42 ChallengeChallenge Completion

Hosted by Becky at the 42 Challenge Blog

My Original Post

What I Watched and Read
(Links are to my reviews.)

1. Stargate: SG-1, Season 2, Episode 31, "Secrets"


2. Stargate: SG-1, Season 2, Episode 32, "Bane"


3. Stargate: SG-1, Season 2, Episodes 33 and 34,
   "The Tok'ra"


4. Stargate: SG-1, Season 2, Episode 35, "Spirits"


5. The Host by Stephenie Meyer


6. The Accidental Time Machine by Joe Haldeman


7. Stargate: SG-1, Season 2, Episode 36, "Touchstone"


8. Stargate: SG-1, Season 2, Episode 37, "The Fifth Race"


9. Stargate: SG-1, Season 2, Episode 38, "A Matter of Time"


10. Stargate: SG-1, Season 2, Episode 39, "Holiday"


11. Stargate: SG-1, Season 2, Episode 40, "Serpent's Song"


12. Stargate: SG-1, Season 2, Episode 41, "One False Step"


13. Stargate: SG-1, Season 2, Episode 42, "Show and Tell"


14. Stargate: SG-1, Season 2, Episode 43, "1969"


15. Stargate: SG-1, Season 2, Episode 44,
    "Out of Mind (Part 1)"


16. Stargate: Atlantis, Season 4 (20 episodes)


17. Stargate: SG-1, Season 3 (22 episodes)


18. Stargate: SG-1, Season 4 (22 episodes)


19. Stargate: SG-1, Season 5 (22 episodes)


20. Stargate: SG-1, Season 6 (22 episodes)


21. Stargate: SG-1, Season 7 (22 episodes)


22. InterWorld by Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves


23. The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer


24. Stargate: SG-1, Season 8 (20 episodes)


25. Stargate: SG-1, Season 9 (20 episodes)


26. Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer


27. Stargate: SG-1, Season 10 (20 episodes)


28. Stargate: The Ark of Truth


29. Stargate: Continuum


30. Sanctuary, Season 1 (13 episodes)


31. WALL-E


32. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins


33. Unwind by Neal Shusterman


34. When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead


35. Stargate: Atlantis, Season 5 (20 episodes)


36. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins


37. FlashForward, Season 1 (9 episodes and counting)


38. Stargate: Universe, Season 1 (9 episodes and counting)


39. Sanctuary, Season 2 (7 episodes and counting)


40. Star Trek (2009)


41. V (2009 TV series), Season 1 (4 episodes and counting)


42. Push (2009)

InterWorldby Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves

Published in 2007. 240 pages.


I adore tales about time travel and parallel universes and alternate realities. I also adore sweet male teenage characters with a bit of quirkiness. I adored InterWorld.

Joey Harker isn't a hero.

In fact, he's the kind of guy who gets lost in his own house.

But then one day, Joey gets really lost. He walks straight out of his world and into another dimension.

Joey's walk between the worlds makes him prey to two terrible forces—armies of magic and science who will do anything to harness his power to travel between dimensions.

When he sees the evil those forces are capable of, Joey makes the only possible choice: to join an army of his own, an army of versions of himself from different dimensions who all share his amazing power and who are all determined to fight to save the worlds.

Master storyteller Neil Gaiman and Emmy Award-winning science-fiction writer Michael Reaves team up to create a dazzling tale of magic, science, honor, and the destiny of one very special boy—and all the others like him.

All Neil Gaiman titles qualify for the Cardathon, and when I read Becky's review of InterWorld last December, I put it on my Cardathon list. I'd not read anything by Gaiman before - although I plan to read more in 2009. My 12yo daughter read InterWorld before I did - and she enjoyed it too.

(By the way, this was book three of my dream to read a book-a-day to the end of the year. I'm officially four books behind.)

2008.74

The House of the Scorpionby Nancy Farmer

Published in 2002. 380 pages.
2002 National Book Award for Young People's Literature.
2003 Printz Honor Book.
2003 Newbery Honor Book.


What it is about (according to the description on the Newbery site): Farmer tackles the provocative topics of cloning, the value of life, illegal immigration, and the drug trade in a coming-of-age novel set in a desolate futuristic desert.

Why I read it: I'd been eyeing this book for quite a while, so when it was thrown out as a possible read for my church women's group book club, I enthusiastically agreed. I also included it on my Book Awards Reading Challenge list.

What I thought (and what the book club thought): I found this to be a thought-provoking read. I believe that the best science-fiction is commentary on current society - and The House of the Scorpion has a lot of say about many current "hot" topics. Of those who attended our book club meeting, two seemed to have liked it but the other two really disliked it. I hadn't finished the book at that point; I did find it to be a much slower read than I had expected. But in the end, I thought it was worth my time!

