Off The Shelf Challenge

Are your books multiplying like rabbits before you even get a chance to read them? Trying to keep up with them, but can't stop buying new ones?

Maybe this challenge is for you. I know what it's like. There's so many titles and so many beautiful books out there sometimes it's hard to keep that TBR shelf under control, but if you really want to try why not challenge yourself?

Well check out BA Reading Challenges, and sign up today.

Also check my link at the top of this blog and see what I will be reading in 2011

2011 Debut Author Challenge

What's the 2011 Debut Author Challenge?

• Goal: Read at least 12 debut Young Adult or Middle Grade novels that are published in 2011
• Time frame: The Challenge runs from January 1st, 2011 to December 31st, 2011.
• Who can participate: Anyone! You don't need a blog to join, you can post your reviews to Amazon, Goodreads, Shelfari, et cetera.
• More info: This challenge is hosted by The Story Siren, so check out her blog to sign up, see a list of debut novels, or see a list of FAQ's about the challenge.
  

Still Missing by Chevy Stevens

I went to the library the other day to check out Laura Lippman, I had read some reviews on One Person's Journey, and was intrigued. Before leaving the library I just had to make a quick stop at the new release section. I had heard about Still Missing, and added it to my pile. I knew it was a 7 day loan, and thinking why am I doing this I can't possibly read this in 7 days (I mean I was and still am in the middle of a couple other books - yes that is correct, a couple other books).

I started it Monday night and just finished this morning. It was a wet dreary morning, the perfect time to sit and read. Plus I just couldn't put this baby down.

On the day she was abducted, Annie O’Sullivan, a 32-year-old realtor, had three goals—sell a house, forget about a recent argument with her mother, and be on time for dinner with her ever-patient boyfriend. The open house is slow, but when her last visitor pulls up in a van as she's about to leave, Annie thinks it just might be her lucky day after all.

Interwoven with the story of the year Annie spent as the captive of a psychopath in a remote mountain cabin, which unfolds through sessions with her psychiatrist, is a second narrative recounting events following her escape—her struggle to piece her shattered life back together and the ongoing police investigation into the identity of her captor.

Still Missing is that rare debut find--a shocking, visceral, brutal and beautifully crafted debut novel.

This novel grabbed me from the get go, it flowed, it was an attention grabber right away, I loved the characters. I loved the chapters, each of which were her therapy sessions. It was a believable story. The ending was amazing and I enjoyed it right to the last page.

Chevy Steven has her second novel coming out next year entitled Never Knowing, which I will be on the lookout for.

Sent by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Jonah, Katherine, Chip, and another boy, Alex, have no preparation before they are sent back to 1483 at the Tower of London, with the promise that they can return to the present if they can repair history. They quickly discover that Chip and Alex’s true identities are the 13-year-old King Edward V and his 10-year-old brother, Richard, Duke of York. But before Chip can enjoy being the king of England, they discover that they are virtually prisoners—and that their uncle wants them dead. How can the kids repair time and return home when according to history, Chip and Alex were murdered?

This is book 2 from The Missing Series. While I enjoyed the first book, Found, I really enjoyed this one more. Maybe it is my love of English history or the mystery surrounding the princes in the Tower that grabbed my attention. There are so few clues as to what really happened to these 2 boys and I think Haddix did a wonderful job of creating this story.

There is a third book in the series Sabotaged, which has been released in hardcover already.

A Common Evil by Vivian Vande Velde

Again another book that sounded interested from another blogger. I had high hopes for this book.

This novel combines two periods in French history-the 1940s and the early 1300s. Lisette Beaucaire, 13, is sent to live in the country with her aunt, since food is scarce in Paris, which is overrun by German soldiers. Although she dreads spending time with her bratty cousin Cecile, Lisette is even more dismayed to discover that her aunt is hiding Jewish and gypsy children from the Nazis. As Lisette and the children practice what to do if the Nazis arrive unexpectedly, she begins to understand the seriousness of the situation. Then she encounters the ghost of Gerard, a young knight who died in 1314. At first he is merely a spirit but gradually he becomes solid and real-and a friend. In an exciting climax, Gerard helps Lisette save the younger children from the Nazis.

There are so many rave reviews for this book that I am wondering if I missed something. I found the book interesting and well written to a certain point. I was confused about Gerard, with no real reason was given for him being there and his background was a little confusing to me.

The historical part for France was good to read about, a time that affected all ages and it is sad to think about what the little ones had to endure in the 1940's. The ending I felt was rushed and abrupt.

84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

This charming classic, first published in 1970, brings together 20 years of correspondence between Helene Hanff, a freelance writer living in New York City, and a used book dealer in London. Through the years, though never meeting and separated both geographically and culturally, they share a winsome, sentimental friendship based on their common love for books. Their relationship, captured so acutely in these letters, is one that will grab your heart and not let go.

A quick read that I found charming, it put a smile on my face so many times. I could just picture Helene's apartment with the bookshelves and piles of books. I have a used book store close by that I just love to wander through. Though you can't wander too much, the shelves are so close together and l am thankful the last time I was there, my son was with me to catch the pile that also toppled over when I wanted a book from the bottom of the pile. So many treasures waiting for someone to find them.

if I stay by gayle forman

I am going to have to do a better job of keeping track where I find out about the YA books that I read. I very rarely go into a book store these days since I have discovered online places so much cheaper. Unless I find something that looks interested at the local Goodwill and other thrift shops.

