent book blogging drama, so not that. I guess I'd have to say the Unpopular YA Opinions post over at YA Librarian Tales. I didn't agree with most of what Sarah said, but it was interesting to read everyone's responses.
5. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?
Probably the LDS Storymakers Conference. I got to spend time with awesome authors like Kimberley Griffiths Little and Melanie Jacobson. I also attended classes/lectures by more great writers: Elana Johnson, Kiersten White, Janette Rallison, etc.
6. Best moment of book blogging in 2012?
Getting to meet some of my favorite book bloggers in person.
(From l to r): Melissa from One Librarian's Book Review; Me (I'm about 60 lbs. skinnier in real life—okay, in my dreams); Suey from It's All About Books and Gaye from Inside A Book
7. Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)?
This is kind of sad, but my most popular posts are those that include giveaways. The one for Smart Move, Melanie Jacobson's newest, was especially well-visited.
8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?
Um, how 'bout all of them? I love reading comments :)
9. Best bookish discovery (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?
Definitely my Kindle Fire. I held off getting an e-reader, but I'm so glad I finally did.
10. Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?
I failed at the only goal I set (reading 200 books). Oh well, there's always next year!
Looking Ahead…
1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2012 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2013?
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. I started it yesterday.
2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2013?
Orleans by Sherri L. Smith. I've got the ARC, but am waiting to read it until closer to the book's pub date.
3. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging In 2013?
Well, I really, really, really want to reach my goal of reading 200 books in a year, just so I can say I did it. Besides that, I just want to keep writing reviews, entertaining my readers and finding awesome new book blogs to read.
How would you answer these questions?
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