Other book bloggers' reviews of The House of the Scorpion: If you have read and reviewed this book, I would love to link your review here. Please leave me a comment or email me your link!

• Janssen (May 15, 2008)


• Emily (June 1, 2009)


• One Librarian (December 3, 2010)

2008.70

The Accidental Time Machineby Joe Haldeman

Published in 2007. 278 pages.


The Accidental Time Machine was August's pick for Becky's Online Reading Group. Because I love time travel novels, I was eager to read this one. I was not familiar with Haldeman's work, but I discovered that he is an award-winning American science-fiction writer. His website is here.

First sentence: The story would have been a lot different if Matt's supervisor had been watching him when the machine first went away.

Last sentence: In 2072, Jonathan Marsh would be given the Nobel Prize in physics, for discovering a curious kind of time travel.

This was an enjoyable read, with some interesting visions of what the future will bring. I wanted there to be a little more substance to it all; I kept waiting for the question "so what?" to be answered. It never was - but it's a fun book nevertheless.

Other book bloggers' reviews of The Accidental Time Machine:
If you have read and reviewed this book, I would love to link your review here. Please leave me a comment or email me your link!

2008.47

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

Published in 2008. 619 pages.


First sentence: The Healer's name was Fords Deep Waters.

Last sentence: "The strangest," he agreed.

The premise of the book: On Stephenie Meyer's website, The Host is called "science fiction for people who don't like science fiction." It's a post-apocalyptic tale in which humans have become hosts for a species of invaders. Their minds are taken over, but their bodies remain intact and continue their lives. Wanderer is the invading "soul" of Melanie - but Melanie refuses to relinquish possession of her mind. The plot of the book outlines what happens as these two beings interact and learn about each other.

From the book jacket: "One of the most compelling writers of our time, Stephenie Meyer brings us a riveting and unforgettable novel about the persistence of love and the very essence of what it means to be human."

Why I read this book: As a big fan of Meyer's Twilight Saga, I probably would have read this - her first novel for adults - sooner or later. After getting a few recommendations from family members, I decided that I should get to it sooner than later. Since it was the July pick for Becky's Online Reading Group, "sooner" become "now." I'm also including this read on my 42 Challenge list.

What I thought: I like the Twilight books better, but I still enjoyed this one. At 619 pages, it took me a while (although my daughter Jelly Bean read the whole thing - plus five other books - during the 24 Hour Read-a-Thon). Meyer is a great storyteller, and toward the end of the novel, in particular, I was having a hard time putting the book down. The basic premise - while not particularly original - was well executed. Reportedly, there is a sequel in the works, and if that happens, I'd certainly read it.

Other book bloggers' reviews of The Host:
If you have read and reviewed this book, I would love to link your review here. Please leave me a comment or email me your link!

• Sharon (August 6, 2008)


• Marg (July 15, 2008)


• Stephanie (June 26, 2008)


• Bobbi (June 21, 2008)


• Holly (May 16, 2008)


• Becky (May 11, 2008)

2008.42

42 Challenge

Becky is hosting another fun challenge, one that might include some reading but that also includes other activities, primarily - to my mind, at least - some DVD viewing. The theme is science fiction, and practically anything sci-fi counts: short stories, poetry, novellas, novels, episodes of TV shows, episodes of radio shows, movies, comic books, graphic novels, audio books, essays or articles about science fiction or science fiction writers, biographies of science fiction authors.

The challenge requires participants to read/watch/listen to and review 42 sci-fi items. The challenge officially starts January 1, 2009, and runs for 42 weeks and 42 days (to December 3, 2009). Unofficially, it starts now - and I think many participants have already started. I told Becky I wanted in on Friday, and I watched my first two items last night!

I started working on DVDs of Stargate (both Atlantis and SG-1) last November. (My first post about it is here.) I'm caught up on Atlantis through Season 3 - but Season 4 is being released this coming week. I'm only in Season 2 - of a total of 10 - on SG-1.

In addition to making some major progress on my Stargate viewing, I've got several sci-fi books on my radar screen, including The Host (which I've already started), The Adoration of Jenna Fox (which I've heard such good things about), Interworld, and The Accidental Time Machine. (Yes! So many books, so little time!)

I will be keeping track of my overall progress on the challenge blog: Alison's 42. I will post reviews of the books I read on this blog and, to follow up on my previous Stargate posts, reviews of the episodes of Stargate I watch on my "regular" blog.

Cross-posted to my "regular" blog.