"what would you do if you had to choose?"

In a single moment, everything changes. Seventeen year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall riding along the snow-wet Oregon road with her family. Then, in a blink, she finds herself watching as her own damaged body is taken from the wreck...

A sophisticated, layered, and heartachingly beautiful story about the power of family and friends, the choices we all make--and the ultimate choice Mia commands.

When I started this book I didn't really have high hopes. I found the dialogue in the first 10 pages or so, rough and it left me wondering what the rest of the book would be like. All that quickly changes after the accident. From that point on jumping back and forth in time, the story just flowed together smoothly. The dialogue was so much better and realistic. I felt for so many people throughout this book, (Mia, her future, Kim, her best friend, Adam, the boyfriend and even the grandparents)

This book was one that I had to finish asap just to see what decision Mia would make. It reminded me of 13 Reasons Why for the basic reason that I somehow wanted something to happen to change the story, which I knew was impossible.

And the good news is that there is a sequel called Where She Went to be released next year.

Way, way behind

I have been so behind on my reviews. So here is a list of what I've been reading and what I thought of these books (kinda a short review here).

The Island by Elin Hilderbrand - I was so looking forward to reading this book. I read The Castaways last year and just loved it. The location of these books makes me want to take a holiday there myself. I enjoyed this book, but I found the ending predictable. The characters were good, though I would have liked to see some changes in a couple them.
This is a good summer read, perfect for sitting on the beach.

The Hunter by L.J. Smith - First time reading one of her books. This is a young adult and the first of a trilogy. I will continue to read this series since I have the other 2 books (part of the Forbidden Games series).

I decided that I should start reading some Christian fiction again. I used to only read Christian fiction but started to be disappointed with some books because they just weren't the kind of books I could sink my teeth into. So I recalled Terri Blackstock and got 2 of her books, Predator and Invention. Once I started reading Predator I remembered that this wasn't one of the authors I really liked. Both were good reads, but there were little things throughout the books that annoyed me. Maybe it was the way police procedures were protraited in these books that didn't seem real to me, or that the characters just lacked depth. I wish that I purchased some Dee Henderson books because I recall the Guardian series to be really good and I couldn't put those books down.

Models don't eat chocolate cookies by Erin Dionne

Models don't eat chocolate cookies by Erin Dionne is a debut novel that touches on friendships, family dynamics, and personal growth, it is a light, well-paced novel.

Thirteen-year-old Celeste Harris is no string bean, but comfy sweatpants and a daily chocolate cookie suit her just fine. Her under-the-radar lifestyle could have continued too, if her aunt hadn’t entered her in the HuskyPeach Modeling Challenge. To get out of it, she’s forced to launch Operation Skinny Celeste—because, after all, a thin girl can’t be a fat model! What Celeste never imagined was that losing weight would help her gain a backbone . . . or that all she needed to shine was a spotlight. A hilarious debut featuring friendship, family, mean girls and even celebrity crushes, Celeste’s story is a delicious treat that doesn’t add a pound.

How does one do a good book review within any spoilers? Some books you can do that no problem, this one though is a little harder. I so enjoyed this book, it is such a sensitive subject. It was written with a little humor, soul searching and much more.

I highly recommend this book.

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

A tiny girl is abandoned on a ship headed for Australia in 1913. She arrives completely alone with nothing but a small suitcase containing a few clothes and a single book; a beautiful volume of fairy tales. She is taken in by the dockmaster and his wife and raised as their own. On her twenty-first birthday, they tell her the truth, and with her sense of self shattered and very little to go on, "Nell" sets out to trace her real identity. Her quest leads her to Blackhurst Manor on the Cornish coast and the secrets of the doomed Mountrachet family. But it is not until her granddaughter, Cassandra, takes up the search after Nell’s death that all the pieces of the puzzle are assembled. A spellbinding tale of mystery and self-discovery,  

The Forgotten Garden will take hold of your imagination and never let go. 
 

Paperback, 549 pages

Published February 16th 2010 by Washington Square Press 

personal library

*****

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton is a new favorite book of mine.

I have wanted to read this book as soon as it was released. But being cheap I waited till the trade paperback version came out. 

Kate Morton's second novel is a rich and satisfying mystery set in England and Australia of a woman's search for her identity.  A cottage on the Cornish coast is home to secrets that pull together three generations of women, despite the decades and oceans that separate them.

The story of begins in 1913 with a 3 year old on a journey from England to Australia. However no adult is traveling with her. The story jumps from 1913 to 2005, back to 1975 and even back to the late 1800's. With all that jumping back and forth the story is told without confusion. It just flows from one chapter and different time period smoothly. I finished this book in a mere 5 days and was so sad to see it end.

I got to know Neil, Cassandra and Eliza so well. I felt for Nell upon her 21st birthday when she receives shocking news that turns her world upside down. The story line with Eliza and her cousin, aunt and uncle was kinda creepy and made me sat the way she was treated.

I loved the fairy tales added to this book, something original that added so much.

I highly recommend this book and will be reading more by this talented author.